Break it to me gently. Is it shot?

northstar11

northstar11

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I got this bad feeling.
It's a 2000 V8 with 103,00 miles on it. Love the car. The only problem(besides the sway bar bushings:shifty: ) is the sub-par tranny. It ratles realy bad. It acually sounds more like a diesle. My question, is that just an anoying sound I gota put up with, or will the tranny soon be shot completely. Gear shifts seam to be ok (not like new) except when going from 2nd-3rd in SST. Also, does that got a tranny rebuilt know what I can expect to pay if I go that route.

Thanks in advance for the help, you guys know everything I think
 
I'm not a mechanic.... But if something "rattles", I don't think that's a good thing.:rolleyes:

Sorry I can't help.
 
2-3 shift was always harsh in my LS. A lot of other 00-02 owners say that too.
 
could it be a catalytic converter? that used to happen to my old 95 Cougar.
 
2-3 is a hard shift when you get on it, at least in my 01. I have a feeling it isn't your tranny, take it somewhere.
 
nickandersonLS01 said:
2-3 is a hard shift when you get on it, at least in my 01. I have a feeling it isn't your tranny, take it somewhere.
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Yea, I had my mechanic listen to it, he wasnt really shure, but thot it was tranny to. When I first start it, and tha car is cold, I dont hear the noise. But after a couple minutes, it starts to rattle, and its perdy loud. It deffinantly gets worse when I put it into gear.
 
I bet DarkMan is right, it is either a loose cat shield or a loose bolt on the exhaust. Had issue on my 85 T-Bird, 94 E-150 , 2004 F-150 and 2000 Mustang. All had rusted speed nuts and the bolts were just floppin around in the hole (all were on the cat shields). I had to cut them off witha dremel and put on stainless automotive grade 8 bolts (I am anal- sorry) and lock nuts to keep this from happing again.
 
It's been some months since I've been on the forum but I remember threads talking about the torque converters have problems. My wifes 00 LS8 has had a rattle since prolly 30k miles. My own fault for never having it checked under warranty, but it now has 101k the rattle is still there no better no worse.
My local Advance Auto guy has an LS and his rattle was the torque converter.
The rattle in my wife's car occurs whether the car is in gear or not, but it will stop briefly when going from P or N to D. The rattle ceases once the car gets over a certain speed maybe 25mph or so.
 
Stainless or grade 8...........

Frat-man-du said:
I bet DarkMan is right, it is either a loose cat shield or a loose bolt on the exhaust. Had issue on my 85 T-Bird, 94 E-150 , 2004 F-150 and 2000 Mustang. All had rusted speed nuts and the bolts were just floppin around in the hole (all were on the cat shields). I had to cut them off witha dremel and put on stainless automotive grade 8 bolts (I am anal- sorry) and lock nuts to keep this from happing again.
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They were either stainless or grade 8. Grade 8 standards call for alloy steel that is quenched and or hardened. Stainless is a different beast. If they were marked stainless grade 8, then they were mis marked.
 
I'm confused as to how a torque converter can rattle? It's 2 fans in a fluid mixture.

If it doesn't do it when the car is cold, it probably won't be a loose bolt elsewhere on the car, as it'd rattle from startup to shutdown.
 
Ive heard the bolts that hold the torque converter to the flexplate rattle before if they are loose. But never heard a TC itself rattle.
Does the noise stop when the car gets moving? Or can you not tell over the engine/road noise?
 
97stscaddy said:
Ive heard the bolts that hold the torque converter to the flexplate rattle before if they are loose. But never heard a TC itself rattle.
Does the noise stop when the car gets moving? Or can you not tell over the engine/road noise?
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Yea, its kinda hard to tell, but at slow speeds (30mph) I can still really hear it. It deffinantly gets worse when the car is in gear. It almost like its conected to the rpms. The lower the rpms, the louder it gets. Thats why I dont think its a lose bolt, but I could be wrong
 
I was thinking it could maybe have something to do with the torque converter lock-up. But if you can't hear it when the car is at speed then you can't really tell.
 
guys check your catalytic converter heatshields i bet they are loose. Theres no way a torque converter can rattle, its inside the tranny for crying out loud, the only thing in the bottom of the car that can rattle is the shields on the cats, if its coming from the tranny then the pan is loose and that means youve got a major problem b/c you are probably driving around with no tranny oil.
 
Is it a rattle or more of a grinding sound? Cause it could be your bands.
 
f its coming from the tranny then the pan is loose and that means youve got a major problem b/c you are probably driving around with no tranny oil.
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IN which case it wouldn't move at all seeing as its an automatic.

The torque converter is not inside the transmission. It is between the engine and transmission in the bellhousing.

800px-Torque-converter-cutbox-model.jpg

A cutout of a torque converter. See that little spring? Its an anti-rattle spring for the torque converter lockup clutch. When that clutch is engaged the torque converter acts as a mechanical coupling between the engine and transmission instead of a fluid coupling. Those springs provide the same beneift as the anti-rattle springs in a normal clutch. They help prevent clutch chatter when it is engaged. Those springs can wear out, or break even, and then they rattle around in there while the torque converter is spinning. Thats really the only loose part inside a torque converter except for the bearings on the stator.
 
I too am having this problem with my 2001 LS. It rattles more under engine tension, like when I put the car in drive and hold the brake. The rattle does go away after I pass approx 30mph. In park it comes and goes....
 
northstar11 said:
it is deffinantly a rattle. If it is a loose shield, why does it get worse when I put it in gear?
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because the RPM's change to more perfectly match the resonance of the cat/cat-sheild system. The shield is the most likely culprit for your rattle, easy fix.
 
where exactly is this cat shield located? Right over the cat itself?
 
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