Converter or flexplate?

[JD3020]

Just got my engine swapped in recently, and yesterday was the first day i really put any miles on the truck. No vibrations or anything, but i was getting some bad noises from the converter area, mainly on shut-down. Pulled the inspection plate off last night and took it on a drive, and had a faint grinding, and a rattle. The rattle turned out to be the DP flange had loosened up, got that taken care of. I also made sure the TC bolts were tight, and they were.

Now its just the griding noise. Its coming from the converter/felxplate area. It only makes noise in park/neutral. Sometimes it makes noise under very light load, like cruising through town, or when coasting, and only when the converter is unlocked. With the converter locked or under throttle there is no noise or anything at all. Trans seems to shift fine, don't really feel anything odd in the truck/driveline, just the noise. It is very audible in town/traffic when the noise is echoing off buildings/vehicles. Put the windows up and you can't hear it.

Trans is a mild build from Unlimited Diesel, PI converter, pretty sure its got less than 13k miles on it. Only been in the truck since last February, and my truck has sat probably 4 months between then and now. I don't remember any noises before we pulled the engine out this winter, but i had horrible exhaust leaks that were louder than the engine.


Here's a vid i took earlier, going back and forth between neutral and drive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgE2rH44YzE

 

[4duggan]

Like to watch this one , good luck OP.

 

[JD3020]

Forgot to add, only makes noise after there's some heat in the engine/trans. When everything is cold its quiet.

 

[JD3020]

Any ideas?

Had to drive it today, no other choice. Still driving just fine, and doesn't seem to be getting any louder, or quieter for that matter. I did notice the ring-gear isn't on the flexplate evenly, but none of the welds are cracked/broke, and the flexplate/converter doesn't appear to be wobbling or anything, just something odd.

 

[bad12jr]

I don't really hear much weird with that video. Can you do one of shut down.

Sent from my x2 chillin in the middle of no where

 

[JD3020]

I'll try to get one at shut-down. Its hard to hear on the videos, my phone doesn't have the best audio, but you can hear the sound change from when i change between neutral/drive. Really wish i had a go-pro as its very audible like i said, when i'm in between buildings or cars.

Not as loud as this, but almost the same noise.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KMjWlIjpzs

 

[farmall99]

Probably the flexplate, mine did the same thing a while back. Noise in park and neutral, but went away above idle or when it was put under any type of load.

 

[907DAVE]

Any chance the engine was ran with a loose trans or something that's holding it up from being true? Any history on the flex plate or unknown?

I am always leery of using one that has been on the back of a motor that has been kicking around in storage for a while...you never know if it took any hits.

 

[JD3020]

Probably the flexplate, mine did the same thing a while back. Noise in park and neutral, but went away above idle or when it was put under any type of load.

Was it cracked or loose?



This flexplate is off my engine, has 205k miles on it. Trans bolts have been tight. Now a few years back i had an odd driveline clunk, which turned out to be a bunch of loose trans bolts.


Just hoping to get this half-pinpointed before i yank the trans out and pay to ship my converter back to Precision just to find out its fine.

 

[907DAVE]

Now a few years back i had an odd driveline clunk, which turned out to be a bunch of loose trans bolts.

Bingo!

 

[JD3020]

But why am i just now having issues? Could the stresses of un-torqing it off the old engine, re-torquing it on the new engine, then bolting the converter up just pushed it to a point where it finally cracked?

 

['94IDITurbo7.3]

i have heard that if it sounds like a bunch of marbles rolling around in the area of the converter then, the converter is failing/toast......any truth to that one?

 

[farmall99]

Was it cracked or loose?



This flexplate is off my engine, has 205k miles on it. Trans bolts have been tight. Now a few years back i had an odd driveline clunk, which turned out to be a bunch of loose trans bolts.


Just hoping to get this half-pinpointed before i yank the trans out and pay to ship my converter back to Precision just to find out its fine.

Completely busted, I'm amazed it pulled itself up on the gooseneck....

One slight tap of the hammer later....

 

[JD3020]

Ouch!

I'm amazed at the number of 7.3 flexplates that fail, and they all fail in the exact same place, the exact same way. Yet so many of them are still able to move under there own power somehow. LOL

 

[farmall99]

You're not the only one LOL LOL

 

[JD3020]

I'm just praying that my issue is the flexplate and not something else. May just stop at Ford and order one tomorrow so its there if i need it, although i may end up getting stuck with it if i don't need it. Which if i end up not needing a flexplate, well *** me. LOL

 

[JD3020]

I'm now wondering if its something else. Had no choice but to drive my truck a good bit the past couple days. Well i did have a choice, just sit at home. I noticed today that its starting to get quieter, and when i got home tonight i really didn't even hear it. Truck is still driving and shifting just like it always has, even towed some yesterday. Might drop the trans this weekend though as i need to get at the back of the oil pan to hopefully smother it in some more grey RTV to stop the leak i've got going on.


And i priced out parts today. For bolts, re-enforcing ring, and a flexplate, all new from Ford, it'd run me about $212. Although at this point in time i'm not going to spend another $200 on it, and i'm not going to put another used plate on it, nor get a cheap parts store one(new from Napa is $75), so if it is cracked, the truck will be parked for a while, again.


Maybe something random, somewhere, is rubbing at a spot that its not possible to see. Guess i'll find out soon enough.

 

[mandkole]

it relieved itself to the needed clearance on its own, thats why its quiet. Now, the question is, what got machined?

 

[TARM]

I could hear it much better in the second video. Its that trashy sound when it idles up correct? That is a weird noise. I guess it could be a flex plate but sort of seems more like the sound that could come from the converter. The flex plate I have heard that look like the ones in the pic really mess with the idle. Its not that sound but who knows. I have been very lucky and never had one break on a truck I owned. I think a few of the farm trucks that pulled round bails had though. Never was there to mess with them though.

 

[JD3020]

The second vid isn't mine, but its a very similar noise. Its Billy's truck(GNXTC2). My noise isn't nearly that loud. Actually under the truck you can't hear it over the engine noise. The only way to really hear it is to stand to the side of the truck.

But its back today, still not a single issue other than the noise.