What are the chances of a torque converter going bad?
11-15-2007, 12:48 PM
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What are the chances of a torque converter going bad? My Car: 95 auto lt-1. stock except for a cat-back (y-pipe) 140k miles.
The Issue: Around 3800RPM my car hits a wall. It pulls nice and strong @ WOT until that point. Once it reaches that RPM I'm not sure what the hell happens but it loses power, big time. To me it feels transmission related.. however I'm don't have a lot of experience with domestics, in particular lt's and a4's. The RPM's still rise past that point but it feels like there isn't any power going to ground and there's a slight vibration. Even though it feels horrible if I continue to keep it at WOT past 4k to the max and force the shift, it shifts decently and I'll get power back until I get right back above 3800. It seems to be worse in low if I nail it and if I'm cruising on the highway above 70 and drop shift the RPMS seem to rise but the speed will not increase.
Steps Taken: It was throwing a CEL. Left bank o2 isn't reading right and that was it. Will fix this weekend. Flushed the trans fluid and changed the filter. Changed the plugs and wires. Did all the little things I thought of.
What do you guys think I'm looking at here? Car was bought a few months ago with incomplete service records and I'm just at a loss over this.
Heres a video from my cell phone, it's not the greatest but it's the only visual I can supply.
The Issue: Around 3800RPM my car hits a wall. It pulls nice and strong @ WOT until that point. Once it reaches that RPM I'm not sure what the hell happens but it loses power, big time. To me it feels transmission related.. however I'm don't have a lot of experience with domestics, in particular lt's and a4's. The RPM's still rise past that point but it feels like there isn't any power going to ground and there's a slight vibration. Even though it feels horrible if I continue to keep it at WOT past 4k to the max and force the shift, it shifts decently and I'll get power back until I get right back above 3800. It seems to be worse in low if I nail it and if I'm cruising on the highway above 70 and drop shift the RPMS seem to rise but the speed will not increase.
Steps Taken: It was throwing a CEL. Left bank o2 isn't reading right and that was it. Will fix this weekend. Flushed the trans fluid and changed the filter. Changed the plugs and wires. Did all the little things I thought of.
What do you guys think I'm looking at here? Car was bought a few months ago with incomplete service records and I'm just at a loss over this.
Heres a video from my cell phone, it's not the greatest but it's the only visual I can supply.
11-15-2007, 01:37 PM
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first question, what did the old fluid look/smell like that you changed in the trans. any debris in it. did you pull the pan to put a filter in it? if so what did the filter look like. I can't tell from the video, your sure it feels like trans and it is not the engine bogging down????
11-15-2007, 01:38 PM
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It doesn't sound like a converter problem. If the one way clutch (stator) was free wheeling in both directions, it will have poor acceleration but normal highway cruising. If it was locked up in both direction, you will have normal acceleration but poor highway cruising (it will want to decelerate quickly). So this is really only for MPH, not RPM. I believe it's a fuel related problem, maybe ignition. How old is the fuel filter?
11-15-2007, 01:42 PM
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first question, what did the old fluid look/smell like that you changed in the trans. any debris in it. did you pull the pan to put a filter in it? if so what did the filter look like. I can't tell from the video, your sure it feels like trans and it is not the engine bogging down????
yes i pulled the pan when I changed it, and it wasnt overly nasty but it was dark with a tinge of burnt. there were debris but not a whole lot on the magnet in the pan.
11-15-2007, 02:20 PM
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Only took 30 degree weather to figure this out I guess. I nailed it coming out of the parking lot and in 1st gear when it hit 4k im assuming it missed so bad it actually threw me forward in the seat a little from the change in momentum.. dont think its tranny related anymore.
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11-16-2007, 09:04 AM
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why not start by the simple solutions ,and then if not working out ,follow a procedure
start by the fuel filter + plugs check like Dwayne & Ralls said ....
then proceed on to next step
Dan
start by the fuel filter + plugs check like Dwayne & Ralls said ....
then proceed on to next step
Dan
11-19-2007, 01:55 PM
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Thanks for all the advice.
Fixed the issue.
I had bought another fuel filter a long time ago and was planning on doing it this weekend. Solved the problem.
Back in full rpm action
Fixed the issue.
I had bought another fuel filter a long time ago and was planning on doing it this weekend. Solved the problem.
Back in full rpm action
