Need suggestions on TC replacement ... or just burning it.

[bschooled]

Ugh... So if any of you saw my earlier post about this horrific rattling noise coming from the Torque Converter Area

See this ...
Rattling Torque Converter? - YouTube

Not sure why its posting twice ....

I need a new Torque Converter ... my options are these:
1. Buy converter, and replace somehow all by myself with only jackstands ...
2. Buy converter, scratch together ever cent I have and have the shop install it.
3. Burn the vehicle
4. Burn the vehicle and laugh hysterically
5. Be a giant A**hole and sell it to some unsuspecting fool (like I was) and claim its exhaust rattle.

Note the car has several other issues (needs a new grille, several rear suspension components)

Thoughts and suggestions welcome

 

[Shredicus]

Holy crap that sounds like death....

Dynamite.

 

[2000sport]

thats a bit worse than how mine sounds...

But if you can wait until around June, when I do mine... I can at least tell you how much of a PITA it is.

from looking through the shop manual, and with the number of times I've been under the car - It doesn't look too terribly bad.

 

[TDUB]

Mine was nowhere near as bad as this but I believe I paid $700 to have mine replaced. If you plan on keeping your LS for awhile you can look at it as an opportunity to upgrade to a higher stall converter. :burnout:

 

[Kumba]

Damn. Sounds like some horrendous rod knock or something. You do know there is a small inspection cover on the bottom of the bell housing you can pop off to get a look at the flexplate/bolts right?

Assuming it's transmission, I would start there and see if the flexplate is cracked or somehow the bolts are loose. Have someone start the car with it up on stands (make sure e-brake is on and it's in park with wheel chocks) and make sure you hear it coming from the TC.

 

[bschooled]

Well I am less than 6 months away from graduating, and I am already hired for a fairly high paying job. So this car just has to last me till then, and then its my first big purchase.

The sort of slower thumping sound (not the clicking) when I change gears has been there since I bought the car (I always thought it was exhaust, but I have had everything checked out).

I've had the car up on ramps and had it running while I got underneath it and it is definitely coming from the bell housing. I even used a a steel rod and pushed it up on the heat shields to see if I could change the tone at all and it made no difference.

I didn't know there was an inspection cover, I didn't really know how to check the flexplate bolts. But it would be something to check out anyways.

 

[Kumba]

Yup, there's an inspection cover about the size of a 3x5 index card. I believe it's two bolts and it falls off. You can at least see if it's a cracked flexplate or TC bolts. The hard part is spinning the crank over without starting it. I've used a pipe strap wrench before on the harmonic balancer but you have to be careful you don't screw up the balancer in the process. To make it easier you can pop the spark plugs out so you aren't compressing the cylinders.