Signs of a bad torque converter?
07-30-2018, 10:26 AM
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Signs of a bad torque converter?
Hello I’ve got a 2004 5AT TL. What are some signs of a bad torque converter? I’ve got 152k miles currently and had transmission fluid drain & refilled along with pressure switches replaced at 149k miles. Recently I’ve noticed when I’m going 65 mph and try to accelerate, sometimes my RPMs will go up but the speed will go up slower. Almost feels like a limiter is cutting me off from accelerating fast after it hits over 4.5k RPMs. It doesn’t feel like it’s goung into limp mode, just feels like it wants to accelerate but can’t. Any suggestions that could be causing this?
07-30-2018, 10:44 AM
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I usually don’t start hitting highway speeds til about 10 mins of driving it then I get on the highway but it doesn’t shift bad or anything. I do feel like it drives a little better when it’s cold but it has been pretty humid up here in NY. When I had the transmission drain & fill done there wasn’t any metal shavings in the trans.
07-30-2018, 10:49 AM
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I should also mention the first time it happened to me was 1 week ago when it was raining. I was going 65 and tried speeding up and happened. I figured I was loosing traction but it still does it on dry pavement. Only over 65 mph
07-30-2018, 03:39 PM
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I’m hoping you reply soon, you got me worrying about my transmission now lol
07-30-2018, 04:55 PM
#6
Burning Brakes
Do you feel a "whirling" feeling when the torque converter is engaged? The best way I can describe it is as if you are putting the foot on the gas pedal then letting off and repeating the same process. You would feel the car lurch forward, then back, lurch, then back. This was what my Accord V6 felt like when the torque converter clutch was wearing out. The torque converter engages as soon as the second gear hits when you drive in D. You don't to get to highway speed to detect a failing torque converter or TCC clutch. The first thing to try is to drive in any other drive gear, other than D, because when you are in other gears, the torque converter does not engage as soon as you hit the 2nd gear. The symptom is almost always worse once the trans is hot and the weather is hot, as the trans fluid thins out.
If you've done all the fluid changes then it's a trans rebuild job. I just went through this 5 months ago. I had 275k miles then. If you want to hold out, then get yourself a couple tubes of Lubegard red, which is a friction modifier and can fix the problem temporarily, until the fluid losses its friction capability.
If you've done all the fluid changes then it's a trans rebuild job. I just went through this 5 months ago. I had 275k miles then. If you want to hold out, then get yourself a couple tubes of Lubegard red, which is a friction modifier and can fix the problem temporarily, until the fluid losses its friction capability.
07-30-2018, 05:18 PM
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Nope i don’t feel that “lurch” feeling in any other gear. All my gears feel fine until I hit 65mph and try to step on it to pass someone on the high way, it sometimes will speed up slow while the RPMs go up and other times it’s picks up speed quicker. It almost feels like it isn’t picking up speed as it should with the amount of pressure I put on the throttle. Maybe it can be a throttle response issue? I’ve also heard clogged solenoid sensor in the engine could cause this feeling. But thanks for your reply because I can eliminate the torque converter out of the equation.
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07-30-2018, 08:47 PM
#8
Burning Brakes
If you are running at 65mph and you give quite a bit a gas, then the transmission should downshift to 4th or 3rd so you get more power. I suggest you changing out the pressure switches first.
07-30-2018, 09:35 PM
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I had the pressure switches replaced about 3,000 miles ago. I do remember being confused about which part numbers were correct for 3rd and 4th. I did the research and had my mechanic install them as is... (28600-RKE-004 3rd)
(28610-RKE-004 4th)
(28610-RKE-004 4th)
07-31-2018, 01:01 PM
#10
Three Wheelin'
These are the signs I experienced before my trans decided to go.
1. Cold Weather, when shifting from Park to Drive/Reverse,..it took longer than usual for the gear to engage.
2. Also, during cold starts you could hear a loud whining noise coming from the torque converter area.
3. Driving and allowing the car to shift to 2nd gear would take forever. It felt like the car was gear hunting. At times it wouldnt engage 2nd gear. I would shut off the car and then back on and it would work.
4. Going up hills on the highway seemed as if I had no power. I would leave it on cruise control and you can see the rpm needle bouncing up and down. (a.k.a slipping )
5. Throughout all this, the transfluid was red and didnt smell burnt.
I never replaced the pressure switches too since the problem is a design flaw with these trans. Trans finally went at 170k miles. Had it rebuilt and then got rid of the car at 192k miles
1. Cold Weather, when shifting from Park to Drive/Reverse,..it took longer than usual for the gear to engage.
2. Also, during cold starts you could hear a loud whining noise coming from the torque converter area.
3. Driving and allowing the car to shift to 2nd gear would take forever. It felt like the car was gear hunting. At times it wouldnt engage 2nd gear. I would shut off the car and then back on and it would work.
4. Going up hills on the highway seemed as if I had no power. I would leave it on cruise control and you can see the rpm needle bouncing up and down. (a.k.a slipping )
5. Throughout all this, the transfluid was red and didnt smell burnt.
I never replaced the pressure switches too since the problem is a design flaw with these trans. Trans finally went at 170k miles. Had it rebuilt and then got rid of the car at 192k miles
07-31-2018, 01:10 PM
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My car doesn’t do any of those issues that you pointed out. It does make a little whine noise when going about 10mph but it does no matter the weather. It does have a little whine when in 4th-5th gear around 45-55mph but I always thought it was normal.
07-31-2018, 02:30 PM
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I'm not a transmission expert but if I were you, I'd just let it ride until the symptoms get worse. It sounds like you only have one noticeable symptom. Automatic transmissions sometimes crap out suddenly but often they show significant signs before failing altogether. I'd say your symptom is pretty minor at this point.
Just a suggestion, but take it with a grain of salt. Redline makes transmission fluid that has less friction modifiers in it. Racing and Lightweight racing specifically, have none from what I gather. Their D6 and D4 have less but not as much as the Honda/Acura DW-1. I'm not sure if the 3G takes D6 or D4. I have a 4G and they indicated D6. Anyway, I did a drain and refill with half and half racing and lightweight racing and the most noticeable change wasn't so much in how it shifted, but how the torque converted acted. Shifting may have been a little tighter, but the transmission in the mid-model refresh of the 4G TL locks up pretty quick so it's hard to tell. But when stopped, or letting up on the gas, it was obvious that the car wanted to move much quicker, indicating to me that there was more fluid friction from the torque converter.
I've since switched back to DW-1 although there's obviously some left in the transmission since you never get all the fluid out. I didn't really like the feel that much and since it was shifting the same, I don't think it really helped to reduce clutch pack wear, which was the initial reason I tried it. In your case, you might give it a try if the problem gets worse. I suppose you'd have nothing to lose other than the fact that the Redline stuff runs like, $9 a quart at a minimum.
Just a suggestion, but take it with a grain of salt. Redline makes transmission fluid that has less friction modifiers in it. Racing and Lightweight racing specifically, have none from what I gather. Their D6 and D4 have less but not as much as the Honda/Acura DW-1. I'm not sure if the 3G takes D6 or D4. I have a 4G and they indicated D6. Anyway, I did a drain and refill with half and half racing and lightweight racing and the most noticeable change wasn't so much in how it shifted, but how the torque converted acted. Shifting may have been a little tighter, but the transmission in the mid-model refresh of the 4G TL locks up pretty quick so it's hard to tell. But when stopped, or letting up on the gas, it was obvious that the car wanted to move much quicker, indicating to me that there was more fluid friction from the torque converter.
I've since switched back to DW-1 although there's obviously some left in the transmission since you never get all the fluid out. I didn't really like the feel that much and since it was shifting the same, I don't think it really helped to reduce clutch pack wear, which was the initial reason I tried it. In your case, you might give it a try if the problem gets worse. I suppose you'd have nothing to lose other than the fact that the Redline stuff runs like, $9 a quart at a minimum.
07-31-2018, 02:36 PM
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I just had my car looked At and my front right caliper waa seized up. The performance issue going over 65mph started about a week ago, about the same time when I noticed my brakes were off. I think it’s safe to say my trans is doing good now then. (Knock on wood) but thank u for the advice with the alternative fluid. I didn’t know the difference in the redline and oem fluids. I might give it a try in the future.
07-31-2018, 02:43 PM
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That's good to hear. I had a similar situation where I'd hear some sort of grinding noise when I accelerated from a stop. I thought for sure it was the transmission. After a fair bit of investigation it turned out to be a motor mount. Much easier and cheaper replacement than a transmission 
While I've never heard of someone ruining their transmission with Redline fluid, it can be a bit of a risk since the transmission wasn't specifically designed for it. However, lots of folks have used it with good results. Like I said, I went back to OEM since it didn't really improve anything but with the price and potential risk, it might not be worth it. I only suggested it as a potential fix to possibly "firm up" the torque converter. Sort of like that Lucas stop-slip fluid. I'd never use it unless I knew for sure I had a problem and used it as a last ditch effort to delay replacement.
While I've never heard of someone ruining their transmission with Redline fluid, it can be a bit of a risk since the transmission wasn't specifically designed for it. However, lots of folks have used it with good results. Like I said, I went back to OEM since it didn't really improve anything but with the price and potential risk, it might not be worth it. I only suggested it as a potential fix to possibly "firm up" the torque converter. Sort of like that Lucas stop-slip fluid. I'd never use it unless I knew for sure I had a problem and used it as a last ditch effort to delay replacement.
07-31-2018, 03:18 PM
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Ahhh I see. From the sounds of it, my torque converter doesn’t seen to be going bad because it engages the gears just fine. Even when I’m taking 2nd gear up to 60mph and shifting into 3rd at a higher speed. I probably won’t wanna risk it with the redline Tehran unless my trans starts shitting the bed.
07-31-2018, 07:44 PM
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So I had my car looked at today and my front right caliper was seized up. I also noticed that my speed gauge needle slows down signfigantly when I let off the gas. Also tried speeding up from 60-70mph and was fine, tried 70-80 and felt like it was harder to get over 80. Was also driving it around for quite a bit to warm up the trans. Going to get the front calipers replaced in a set tomorrow and will give feedback on how it drives after.
08-01-2018, 05:08 PM
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