Torque converter DIY?

jman11788

jman11788

Member
I'm just about 100% certain i have a bad torque converter. I have a loud acceleration whine and only in gear. I put the truck on jack stands and had it in drive and could pinpoint the noise coming right from the tranny. Anyways i havent found any write ups on replacing the TC. how hard should this project be? I feel like if i have a good tranny jack it wont be too hard. But once you get the tranny out is the TC pretty simple to replace?
 
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jman11788 said:
I'm just about 100% certain i have a bad torque converter. I have a loud acceleration whine and only in gear. I put the truck on jack stands and had it in drive and could pinpoint the noise coming right from the tranny. Anyways i havent found any write ups on replacing the TC. how hard should this project be? I feel like if i have a good tranny jack it wont be too hard. But once you get the tranny out is the TC pretty simple to replace?
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six bolts holding it on to the flywheel before you can remove it, I found it a pain in the ass getting in there, but im a feeble old man :redbrick:
 
Honestly, I think replacing the entire unit is a better solution. I just worked on a transmission for the first time, and I will never do it again. I almost ruined it beyond repair.
 
Is like replacing anything else. If you can pull the trans you can pull the tc. I recommend new OEM flexplate and bolts as the flex plate is prone to failure.
 
I just swapped a JDM engine into my 97. I had to disconnect the tranny and torque converter to do so. Id say it was one of the easier parts of the job. There's 6 bolts holding the tranny to the engine, you can get to them easy if you have a lot of extensions. To disconnect the torque converter from the flexplate it was really easy, but I had somebody to turn the engine from the crank as I needed. I had the whole tranny disconnected in less than an hour, starter included. Feel free to message me if you have any questions before, during or after.
 
ZukesMcGee said:
I just swapped a JDM engine into my 97. I had to disconnect the tranny and torque converter to do so. Id say it was one of the easier parts of the job. There's 6 bolts holding the tranny to the engine, you can get to them easy if you have a lot of extensions. To disconnect the torque converter from the flexplate it was really easy, but I had somebody to turn the engine from the crank as I needed. I had the whole tranny disconnected in less than an hour, starter included. Feel free to message me if you have any questions before, during or after.
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lol....took me an hour just to get that upper drivers side inspection plate bolt off, and no, it didn't go back in!
 
baja1 said:
lol....took me an hour just to get that upper drivers side inspection plate bolt off, and no, it didn't go back in!
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Lol yeah I've got some bruises and scrapes from the weird ways I had to get my arm up there. Overall though I'd say it's like a 3-4 out of 10 for difficulty. If op is mechanically inclined whatsoever it should be a breeze. Or maybe I'm just used to working on stuff and I'm oversimplifying it? I guess it all depends on personal skill level.
 
gamefreakgc said:
Honestly, I think replacing the entire unit is a better solution. I just worked on a transmission for the first time, and I will never do it again. I almost ruined it beyond repair.
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If doing that was the same price i wouldnt be hesitating to do that. Tc cost $200, while a junkyard tranny usually is 500 and up with lots of miles and who knows if those are even good trannies and if theyll last.
 
ZukesMcGee said:
I just swapped a JDM engine into my 97. I had to disconnect the tranny and torque converter to do so. Id say it was one of the easier parts of the job. There's 6 bolts holding the tranny to the engine, you can get to them easy if you have a lot of extensions. To disconnect the torque converter from the flexplate it was really easy, but I had somebody to turn the engine from the crank as I needed. I had the whole tranny disconnected in less than an hour, starter included. Feel free to message me if you have any questions before, during or after.
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The access to the tranny looks pretty simple. Doesnt look i have to remove much to get it to come out. If i do end up doing this ill most likely get stuck at some point and need help haha.
 
Its not too bad. Gotta pop the tranny out. I just did a 4wd swap. It can be a pita to get it back in and lined up. The torque just slides out and back in on two splines.
 
jman11788 said:
The access to the tranny looks pretty simple. Doesnt look i have to remove much to get it to come out. If i do end up doing this ill most likely get stuck at some point and need help haha.
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My trans just went out some I'm in the same boat. If I end up doing it, which is very likely given I have to do the job as cheap as possible, I'll probably make a write-up on it but I think I'm going to need some tips to put me in the right direction.

Any advice is much appreciated
 
gmcmanus663 said:
My trans just went out some I'm in the same boat. If I end up doing it, which is very likely given I have to do the job as cheap as possible, I'll probably make a write-up on it but I think I'm going to need some tips to put me in the right direction.

Any advice is much appreciated
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What kind of issues are you having with yours?
 
jman11788 said:
If doing that was the same price i wouldnt be hesitating to do that. Tc cost $200, while a junkyard tranny usually is 500 and up with lots of miles and who knows if those are even good trannies and if theyll last.
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Yeah, price does dictate these sorts of things. I can sometimes pick up a complete, running 4Runner for about $500 for parts.

I've taken off a torque converter before (more like it fell off lol) so it's not impossible. If you have the tools & means to do so then go for it! Lots of help here; it's just hard to tell competency through a forum. Transmission repairs are beyond the average DIY'er with a set of hand tools.
 
gamefreakgc said:
Yeah, price does dictate these sorts of things. I can sometimes pick up a complete, running 4Runner for about $500 for parts.

I've taken off a torque converter before (more like it fell off lol) so it's not impossible. If you have the tools & means to do so then go for it! Lots of help here; it's just hard to tell competency through a forum. Transmission repairs are beyond the average DIY'er with a set of hand tools.
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I can never find dirt cheap 3rd gens in my area. I would love to have a donor truck but the cheapest one I've ever found was 1100 and it didn't run.

I got the right tools for it I suppose. How long did it take you and how much easier is it with another set of hands?
 
jman11788 said:
I can never find dirt cheap 3rd gens in my area. I would love to have a donor truck but the cheapest one I've ever found was 1100 and it didn't run.

I got the right tools for it I suppose. How long did it take you and how much easier is it with another set of hands?
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The transmission I pulled, I pulled along with the engine. So I sort of cheated there.

The hardest part is lowering and raising the transmission in place. A 4WD trans with transfer case is very, very heavy. Transmission jack is a must.
 
Very rarely is it a good idea to only replace the TC. If it's whining, then something is worn and that something could be sending bits and pieces throughout the rest of the transmission. In addition, TC's don't usually just fail. There is generally a cause as to why they failed which might still be present when the new TC is in there. Impossible to know. I went the used tranny route.

How many miles are on your 4Runner?
 
johnbyebye said:
Very rarely is it a good idea to only replace the TC. If it's whining, then something is worn and that something could be sending bits and pieces throughout the rest of the transmission. In addition, TC's don't usually just fail. There is generally a cause as to why they failed which might still be present when the new TC is in there. Impossible to know. I went the used tranny route.

How many miles are on your 4Runner?
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That's what I'm afraid of. I'm really starting to be on the edge of buying a used one or a new TC. AHH!! The truck has 186k. I'm a very light footed driver as well so I'm pretty easy on the trans I suppose. It's shifting fine and everything right now. Just making some noise.
 
jman11788 said:
That's what I'm afraid of. I'm really starting to be on the edge of buying a used one or a new TC. AHH!! The truck has 186k. I'm a very light footed driver as well so I'm pretty easy on the trans I suppose. It's shifting fine and everything right now. Just making some noise.
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I was in the same position with mine. The tc was going out but it worked fine otherwise. Mine went out because the PO didn't know the transmission drain bolt was leaking so he drove it on almost no fluid for a few thousand miles. I tried my best to salvage it but decided to get another tranny for peace of mind. I almost went the rebuilt route but that was 3k that I didn't want to spend. I've put 1500 miles on the used tranny and so far it works perfectly. Time will tell if it was a good decision or not. Lol.
 
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