Transmission Rattle

[Dous]

Forgive me for not having a video of the noise yet, but after my recent trip down to Uwharrie I have developed an interesting noise.

Its a rattling sound, sounds like the exhaust is rattling on something, but the noise is coming from what seems to be the transmission. The noise only occurs in park/neutral. The second I shift into drive or reverse the noise vanishes.

Do you guys have any insight? Doesn't seem like anything serious, the trans still shifts great and fluid level is correct

 

[Dous]

I just developed a rattle in that general area except it rattles in drive and stops in neutral. Found that the bracket between the cat and muffler rusted away at one of the bolts. Might be worth checking that out.

Yea I didn't check the drivers side headers, cause the noise was definitely located more towards that side. I shock everything on the exhaust other than that though, and it was not the source.



Thanks

 

[nicolasballia]

any info on this? i am experiencing the exact same problem on park and neutral

 

[vicar]

Did anyone ever figure out this rattle noise in park and neutral? I have this issue now.

 

[vicar]

The sound is definitely coming from the transmission and goes away when you put it into gear.

 

[jgue467]

Have you got 4wd? If so check the 'dampner' behind the transfer case. Mine was loose, s/b at 28 ft lbs. Luck. :cowboy:

 

[JayRolla]

The sound is definitely coming from the transmission and goes away when you put it into gear.

Sounds like the symptoms of a cracked flexplate. I would pull trans inspection plate and inspect the flex plate.

 

[Jikiya]

Did this get a definitive answer yet? My 2000 just started started making a similar noise. First noticed when going through a fast food drive through(09/21/17). As i slowed down it started to rattle/clatter. I drove it home from work, and didn't hear it. Nor did i hear it the next day. When I went to warm up the trans to check fluid level, sounded like it was going to rattle apart. I let it get warm, and checked the fluid, and pretty much saw none on the dip stick. I ended up adding 2Qts, and now it's just over the max hot notch.

I made a recording of it (https://youtu.be/cxQkPA0N3rk), which really is just for sound. And it seemed quieter to me than that(in R&D, seemed even louder I P&N) when i was making the vid. I moved it forward and back in the driveway, and did have any issues, but am rather afraid of getting on the highway tomorrow and having it completely break down.

It's worth noting that this is a junkyard trans i got replaced about a year ago, and the seals have been leaking the last few months.

 

[thegipper]

Did this get a definitive answer yet? My 2000 just started started making a similar noise. First noticed when going through a fast food drive through(09/21/17). As i slowed down it started to rattle/clatter. I drove it home from work, and didn't hear it. Nor did i hear it the next day. When I went to warm up the trans to check fluid level, sounded like it was going to rattle apart. I let it get warm, and checked the fluid, and pretty much saw none on the dip stick. I ended up adding 2Qts, and now it's just over the max hot notch.

I made a recording of it (https://youtu.be/cxQkPA0N3rk), which really is just for sound. And it seemed quieter to me than that(in R&D, seemed even louder I P&N) when i was making the vid. I moved it forward and back in the driveway, and did have any issues, but am rather afraid of getting on the highway tomorrow and having it completely break down.

It's worth noting that this is a junkyard trans i got replaced about a year ago, and the seals have been leaking the last few months.

Sounds like a cracked or broken flex plate. Remove the inspection plate cover and inspect the flex plate, I bet it is broken or cracked.

Unfortunately to replace the flex plate you have to pull the tranny. Or at least, slide it back 6" or so to remove the flex plate.

My buddies 03 Tacoma has gone through 3 flex plates in a year. He was using after market flex plates so that may be the reason. If it is your flex plate, I'd buy an OEM one. Also, when you install the 6 bolts back on, slowly snug them all down (use red locktite also), then torque them to spec.

I've been seeing lots of flex plates cracking or breaking recently...

 

[mtbtim]

Like [MENTION=50342]JayRolla[/MENTION] said, remove the transmission inspection plate. The plate is on the bottom of the bellhousing. It's a half moon shaped sheet of metal held on with (4) 12mm bolts. Once you have it off, you can see part of the radius of the flex plate. The flex plate tends to crack around the center bolt pattern that bolts to the engine. The bolts you will be able to see are the bolts that connect the flex plate to the torque converter. So, you're going to want to look up to the center for any cracking but there's no guarantee you'll actually be able to see where the cracks are. Some people have used small inspection cameras but it's not that easy to get the camera in there and also to accurately see anything. However, just by listening under the rig near the bellhousing should give you a clue if the sound is originating there. If the cracking is well established, you'll either be able to see the cracks or you'll hear the noise loudest right under the bellhousing.

Check out this video [MENTION=102606]infamousRNR[/MENTION] and I made replacing the auto trans on his 2002. This video is the #2 of a 3 part series. Start watching at play time 17:04 and you'll see the inspection plate and what it looks like after you remove it.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/O4GA3UhPC5Y" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Jikiya]

Thanks for the responses guys. I will do what you have suggested, but thought I'd bring something else into this, as it might be part, or maybe all, of the problem. I drove the truck to work this morning, and on the highway, i couldn't hear any problems. I got off the highway, and there were still no sounds. I stopped at a red light, and the rattle/clatter started up again. When in motion, the car is quiet (as an older car can get), but when close to a stop, it starts to make the noise again.

Something else I probably should have given info of in the first post is, that since the check engine light was on, i went to a parts store, and borrowed an OBD. There were 5 codes: 4 of P0420 and 1 P1780. It was only this morning that I was smart enough to search the forums for the P1780 (since it was more likely to be related to the issue at hand). What I got back was a post about a circuit board gone bad (http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/77138-transmission-issue.html).

A lot of the symptoms described on that thread match my own issue.

I bought the truck from my dad('15), and he had issues with the transmission since he bought it from the previous owner('05). My dad probably had the transmission worked on 3-4 times, and never got his issue resolved. I only replaced the transmission due to it sitting around for roughly 8 months, and when i went to drive it, the transmission wouldn't go into gear at all. After I had the tranny replaced, I couldn't use the ECT button, or both the R and D would light up on the dash(both faintly). Now when I turn the truck on, sometimes it's just D lit up, other time it's both.

But I figure the easier thing to look at first (to me) is the circuit board, and if that looks good, I will move on to other solutions. Thank you for the answers though, as they will give me the next step if it's not the circuit board.

 

[cblock406]

I would bet almost anything this is your exhaust vibrating. Have someone put their foot on the tailpipe when you are stopped and idling and see if the sound stops or changes. Mine does this too.

 

[Jikiya]

Well, after stepping on the exhaust and a little more poking around, seems like i get to go down the flex plate inspection route. The exhaust is quite firmly in place, and none of the belts seem to be cracked, worn, or loose. Got another video of the noise, but with me reving the engine(https://youtu.be/aMFcCFUFeHM). I've got no experience in this area, so don't know if it should get worse or better with higher RPMs. What I do know, that's not in the vid, is that when at idle if the AC is turned on, the sound gets worse. If you turn it back if, the noise dies down some.

Thanks for the link to the inspection video mtbtim.

And I know i need to get this changed sooner rather than later, but is driving it one more day likely to cause it to fail? And if it does fail while in motion, is it more likely to cause serious damage, or just that I'll suddenly be slowing down while the engine speeds up?

 

[mtbtim]

Well, after stepping on the exhaust and a little more poking around, seems like i get to go down the flex plate inspection route. The exhaust is quite firmly in place, and none of the belts seem to be cracked, worn, or loose. Got another video of the noise, but with me reving the engine(https://youtu.be/aMFcCFUFeHM). I've got no experience in this area, so don't know if it should get worse or better with higher RPMs. What I do know, that's not in the vid, is that when at idle if the AC is turned on, the sound gets worse. If you turn it back if, the noise dies down some.

Thanks for the link to the inspection video mtbtim.

And I know i need to get this changed sooner rather than later, but is driving it one more day likely to cause it to fail? And if it does fail while in motion, is it more likely to cause serious damage, or just that I'll suddenly be slowing down while the engine speeds up?

No serious damage will occur if it breaks all the way through but you will be calling for a tow truck because you will be dead in the water.

 

[burwen]

No serious damage will occur if it breaks all the way through but you will be calling for a tow truck because you will be dead in the water.

Check the heat shield above your catalytic converter.

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk