HP seekers with auto trannies....

[BushWakr - RIP]

HP seekers....

Hey guys, I was talking to DTT today... they will now be providing an updated, and I believe billet, flex plate for us auto dudes.

It is race certified, and made for us 1st Gen guys...

So, for those of us who've been lucky enough to have a F-Plate hang on till now, there's no reason to wait till it does go pooched...

The higher the HP, the higher the mortality. .



Pastor Bob...communing with a higher authority whenever possible...



** I have NO vested interest in the DTT company. I am only an end user, period!

Ok, a happy end user then.....

 

[farmall]

Ok, I am going to plead stupid here for a minute. I have heard of this flex plate, but never asked what it was. My truck was involved in a accident last summer where it was hit very hard on the right rear axle and went up through the driveline. It was hit hard enough it broke the rear springs, guide pin for the axle, shocks, u joints, and slid the rear axle back about 3" on the right side. Ever since then I have this awful rattling noise comeing from around the transmission, back of the engine area. If you take the rpm's up to about 900 it stops. Either that or I just can't hear it anymore. Does this sound like a flex plate problem? My transmission is in good shape, does not slip, and is holding the POD's real well. Of course it has been built once before for perfromance. I thought at first it was the torque convertor rattling, but I have talked myself out of that. Can you please elaborate on this flex plate.



Bill

 

[cerberusiam]

Any rattle at all in the area of the trans should be investigated at once. The engine harmonics hammer the flexplate connection to the TC all the time and it is under sized at best. Add a hard hit that runs thru the drive line at it can cause damage that can't be seen. The older flex plates tend to crack out from where they bolt to the crank and then start to flex causing noise and/or vibration at different rpm's. Some crack and don't make noise until it just tears the center out of the flex plate. You could have broken a bolt off or tore a lug loose from the converter also and that is causing a rattle. IMO pull the trans and make sure you don't have a devloping problem that will cause a larger problem down the road. Good luck.

 

[boatpuller]

You can also pull the inspection cover on the bottom of the bellhousing and with a small mirror check to see if the flexplate is cracked. When mine went it only lasted about 60 miles after I first heard it making a funny noise.



Later,

Caleb

 

[CDegner]

Ahhhh crap! :{



Now ya got me concerned. My truck has had this rattle at certain RPMs that I have not been able to identify. It sounds like it is around the downpipe but that is also in the area of the flexplate. Tomorrow, while replacing a thermostat, I'm pulling the inspection cover and checking it out.



Carl

 

[farmall]

Originally posted by CDegner

Ahhhh crap! :{



Now ya got me concerned. My truck has had this rattle at certain RPMs that I have not been able to identify. It sounds like it is around the downpipe but that is also in the area of the flexplate. Tomorrow, while replacing a thermostat, I'm pulling the inspection cover and checking it out.



Carl

Your description describes mine to a tee also.



Bill

 

[BushWakr - RIP]

I'd think the most "positive" result will be that you find a couple bolts loose in there... 'course the negative result will be the FP is toast... .

Nascar Mark go all the way to the US side of the border with his when it was bad... only then did he find it was pooched... .



Bob.

 

[jdurham]

My 90 was making the same noise. I thought I had a rod knocking or maybe the turbo came apart. I'd give it some throttle, and the knock would go away. I pulled the inspection cover off the bottom of the trans, and several big pieces of metal fell out:--) I put in a factory replacement from a 95 as NASCAR Mark said it was possibly a little tougher. I don't know how much the DTT part is, but if it is out of your budget, you may want to do a search on flex plates and read the post I made afterward about the costs of the dealer vs Cummins. In summary, Cummins is a LOT cheaper than the dealer. I also listed part numbers at the time.



Hope this helps,



Jim

 

[paccool]

Hey Pastor Bob, you just had to bring this up didn't you!



Guess what failed today on my truck when I was 120 miles from home? Yep, the flex plate looks like it took a dump. Had BigBadDodge follow me home to make sure I made it. I don't think it would have gone another 10 miles before totally failing. Was making a heck of a racket when I pulled in the driveway, hope the transmission is ok and didn't get damaged.



Well, I was thinking about a new high efficiency converter anyway so I guess it's time. Also want to check out that flex plate you were talking about.



Guess there is a reason for everything!

 

[BushWakr - RIP]

Oh man,... . sorry to hear that Stan... I tried to tell you guys "before" it broke...

Frankly, I think I'm running on OutHouse luck myself... .

I understand this new part came as a result of 1st gen flexplates' tendancy to bail as the HP goes up.





PB

 

[CDegner]

Well, the inspection showed no metal pieces or filings and I can't see any cracks so I think I'm OK in that department. Also a light tap on the place gives a nice ring, not a dull thud like a cracked piece fo metal.



Sorry to hear about that, Stan. If there was a bright side, at least you weren't 500 miles from home. And now, you'll have something better in there.



Carl

 

[boatpuller]

One thing to check when replacing a flexplate that breaks is the rear main seal, when my plate was replaced a few months later my rear main started to leak, when I replaced rear main I saw the damage that had been caused by the flexplate, it damged the seal and the aluminum housing that the seal is installed in. I was able to repair the housing but what a lot of work to pull the transmission for the rear seal when it could have been done when the flexplate was replaced.



Just something else to think about,

Caleb

 

[paccool]

Thanks guys.



Caleb, I had already thought about that and will have the transmission shop replace the rear seal as well as checking out the front seal and shaft on the transmission. Things like this can lead to other problems (just like increasing the HP - ) and I want to take care of any potential ones will the transmission is out.



Bad part is I just installed $100 of Amsoil fluid a couple of months ago!:{



Stan

 

[prototech]

Hey Bob,

Thanks for posting this thread! I was going to post one with some auto transmission questions any way.

1. cost of this flex plate?

2. what torque conveter do you guys recomend for an upgrade, my local transmission shop tech said he could get me a lower stall TC for about $180 uninstalled(I can handle that myself) and install a shift kit for about $250. I just would like to hear what others have done.

3. In the morning when the truck is cold it seems to have more power, the turbo seems to spool up faster too. when it warms up it seems to get doggy, and doesn't spool up as fast. (I'm waiting for my tax refund so I can buy some gauges) so I can't monitor boost yet but it almost seems like my transmission is messing up, any thoughts?

Proto

 

[cerberusiam]

You guys that have a rattle that sounds like it mught be the flex plate might have the same problem I did. There is a clamp that bolts the down pipe to the back of the trans bell housing that has a rubber grommet in it. When it wears out and goes bye bye you get a rattle at shutdown and different rpms. I was in the process of pulling trans cuz I was sure the flex plate was done when I found the clamp loose. Might save somebody some time and $$$.



Now I gotta rework the budget again to get the new DTT flex plate.

 

[paccool]

Well crap! I talked to DTT this morning and was told the new billet flex plates will not be available for about another week. They are waiting for the starter rings to get there so they can finish assembling them. Don't know if I want to wait that long toget this taken care of.



Is there any options other than the second gen plate?



Stan

 

[cerberusiam]

Stan, check this out and see whats up.



https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=94126

 

[cerberusiam]

And this one... .



https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=71665&perpage=15&pagenumber=1

 

[paccool]

Thanks Cerberusiam,

Just sent Jake an Email. I sure stepped all over myself on this one! Jake was the one that was with me when this happened and he said it was the flex plate and than said he was putting a new one in his truck. I misunderstood him, thought he made the one he put in as a 1 off part. Guess I'll need to listen a little better next time!



Stan