Rattle at sound tq converter inspection hole in Park and N...

[JCobb]

I have an 05 Ram 2500 4x4 with ATS trans with 5star tq converter that I recently purchased. I noticed that it had a rattle to it at idle only in park or neutral, but not in drive or reverse.

Rattle is definitely coming from the transmission torque converter area.

I have narrowed it down to in the front near the tq converter inspection cover. When you take that cover off it is even louder.

I thought that maybe some of the bolts have backed out of tq converter. I took a look in the inspection hole where you tighten the converter bolts and spun the converter around put a wrench on each bolt to check for any loose, but none. I didn't have time to go through and double check them with torque wrench yet, which i will do tomorrow. All the holes look good, doesn't appear to be moving around in the holes at all.
I when spinning the flywheel around, I don't see any cracks but I can only see the outer three inches of it anyhow.

Any ideas of what I do next? Thanks

 

[DonFitzwater]

I always think of the worst things but are the flex plate bolts tight? I think you have to pull the trans to figure that out. Get a stethescope and play around a while first to see if you can discerne where its coming from. Good luck.

 

[HBarlow]

It is almost certainly caused by either a cracked flexplate or the bolts from flexplate to crankshaft flange or torque converter to flexplate are not torqued tightly enough. I had the same thing occur shortly after having a full built DTT transmission and billet flexplate installed in my '06 w/48RE. The flexplate bolts were loose. It made a terrible rattle when unloaded.

 

[EDankievitch]

I had the flex plate crack on my 89 would rattle when un-loaded like a can of marbles. That would be the first place I'd look.

 

[B.G. Smith]

If you can get a wrench on one of the bolts that hold the torque converter to the flex plate, try to tighten it then try to loosen it, if the torque converter and flex plate rotate a little then the bolts are loose in the end of the crankshaft. bg

 

[DonFitzwater]

Any word yet on your problem Cobb?

 

[gitchesum]

Yep, sounds just like a cracked flexplate

 

[JCobb]

the suggestions are all great...

Well I tried to tighten the torque converter bolts and I couldn't get any movement out of the flexplate, so I think it may have a crack. I am waiting to get a replacement flexplate in before I remove the transmission so it is right on hand and less down time on the truck. Where can I get an OEM one? I am also thinking about getting a suncoast laminated but I want the weekpoint to be the flexplate. Thanks

 

[JCobb]

took trans out...

So I took the transmission out and no cracks in flexplate and bolts in crankshaft were tight. But I also had someone tell me that these converters sometimes make a rattle once they are broken in. I was told the clutches in the converter can touch each other once broken in and rattle in park and neutral. So I gotta call ATS and try to confirm this. I will let everyone know what they say.

 

[JCobb]

verdict is in

Final verdict is ATS says its normal.

 

[HBarlow]

"It's normal. "

That's what ATS told an RV transporter friend of mine towing with his '05 Ram after a full ATS modified 48RE was installed in his truck. Every time he tried to climb an interstate highway grade when loaded the ECM/PCM (engine/transmission) interface would sense a problem related to the percentage of slip in the ATS torque converter. The engine would go into a limp mode because the ECM thought it was protecting the torque converter.

The poor guy had his truck in shops all over the US and had to call his dispatcher and give up so many loads and missed so many good work days he could have been pulling trailers for hire he went broke.

ATS told him to buy and carry an expensive code reset box. For the last several months before he was forced to quit, everytime the engine went into the limp mode he reset the code temporarily. Eventually he had to file bankruptcy and had the truck repo'd.

Putting my helmut and flack jacket on tightly.

 

[WCPoe]

"It's normal. "



That's what ATS told an RV transporter friend of mine towing with his '05 Ram after a full ATS modified 48RE was installed in his truck. Every time he tried to climb an interstate highway grade when loaded the ECM/PCM (engine/transmission) interface would sense a problem related to the percentage of slip in the ATS torque converter. The engine would go into a limp mode because the ECM thought it was protecting the torque converter.



The poor guy had his truck in shops all over the US and had to call his dispatcher and give up so many loads and missed so many good work days he could have been pulling trailers for hire he went broke.



ATS told him to buy and carry an expensive code reset box. For the last several months before he was forced to quit, everytime the engine went into the limp mode he reset the code temporarily. Eventually he had to file bankruptcy and had the truck repo'd.



Putting my helmut and flack jacket on tightly.

-----Just a thought that was passed along when I was at Jeff Garmons place having my trans rebuilt after the input let go. ----------------->It's highly unlikely the ATS 5 Star or even the older ATS TripleLok converter would slip before the other transmission clutch packs. Both ATS converters have significantly more holding force than the rest of the transmission. Think about the clamping surface area of the converter at 12 or 13 inches diameter versus the 8 inch or so internal clutch pack. Even with a couple more discs in the internal packs there is just no way the converter will slip unless something else is defective.

 

[JCobb]

Something interesting I found out this week. My rattle in park and neutral is now gone! I took the trans out of my truck once again to install a billet flexplate, and have a billet input and output shaft put in. I took it to a local guy who has been building race transmissions for years which is now his business. When he disassembled the trans he found that the forward and direct clutches and steels were just about toast (they looked like it too) as well as the bands. Upon pressure testing the ATS hi volume pump, he told me that the cut plugs that are in the pump (he described them as being almost like a freeze plug in a block) were leaking and when he applied pressure one of them actually fell out of its bore. He said that the decrease in pressure from the pump leaking caused the clutches steels and bands to burn up, which were what was likely the cause of my rattle in park and neutral. My transmission had less than ten thousand miles on it and has a date on it of 11/07 so its not really old.
He also showed me how the ATS clutch material was just like stock material, not anything special so he upgraded mine with a better material when he put it back together. Also when he fixed the plugs in the pump, he threaded them and installed screw in plugs now so they shouldn't leak pressure ever again.
I am not trying to say anything bad about ATS or that anyone who has a rattle has this same problem, but rather the facts of the story coming from a guy I really trust.

 

[Motorhead]

Something interesting I found out this week. My rattle in park and neutral is now gone! I took the trans out of my truck once again to install a billet flexplate, and have a billet input and output shaft put in. I took it to a local guy who has been building race transmissions for years which is now his business. When he disassembled the trans he found that the forward and reverse clutches and steels were just about toast (they looked like it too) as well as the bands. Upon pressure testing the ATS hi volume pump, he told me that the cut plugs that are in the pump (he described them as being almost like a freeze plug in a block) were leaking and when he applied pressure one of them actually fell out of its bore. He said that the decrease in pressure from the pump leaking caused the clutches steels and bands to burn up, which were what was likely the cause of my rattle in park and neutral. My transmission had less than ten thousand miles on it and has a date on it of 11/07 so its not really old.
He also showed me how the ATS clutch material was just like stock material, not anything special so he upgraded mine with a better material when he put it back together. Also when he fixed the plugs in the pump, he threaded them and installed screw in plugs now so they shouldn't leak pressure ever again.
I am not trying to say anything bad about ATS or that anyone who has a rattle has this same problem, but rather the facts of the story coming from a guy I really trust.

Seems like a write up from your race trans guy about ALL of the things that went bad would be in order to present to ATS!
I sold my '01. 5 automatic after screwing around with my DTT and RARELY having it shift without binding between second and third. I spent $3200 dollars 8 years ago on it. I know that they are alot more costly now and the builders should back what they sell a little better than I hear they do.
My $0. 02 cents worth says that they ripped you off with high expectations and a low quality build.
I feel better now!:-laf