Torque Converter going out? Suggestion?

Jeger · **Posted:** Wed Jul 18, 2007 10:06 am

So what does it sound like when your torque converter is going out?

I am getting a rattle as I coast up to stops it goes away at a complete stop though. It kinda sounds like I have another diesel engine under there :shock:

I have also noticed some funny behavior, seems to want to go into lockup at strange times, it actually accelerates really good at these times though :lol:

I have also noticed a few times that the transmission was slow to grab hold backing up after startup. I always let it idle for at least 10-15 seconds before putting it into gear, longer in the winter.

So basically I am wondering what you all think I should do. Im at just under 38K miles, but I bought a 7/70 extended warranty so its covered till then. Do I take it in now just for them to tell me "thats normal" or wait till its an undeniable problem?

P.S. Mine was new enough that the F37 did not apply but the F31 did.

skywarn · **Posted:** Wed Jul 18, 2007 10:16 am

simple question...

have you checked your tranny fluid?

in my opinion, if the fluid looks ok then being thats its still under the 7/70 i would take it in. that way if they tell you that its ok and something happens later, your butt is covered.

Jeger · **Posted:** Wed Jul 18, 2007 1:02 pm

skywarn wrote:

simple question...

have you checked your tranny fluid?

in my opinion, if the fluid looks ok then being thats its still under the 7/70 i would take it in. that way if they tell you that its ok and something happens later, your butt is covered.

Yes...it has become a habit, just like bleeding air from the filter head has.

skywarn · **Posted:** Wed Jul 18, 2007 1:39 pm

Jeger wrote:

Yes...it has become a habit, just like bleeding air from the filter head has.

RFCRD · **Posted:** Wed Jul 18, 2007 7:31 pm

Jeger wrote:

So basically I am wondering what you all think I should do. Im at just under 38K miles, but I bought a 7/70 extended warranty so its covered till then. Do I take it in now just for them to tell me "thats normal" or wait till its an undeniable problem?

P.S. Mine was new enough that the F37 did not apply but the F31 did.

Show no mercy, take no prisoners....I would take it to the dealer and describe exactly what you posted. Make sure you use the terms "rattle" and "delayed engagement" into reverse. The worst thing they will do is give you a copy of the service write-up marked "could not duplicate problem." This will give you a good opportunity to gauge the attitude of your dealer toward actually fixing this under warranty and documentation for when it really grenades & they try to stick you with a bill for neglect.

Cowcatcher · **Posted:** Wed Jul 18, 2007 7:50 pm

I have a related question.

When the original TSB came out it was listed as a "Cutomer Satisfaction" issue which is not a recall and there were specific issues that would trigger wheter the upgrade would be done. Mine did not exhibit the characteristics, my shop would have done it had I insisted, I had already seen some of the issues others had here with reduced performance, the shop did not recommend the upgrade if mine was working and I tookj their advice since it was backed up by many here.

I have now received a second notice and it is a little more specific and doesn't say that I should do it if I experience A, B, C. It says I should do it or it may fail and damage other parts of the transmission. So if I read this literally, I am on the hook if it fails, takes out other stuff and I neglected the TSB. Certainly the dealer would never document that the modification is not recommended!

What would you all do?

retmil46 · **Posted:** Wed Jul 18, 2007 10:11 pm

Get a Suncoast TC! :wink:

Seriously, if you don't have the funds to spring for a Suncoast, and you have reason to believe the tranny may be going south, letting the dealer do F37 may be the only other option. Certainly beats a lunched tranny and an out of service vehicle.

RFCRD · **Posted:** Thu Jul 19, 2007 1:55 am

Cowcatcher wrote:

I have now received a second notice and it is a little more specific and doesn't say that I should do it if I experience A, B, C. It says I should do it or it may fail and damage other parts of the transmission. So if I read this literally, I am on the hook if it fails, takes out other stuff and I neglected the TSB.

This was my intrepretation from reading the notice, almost as if DCX was hinting it might affect warranty coverage in the future. Mine was already symptomatic and had gone through several months of arguing, with DCX in denial that this product had a transmission problem by the time of the notice. Had it done as waiting just wasn't an option for me.

Jeger · **Posted:** Thu Jul 19, 2007 5:57 am

retmil46 wrote:

Get a Suncoast TC! :wink:

Seriously, if you don't have the funds to spring for a Suncoast, and you have reason to believe the tranny may be going south, letting the dealer do F37 may be the only other option. Certainly beats a lunched tranny and an out of service vehicle.

I would love to get the suncoast! The only way thats going to happen is if they will install it instead of the stock unit while they have it apart. Think they would go for it? :roll:

I am calling to make an appointment today, I,ve got a list...blower recall, air in filter head, tranny messed up, and perhaps a bad balljoint to boot. I better bring doughnuts

Isnt it handy how it started just outside of the standard warranty period :evil:

retmil46 · **Posted:** Thu Jul 19, 2007 10:26 am

The final cure for having to constantly burp the filter isn't going to come from the dealer or DC, not unless they do a major recall and stick a lift pump in the fuel tank.

Before, when everything was in fighting trim, the starter would do a 4 beat before the engine caught - "wuh-wuh-wuh-wuh-vroom". When it was time to burp the filter, it would do a 6 or 8 beat before catching.

Now with the lift pump, it's a 2 beat every time - "wuh-wuh-vroom".

If the family budget is a primary consideration, and the choices are 1 - spending one to two grand to install a Suncoast TC, 2 - Spending one to two grand on a tranny repair bill once it goes out and possibly causing an accident when it does, or 3 - letting the dealer perform F37 where even with the neutered reprogramming the vehicle is still useable, and you have the option down the road of spending $300 to do an Inmotion tune to restore the performance - I can't fault anyone for opting to go with F37.

alljeep · **Posted:** Thu Jul 19, 2007 10:49 am

Cowcatcher wrote:

What would you all do?

Get the F37 done. I was disappointed at first, but now I've adjusted my driving methods to compensate for the newtered low end hole shot performance.

Basically, it's a free TQ and maybe some other stuff. I had mine done at about 14k miles - maybe I should of waited longer, maybe not. For me, family budget has become a major issue. I'm hesitant to change the fuel filter as I have no air in fuel issues yet and I don't want simple maintenance to turn into a major budget issue.

Jeger · **Posted:** Thu Jul 19, 2007 11:09 am

Mine was built 5-11-06 it is one of the later ones built. Have never received an F37 letter although I did get one for the F31 recall, had it done and didnt notice a bit of difference. I think my CRD was Neutered with altered shift points when I bought it, so if in fact the torque converter is what is going out it means the reduced power and changed shift points of the F37 wont prevent a toasted converter.

We put on 38K in just over a year so its not like we are doing lots of stop and go driving, this thing hits the highway at least 80% of the time.

I know one thing for sure, they arent giving me a PT cruiser for a loaner this time :lol:

I will have a good talk with the SM and perhaps the district manager, does anyone happen to know who that is for the dayton area?

Hopefully I can get the new pump and a new torque converter, to get me by till I can upgrade to the suncoast. I imagine I could change the converter out myself if I had too.

danoid · **Posted:** Thu Jul 19, 2007 11:29 am

Let the dealership do their thing. Not all dealerships bother with the actual engine / trans flash. Mine didn't flash the trans (but I'm sure they charged DCX for it).

Cowcatcher · **Posted:** Thu Jul 19, 2007 3:57 pm

alljeep wrote:

Cowcatcher wrote:

What would you all do?

Get the F37 done. I was disappointed at first, but now I've adjusted my driving methods to compensate for the newtered low end hole shot performance.

Basically, it's a free TQ and maybe some other stuff. I had mine done at about 14k miles - maybe I should of waited longer, maybe not. For me, family budget has become a major issue. I'm hesitant to change the fuel filter as I have no air in fuel issues yet and I don't want simple maintenance to turn into a major budget issue.

Alljeep,

I did my first fuel filter a couple of weeks ago and I am still showing the scabs. I had no air problems before and still none. I DID NOT REMOVE THE FUEL LINES, or the temp sense. I did of course remove the WIF and the heater. It didn't seem to me that the filter was terribly dirty and there was no obvious sign of water in the WIF area.

rs4mtnitro · **Posted:** Thu Jul 19, 2007 4:57 pm

Jeger wrote:

retmil46 wrote:

Get a Suncoast TC! :wink:

Seriously, if you don't have the funds to spring for a Suncoast, and you have reason to believe the tranny may be going south, letting the dealer do F37 may be the only other option. Certainly beats a lunched tranny and an out of service vehicle.

I would love to get the suncoast! The only way thats going to happen is if they will install it instead of the stock unit while they have it apart. Think they would go for it? :roll:

I am calling to make an appointment today, I,ve got a list...blower recall, air in filter head, tranny messed up, and perhaps a bad balljoint to boot. I better bring doughnuts

Isnt it handy how it started just outside of the standard warranty period :evil:

I had my suncoast converter and shift kit put in during the F37. My cousin was the tech which probably helped a little.

crdmike · **Joined:** Tue May 16, 2006 7:25 pm **Posts:** 138

rs4mtnitro wrote:

Jeger wrote:

retmil46 wrote:

Get a Suncoast TC! :wink:

Seriously, if you don't have the funds to spring for a Suncoast, and you have reason to believe the tranny may be going south, letting the dealer do F37 may be the only other option. Certainly beats a lunched tranny and an out of service vehicle.

I would love to get the suncoast! The only way thats going to happen is if they will install it instead of the stock unit while they have it apart. Think they would go for it? :roll:

I am calling to make an appointment today, I,ve got a list...blower recall, air in filter head, tranny messed up, and perhaps a bad balljoint to boot. I better bring doughnuts

Isnt it handy how it started just outside of the standard warranty period :evil:

I had my suncoast converter and shift kit put in during the F37. My cousin was the tech which probably helped a little.

Now there you go!

Timmaah! · **Posted:** Thu Jul 19, 2007 8:43 pm

I am getting a rattle as I coast up to stops it goes away at a complete stop though. It kinda sounds like I have another diesel engine under there

Good description of the same noise that I have. Sometimes it sounds like it is arrhythmic and the engine should be shaking, but it's not. The engine is quite smooth on the tachometer and there is no apparent vibration. It started very faint and infrequent. Now it's getting louder and much more frequent but it can completely go away while driving and slowing down as you describe.

Like you, I thought the torque converter was going bad so I had F37 done. The torque converter was replaced but not the pump and the computer was not flashed (still runs good). Changing the torque converter had absolutely no effect on the “extra engine” sound. I have no idea what is causing it. :?:

Jeger · **Posted:** Thu Aug 02, 2007 6:08 am

I got the shaking engine special as well yesterday. Wouldnt start for two tries afterwards...

Im pretty sure it was related to air in the fuel because just before I left we had a no start...bled fuel filter and it started up on the third attempt. Jeep was still hot from previous trip, fuel heater unplugged, filter assembly was too hot to touch without fear of being burnt, filter head now looks wet (not from heater plug though), time to reschedule that dealer visit. :roll:

Joe Romas · **Posted:** Thu Aug 02, 2007 7:14 am

Jeger wrote:

P.S. Mine was new enough that the F37 did not apply but the F31 did.

Mine was too :lol:

But when I got the F31 flash the tech also said it got F37 flash :shock:

Very definete changes in the shift pattern. It's going to wear it's self out constantly shifting :evil:

Now I need find out if I should get the TC also :?:

Jeger · **Posted:** Wed Aug 29, 2007 10:06 am

Finally got the jeep in for service yesterday. They called me back today and gave the standard "could not duplicate" response.

I am going for a ride with the tech this evening.

Torque Converter going out? Suggestion?

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