Possible Torque Converter Issues

connolcj · **Posted:** Sat Feb 22, 2014 1:28 pm

Ok guys I'm going to explain what happened last week on my way home and maybe you guys can give me some incite on which direction i should take. I was driving about 65 mph on the highway and slowed down to get onto an exit ramp. It started to make a noise similar to hitting a rumble strip on the side of the road. When i started to accelerate on the exit ramp, I had very little power, the noise slowly got louder and i was blowing out a bunch of black smoke as i tried to accelerate back up to the 60 mph speed limit. I never was able to get back up to speed and i just continued to blow black smoke unless i let off the accelerator pedal. The noise appeared to be coming from right under the dash where the engine meets the trans. I initially thought it was the torque converter based off where the sound was coming from. Does this sound plausible? I pulled the codes from the CRD and i had the following codes: P0299 and P0100. I figured the second code was due to the ORM that i have done. I just replaced the fuel filter a couple weeks ago so i don't believe that has anything to do with it. Any help or direction would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

WWDiesel · **Posted:** Sat Feb 22, 2014 1:40 pm

P0100 - MAF Sensor Circuit Insufficient Activity
P0299 – Turbo Underboost Condition

Check your hoses, you may have blown a boost hose?

papaindigo · **Posted:** Sat Feb 22, 2014 1:44 pm

Not torque converter. Do not drive until you a) check oil level and b) pull air box to turbo hose and check turbo fan for play (should be slight fore/aft and virtually no side to side) and while that hose if off check for a crack on the bottom just in front of the turbo. It's possible the turbo is fried, which could take out the engine due to oil loss. If oil level and turbo fan are ok then pull both CAC hoses and inspect bottom sides for leaks, cracks or soggy with oil, replace with Samco's if need be. If ok do the boost pressure solenoid bypass test (viewtopic.php?f=5&t=70602&p=757348&hilit=boost+solenoid#p757348(, if power comes back replace solenoid. If that's not it check for bad vacuum lines (viewtopic.php?f=5&t=61240).

FYI when you put the air box to turbo hose back on be sure the upper end touches or nearly touches the MAF sensor before you tighten the clamp and don't godzilla the clamp lest you crush the air box outlet.

zak21 · **Joined:** Fri Sep 27, 2013 8:57 pm **Posts:** 17

I had this happen and it turned out to be the vacuum line for the turbo modulator. This is the vacuum valve right above the turbo. The line is hard plastic with metal sheathing to protect against heat and over time can become brittle. I couldn't wait for a new line to be delivered so I just went to the parts store and picked up some regular vac line and routed it so it wasn't next to the turbo and it has been good since.

This is just one of the possibilities for this condition and you will want to check the CAC hoses and vacuum supply unit as previously mentioned.

connolcj · **Posted:** Mon Mar 10, 2014 8:20 pm

papaindigo wrote:

Not torque converter. Do not drive until you a) check oil level and b) pull air box to turbo hose and check turbo fan for play (should be slight fore/aft and virtually no side to side) and while that hose if off check for a crack on the bottom just in front of the turbo. It's possible the turbo is fried, which could take out the engine due to oil loss. If oil level and turbo fan are ok then pull both CAC hoses and inspect bottom sides for leaks, cracks or soggy with oil, replace with Samco's if need be. If ok do the boost pressure solenoid bypass test (viewtopic.php?f=5&t=70602&p=757348&hilit=boost+solenoid#p757348(, if power comes back replace solenoid. If that's not it check for bad vacuum lines (viewtopic.php?f=5&t=61240).

FYI when you put the air box to turbo hose back on be sure the upper end touches or nearly touches the MAF sensor before you tighten the clamp and don't godzilla the clamp lest you crush the air box outlet.

Ok so it finally got above freezing here and I could stand outside at the CRD for longer than a couple minutes. I checked the oil, and the level is still good. After i pulled the air box to turbo hose and checked for play, the fan spun freeling, and i did not feel any play side to side. I couldn't get a good enough grip to really check the fore/aft play, but it didn't seem like there was any. The bottom of the turbo had some oil residue on it, but it didn't seem really fresh and moist. Is this normal? I put it all back together and tried the bypass test, but it would not fire. My battery is on its last legs, so i put it on a charger for the night hoping it can be enough to get it to fire tomorrow. I know before i parked it, it would not start back up; could this be due to the solenoid being bad? I still have to check my boost hoses, but I will replace them and the battery as soon as the money is free as they appear to be OEM and the battery still have the DC sticker on it. Thanks for the help!

The Scott McLean · **Joined:** Tue Feb 15, 2011 9:19 pm **Posts:** 43

Rumble strips? Was the engine missing?

connolcj · **Posted:** Tue Mar 11, 2014 9:35 pm

Well, I got it to start tonight however it ran really rough. I couldn't tell if it was missing or if it was due to something else. I tried to by-passed the solenoid, but maybe i did it wrong. I'll double check it and if its good, then I'll start looking for a vacuum leak somewhere. Which boost hose is more prone to having a crack and leaking? I have taken the upper hose on the passenger side off and with a quick inspection it looked good, but I haven't looked at the lower hose on the drivers side at all. Let me know if you guy have anything else for me to check. Thanks.

connolcj · **Posted:** Thu Mar 13, 2014 3:57 pm

Anyone have anymore suggestions i could look into this weekend? Its supposed to be a little nicer and I have free time to check a couple things. Both boost hoses look good, but they are a little soft, so I will be ordering some new ones soon. I'm going to poke around the vacuum lines to see if any have any issues. From what i have been reading, could dirty turbo vanes be causing my issues?

The Scott McLean · **Joined:** Tue Feb 15, 2011 9:19 pm **Posts:** 43

Still running rough? If missing and smoke I'd say you lost a cylinder. Rocker issue.

connolcj · **Posted:** Tue Mar 25, 2014 10:36 am

Just an update for those of you who care. Right now the CRD is at Keith's (GDE) shop. We have it torn down and found a few broken rockers. Fortunately it did not drop a valve, so I have parts on order and should be back together within the month. Keith is a great guy and I highly recommend him for any questions. He knows these engines, and diesels in general better than anyone I know. His time and tunes are well worth the money!! With his help I have turned a long tedious job if doing by myself into a simple and relatively quick job.

Possible Torque Converter Issues

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