Whirring Noise (Transmission?)

[Crazyman1304]

2004 Wrangler 4.0 42RLE automatic

Hi all,
I've made a post about a year ago now of a noise with my Jeep. I was never able to figure it out and life has gotten in the way so it has stayed in storage on jackstands. Today I took it out for a drive to jog my memory of the issues it was having. Whenever I am stopped and put the jeep in reverse or drive it makes a whirring? I'm not sure how exactly to describe it. The noise fully goes away when it is in park or neutral and gets worse as the jeep gets warm. It will also go away at about 30 mph until I slowdown to a stop again. It seems to shift fine to me there doesn't seem to be hesitation between gears but I'm not sure how transmissions work or even how it feels when the converter locks up. It did have a used transmission swapped in about 5 months before the sound showed up. I'm about ready to bring it to a transmission shop as I just cant figure it out but thought it would be worth seeing if anyone has experienced this. I have attached videos to show the sound. It gets louder as I rev it and when you hear it go away in the video is when I shift it to neutral. Thank you very much for any insight

I have checked,
Fluid (while running in park full to hot with atf+4)
flex plate bolts all seem tight no sign of wear like rubbing on something
removed front driveshaft to see if that changed anything (it did not)


Video

Video



The noise also seemingly goes away when it is in the air which also doesn't make it easy to diagnose.

 

[twistedlv]

Are you getting any trouble codes? My '05 recently is doing something similar. Here's the thread:
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/wranglerfix-to-the-white-courtesy-phone.83796/#post-1698116

 

[Crazyman1304]

Are you getting any trouble codes? My '05 recently is doing something similar. Here's the thread:
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/wranglerfix-to-the-white-courtesy-phone.83796/#post-1698116

Nope, even scanned it again today just to make sure

 

[hear]

seems like the pitch is RPM dependent. Have you checked the fluid in your transfer case too?

I don't have any immediate guesses, but if you take it to a transmission shop, just know that they're going to tell you it needs a rebuild. And knowing that, you can be armed with the fact that a DIY rebuild is well within your means if you have a jack and opposable thumbs, and about $400.

 

[Crazyman1304]

seems like the pitch is RPM dependent. Have you checked the fluid in your transfer case too?

I don't have any immediate guesses, but if you take it to a transmission shop, just know that they're going to tell you it needs a rebuild. And knowing that, you can be armed with the fact that a DIY rebuild is well within your means if you have a jack and opposable thumbs, and about $400.

I did check transfer case fluid I forgot to add that, I took out the top plug and fluid dripped out so it seemed good to me. I hope a rebuild is not the case and that its a torque converter or something easier. The first time the transmission failed I got quoted $2800 just for it to be rebuilt. Thats why my dad and I swapped in a used unit. I would try a rebuild myself but I dont really have a place to tackle it right now.

 

[hear]

I did check transfer case fluid I forgot to add that, I took out the top plug and fluid dripped out so it seemed good to me. I hope a rebuild is not the case and that its a torque converter or something easier. The first time the transmission failed I got quoted $2800 just for it to be rebuilt. Thats why my dad and I swapped in a used unit. I would try a rebuild myself but I dont really have a place to tackle it right now.

Yeah, it does take a bit of space. 2 decent sized tables is really the only way to go, and expect it to span a few days if you've never done it before. A garage is a must. But man, even a used replacement is a bunch of cash.

I'm very curious to know what the cause is. It doesn't feel like its slipping or anything? And it only happens in Reverse? Does it happen in the manual gears?

Also, if it doesn't make the noise in Park then you can probably rule out the torque converter & pump; it spins at engine RPM regardless. There are other aspects of the converter that could still be at play, but I'd be looking elsewhere first. Of course a good rebuild will include a new TC so you'll never actually know if that was it or not, unless they find a definitive cause inside the case. There are any number of minor things that can cause problems that are never even looked at during disassembly, like clearances, the schmutz in just the wrong place, shifted bushings, etc.

 

[Crazyman1304]

Yeah, it does take a bit of space. 2 decent sized tables is really the only way to go, and expect it to span a few days if you've never done it before. A garage is a must. But man, even a used replacement is a bunch of cash.

I'm very curious to know what the cause is. It doesn't feel like its slipping or anything? And it only happens in Reverse? Does it happen in the manual gears?

Also, if it doesn't make the noise in Park then you can probably rule out the torque converter & pump; it spins at engine RPM regardless. There are other aspects of the converter that could still be at play, but I'd be looking elsewhere first. Of course a good rebuild will include a new TC so you'll never actually know if that was it or not, unless they find a definitive cause inside the case. There are any number of minor things that can cause problems that are never even looked at during disassembly, like clearances, the schmutz in just the wrong place, shifted bushings, etc.

Yeah I currently don't have a garage so its kinda out of the question. It doesn't feel like it's slipping at all. It does it in reverse drive and the manual gears. It seems pretty sure to me that it's transmission related since it starts as soon as I shift it but it's hard for me to pinpoint since it goes away when it's on jackstands it's quite bizarre. I'll be sure to update if and when i figure it out

 

[Crazyman1304]

Yeah I currently don't have a garage so its kinda out of the question. It doesn't feel like it's slipping at all. It does it in reverse drive and the manual gears. It seems pretty sure to me that it's transmission related since it starts as soon as I shift it but it's hard for me to pinpoint since it goes away when it's on jackstands it's quite bizarre. I'll be sure to update if and when i figure it out

It was infact the torque converter. I brought it to a local transmission shop for diag and they were confident it was a torque converter. I brought the jeep home and put in a billet ATS converter and it's ran great since. I've put about 500 miles on already

 

[hear]

I wish I had the expertise to be able to identify your issue as a TC problem. Glad you got it sorted.

What did they charge you for labor on that job?

 

[Crazyman1304]

I wish I had the expertise to be able to identify your issue as a TC problem. Glad you got it sorted.

What did they charge you for labor on that job?

It's all good just thought I'd update for others


They wanted $1200 but I brought it to my dads house and did it ourselves. $500 for the part

 

[hear]

It's all good just thought I'd update for others


They wanted $1200 but I brought it to my dads house and did it ourselves. $500 for the part

That tracks. Easily half the effort of a rebuild is the removal & installation. $1200 includes that same TC, or just an OEM-class TC? Also, can you share the TC you replaced with? I've had a hard time figuring out what the OEM stall is, and if we can improve anything by raising it.

 

[Crazyman1304]

That tracks. Easily half the effort of a rebuild is the removal & installation. $1200 includes that same TC, or just an OEM-class TC? Also, can you share the TC you replaced with? I've had a hard time figuring out what the OEM stall is, and if we can improve anything by raising it.

That was for a stock rebuilt TC not the "built" one

I put in the ATS Diesel one. I looked around on the forum for the best upgraded replacement and after looking up the suggestions it seems ATS is the only ones who still actively produces built converters for TJs. They claim a better match to the 4.0 torque curve but I haven't noticed any difference.

 

[hear]

That was for a stock rebuilt TC not the "built" one

I put in the ATS Diesel one. I looked around on the forum for the best upgraded replacement and after looking up the suggestions it seems ATS is the only ones who still actively produces built converters for TJs. They claim a better match to the 4.0 torque curve but I haven't noticed any difference.

When I rebuilt my 32RH, I used a new (maybe it was a re-man?) from Advance auto. It feels way more sluggish than it used to, and I always wondered if it was the TC. When I rebuilt my daughters, I gambled and re-used the same TC, and hers is peppier. So on my list of things to do is understand exactly how the TC can affect performance.