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Torque Converter good or bad?

6K views 9 replies 8 participants last post by  Lattimer 
#1 ·
HI guys,
i just did a 1500 km round trip towing my 7500 TT, when towing I would use the manual shift and put it into 5th and just keep it there. when my truck is driving in 5th gear and then the torque converter locks up i get a whaa whaa whaa whaa noise, if i get on the gas a bit to unlock the converter the noise goes away. i tried driving it in 6th gear and i still get the same noise when the torque converter locks up. i experimented with 4th gear and it didn't make that noise, but by the end of my trip i was starting to experience the whaa whaa whaa noise a little bit in 4th gear too. does this mean i have a bad torque converter?

thanks for the help

Vern
 
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#2 ·
When I am towing my 5th wheeler I leave the transmission in fully automatic and engage the tow haul function. When I get to a situation where I want/need to control the gear selection I just pull the shift knob over to manual. Have towed in all kinds of terrain with no problems.
Never had it make that sound you describe.
 
#4 ·
Sorry guys I should of mentioned I do tow in tow haul mode but I use the s mode, if I leave it in automatic the transmission shifts too much from 5th to 6th,
 
#5 ·
Tow/Haul mode only works in drive. Tow/haul in S mode doesn't do anything.


Don't know if its your TC or not, but that noise definitely sounds like something is failing.
 
#6 · (Edited)
i just did a 1500 km round trip towing my 7500 TT, when towing I would use the manual shift and put it into 5th and just keep it there. when my truck is driving in 5th gear and then the torque converter locks up i get a whaa whaa whaa whaa noise, if i get on the gas a bit to unlock the converter the noise goes away. i tried driving it in 6th gear and i still get the same noise when the torque converter locks up. i experimented with 4th gear and it didn't make that noise, but by the end of my trip i was starting to experience the whaa whaa whaa noise a little bit in 4th gear too. does this mean i have a bad torque converter?
Kind of hard to comment on a noise when you don't hear it first hand. I can say I just returned from a 3,000 km trip towing a 5th wheel trailer, and I heard no sounds like you describe. I leave my TX in tow/haul mode and drive with cruise control. 95% of the time rpm sits at about 1500, 2000, or 2800. It shifts fairly frequently between those ranges, and I let it do its thing.

If you hear a noise that essentially rises and fall in a predictable frequency, that quite often can be a "beat" caused by two different frequencies of noise (vibration) that are close together. If you ever fly in a two engine turbo prop you often hear it when the engines are close to the same rpm but not exactly the same.

I notice that you are not running stock tires. I wonder if the tires may be the problem? Either they have changed the rpm range into a range that is not working for the TX or the tires themselves are making noise that is causing a beat frequency? Just a guess. Aggressive tread tires are notorious for causing vibration and noise on the highway. Perhaps they have not all worn evenly and are causing the beat frequency due to two close but not equal frequencies.

I'm no expert on auto transmissions but I would not suspect the torque converter. It seems to me if it were the problem it would be more likely to act up when it is working (slipping), and not when it was locked (kind of out of the picture).
 
#7 ·
I'm pretty sure the noise you describe is your exhaust. Mine does the same when towing our 8k lb camper. When it goes into 6th or 5th around 2k rpm's I get the same whaa whaa whaa. Some call it drone. If I pick up the rpms just a lil it goes away.
I had the AFE exhaust on the truck for about 2 months....right up to the first towing trip. That whaa whaa whaa turned into WHAA WHAA WHAA!!! Haha It was unbearable. I ran 4th gear 3k rpm's for 400 miles to avoid it. As others have said its hard to tell without hearing it, but I think its just exhaust drone when loaded.
 
#8 ·
If your torque converter was making noise you would have some serious issues going on. I highly doubt you are hearing it. When i tow my toyhauler i can hear the factory exhaust make a similar noise that comes and goes with engine rpm and load, it is very faint but noticeable if you listen for it.
 
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