I have a 92 corolla with the 1.6L engine with 170K miles, engine runs like a champ in park or neutral, but I put her in gear and I hear a scraping sound like the torque converter is not bolted to the flywheel. No idea what this could be but when it all started I was going 60mph and the car jerked as if i momentarily stomped the brake pedal, it quickly released and continued down the highway as if nothing happened, yet it was randomly shuddering as if I were driving over the small speed bumps at 4 way stops. In the beginning it was a tolerable sound that didn't seem quite like an emergency, but it gradually got worse every time i drove the car. Eventually it got to the point where it wouldn't go one mile per hour in gear without making this grinding sound, so i had it towed home. I need to remove the transmission to take a look at the torque converter and flywheel in hopes that this is not a bad transmission. I'm a mechanic, but have never had torque converter problems so I'm not sure exactly what the symptoms are.. And Im wondering if there is a way to remove transmission without pulling the engine as well. As far as the tranny goes, it shifts smooth and on time, every time. It has shown no signs of going out. The fluid is still a good red tint and free of the glittery sparkly metal flakes, but that's just whats on the dipstick as I haven't drained the fluid yet and looked in the pan. Any ideas?
Jul 7, 2010 at 1:00 PM
