If you are the type of person who has a great passion for cars, more than likely you have heard it being discussed somewhere, sometime about the torque converter, especially about its possible problems.
Torque converters are components that most older cars are equipped with, with automatic transmission, but there are also many modern cars that are equipped with these components.
You’ve probably heard especially about older cars that they have serious problems with these components, so in the following article you will be able to discover a lot of interesting information about torque converters. You will learn how they work, you will discover symptoms of defective converters and you will also discover how to test these components.
Symptoms of a faulty torque converter
It should be noted that when the torque converters do not work at optimal parameters, all kinds of symptoms may occur, and in the following you will find a list of the most common symptoms.
Slippery transmission
The most common sign that these components are no longer working properly is slippery transmission.
You can feel this when the engine revs a lot on the speed unit, but the car does not accelerate when the engine revs, this symptom is similar to the clutch slipping in the manual gearbox, the tachometer needle goes up but the speedometer needle stays still or goes up much slower.
Slow oscillation
When you experience such a symptom, you must also take into account the fact that this torque converter may not work properly. Whether the idle is sometimes too low or sometimes too high, something is wrong and the problem may be with the faulty torque converter.
Heavy acceleration
Problems with acceleration difficulty can also be caused by defective torque converters. These problems can be caused by pressure differences in the torque converters, or they can also be caused by the slippery transmission we mentioned earlier.
If you are facing a situation of slow acceleration, it is necessary to look at the rpm needle of the car, to check if it is accelerating. In this case, the car most likely has a defective torque converter.
The car will not move back and forth
If the car does not move forward or backward at all, there is a good chance that the problem will be caused by the faulty torque converter.
Of course, when the car does not start, the problem can have other causes, so it is advisable to perform a blood test to detect the problem.
Transmission overheating
If when you drive, the torque converter slips, one of the results of this problem is the pointless heating of the transmission fluid. For this reason, it may boil at a certain time.
In short, if the torque converter is faulty and slippery, it will wear out the car’s transmission system in a very short period of time.
There are cars that are equipped with temperature sensors that have the role of blocking the lights of the transmission control unit on board the car, which is a clear sign of a slippery torque converter.
Transmission noises
It is extremely important to listen both when accelerating and at idle, to check for strange noises coming from the torque converter.
Given the various strange noises caused by the torque converter, the news is not exactly good because this means that a new one is needed. But before replacing it, take the car to the ramp or elevator and check it to make sure the problem is with the converter.
What is the role of the torque converter in an automatic transmission?
The torque converter is the component that makes the transfer of torque or force from the car engine to its transmission system, without stopping. To better understand, the torque converter must be filled with transmission oil, and is equipped with a fan or a turbine-like component inside it, and the more the fan rotates, the more pressure it creates. inside the unit, and the greater the force that the engine will transfer to the car’s transmission system.
What is obtained due to the operation of both fans, is a better transfer power between the car engine and the car’s transmission system.
Well, not everything is perfect, because there is no direct connection between the engine and the car’s transmission system, a little of the engine’s energy will be lost, which will not be as efficient. Most of the time, however, this is a problem with older cars that consume more fuel than the ones with manual gearboxes.
Newer cars, in order to avoid this problem, have newer-generation automatic transmissions that use a traditional gearbox, which comes with a dry or wet clutch, and which allows a robot to have control over the changes. gears and clutch. We are talking here about DSG transmissions, which at the moment are much more useful and come with many more advantages than traditional automatic transmissions.
Common torque converter problems
When we discuss the torque converter, it should be noted that these components have some common problems. Usually, these parts are not an extremely advanced part of older cars, and can have various problems, especially if car owners turn their attention to very cheap torque converters.
Used bearings
Worn bearings are a fairly common problem for defective torque converters. Most of the time this problem does not result in slipping or other problems with the transmission system, but due to worn bearings you can hear noises coming from the car’s transmission system.
If you are facing such a situation, it is advisable to first check the transmission fluid, and see if the pieces of metal are inside the vessel in which the transmission fluid is. If small pieces of metal are found, 99.99% they come from one of the torque converter bearings.
Faulty seal
When we talk about a faulty seal, we are talking about a situation in which the transmission fluid leaks from the torque converter, which causes a pressure drop in the torque converter.
This low pressure results in both slipping and overheating, but various other defective symptoms can occur. This is one of the most common problems with the car’s faulty torque converter.
Clutch plate with faulty voltage converter
The torque converter is provided inside with several couplings, and if it is locked between the unit and neutral, then things become complicated given that the transmission is no longer released. In this case, there is a very high chance of a torque converter clutch problem, which can lead to slipping or heavy acceleration.
Clutch solenoid for faulty torque converter
The clutch solenoid with a torque converter is also an important part of the automatic transmission rate.
The role of the solenoid is to control the pressure of the hydraulic pressure fluid that enters the locking clutch, and for this reason several problems can occur such as heavy acceleration, slipping or overheating.
How can the problem be fixed?
More than likely if you are facing one of these problems, you are wondering how to fix the problem. So, without wasting time, in the following you will be able to discover some of the best solutions regarding these problems.
Transmission oil change
The most important thing to do when it comes to transmission problems is to inspect and replace the transmission fluid.
If you are checking the transmission fluid, if you see that it is either brown or almost black, then it is advisable to replace both the transmission fluid and the transmission filter, if the car has such a filter.
It is better to replace the transmission fluid in time, which is not expensive at all, while replacing the torque converter would cause you a small hole in your budget.
Also, when checking the transmission fluid, it is important to make sure that you do not detect small pieces of metal, because if you do detect them, they come from used bearings that are found inside the torque converter.
Therefore, the conclusion regarding the transmission oil is that it is more advisable to replace it in time, so as not to have any unpleasant surprises.
Replace the torque converter bearings
If, when checking the transmission fluid, you find small pieces of metal, then it is necessary to remove the transmission from the motor to check the bearings that are located in the torque converter. If they fail, small pieces of metal end up in the vessel where the car’s transmission fluid is found, and can cause serious property damage. That is why it is advisable to check this aspect carefully.
Replace the torque converter seals
If you find that you are facing a slippery torque converter despite the fact that you have already changed the transmission fluid and the filter, then it is necessary to remove the transmission system from the engine, and check the seals that are found on the axle, in transmission.
Replace the clutch and torque converter solenoid
If you find that the car is stalling or more precisely the transmission system is experiencing blockages when the engine is running in all gears, then it’s definitely time to take a look at the clutch of the torque converter, and you should also check the solenoid on it. This can be done by removing the torque separator.
Replace the torque converter
Depending on the problem, and depending on the make and model of the car, there are situations in which it is more appropriate to replace the entire component, than certain subcomponents, especially since for different cars the torque converters have very low prices. In this way, no more time will be wasted regarding the replacement of some subcomponents of the torque converter.
When you intend to buy such a part for your car, it is advisable to know that you should not turn your attention to a used torque converter. The reason why such a second-hand part is not recommended, even if it may have a very attractive price, is as simple as possible, namely that it is not known what is the degree of wear of the converter, and it is not known how old it is. his.
In addition, it is not the most pleasant job to replace the torque converter, so in order not to spend money on two such components, and not to work twice on disassembling and installing the torque converter, we recommend that you buy new torque converters.
Transmission fluid of the automatic transmission. What is its role?
In most cases, automatic transmission fluids are red when they come directly from the manufacturer, and the color of the fluids can give us an important amount of information about each fluid.
You can check the liquid in the transmission rod at the level, after which it can be applied on a white paper or on a napkin, to see its color. When checking the transmission fluid that the car has already used, it is important to make sure that you do not find metal parts mixed with the oil, so that the torque converter or transmission has any chance of being defective.
Next you will discover some important details about the colors of the transmission fluid, and what each of them means. So, if the transmission fluid is dark brown, it is clear that you need to replace the fluid because it is worn.
If the color of the transmission fluid is brown, then the transmission fluid is easily burned, so it must be replaced as soon as possible. If the transmission fluid is dark red, then it is in good condition.
If the transmission fluid is pink, then we are talking about the transmission fluid mixed with water. The best situation is when the liquid is red, because then its condition is very good.
Torque converter test
When you want to test this component, you practically don’t have much to do without disconnecting the converter. However, there is a way you can find out if it is worn, and you will still find out how.
First of all it is necessary to start the car engine and let it warm up until it reaches a temperature of about 40 degrees. This may take some time, so it is recommended to test the transmission fluid temperature with a diagnostic scanner, and in this case you will find out if the transmission fluid is hot. If it is not hot yet, you have to wait, but if it is hot, follow step two.
Put the gearbox in a gear, and now you can use actuating tools and you can listen if there is any noise coming from the torque converter. It is normally necessary to move the car forward with a small touch of the accelerator pedal. Then switch gears to Drive and Sport to check for noise as you do so. If everything is fine, follow the next step.
Testing the car
If you have gone through all these steps, it is definitely necessary to drive the car at higher speeds, and during this time you should check both the speedometer and the tachometer. It is vital to make sure that when you depress the accelerator pedal, the engine does not return too much and the car does not accelerate. If this happens, then it is clear that there is a problem and the car’s torque converter is slipping.
Usually, older cars have a bit of a slip when accelerating, but you certainly know this if you have owned such a car in the past.
However, if you notice this problem, it is advisable to go by car to a car service for a mechanic to check the car. It will detect all the problems and surely when you drive the car you will know if you hear noise or if you feel slipping.
Where is the torque converter located?
Regarding the location of this part, it is important to mention that it is located between the car engine and its automatic transmission. To detect any problems, it is important to remove the transmission from the car and engine.
How much does it cost to replace the torque converter?
Given that you have gone through this step-by-step guide with us and checked the torque converter, and it needs to be replaced, you are probably wondering how much it will cost to replace it.
Well, first of all, in terms of the part, it all depends on the car brand, the car model and its year of manufacture.
Then, it matters a lot if you personally change the part or if you go by car to the service. This operation of replacing the torque converter takes quite a long time, so the price of labor may be high.
So, these are all the important things you need to know about the car’s torque converter.