Torque converter test

Metalcorpse

Registered User
Hi guys, I have a good feeling my torque converter is going out, but I dont know where the rpms are supposed to be when testing it. my car is hardly drivable right now. i have to accelerate like a grandma so it moves.

if i give it any more gas than the very minimum, the rpms just bounce at like 1500 or 2000. its pathetic :/ im sure its the torque converter. also has a small noise/vibration doesnt feel normal...
 
What year is your SC? 89-93 SC's were AOD's and the 94-95 were 4R70W and the transmissions are quite a bit different.
 
The AOD doesn't have a clutch style converter. It only locks up in 3rd and 4th gear via a drum in the back of the transmission. That said are you experiencing these symptoms in 1st and 2nd gear as well? What you are describing doesn't sound like a converter issue. It almost sounds like you have a plugged up catalytic converter.
 
ok update, i just took it for a drive, even out of first, dead stop. didnt matter if it was half throttle, full, or even baby throttle, it accelerates the pace of a 6 month old. terrible...just terrible. if i revd it, the rpms just bounce but doesnt go any faster.
 
fuel pressure doesnt have a gague... its getting fuel tho i know that for a fact, i can put it in neutral and rev it quite high.
 
fuel pressure doesnt have a gague... its getting fuel tho i know that for a fact, i can put it in neutral and rev it quite high.

That's why you attach your fuel pressure gauge to it.

Or the one you rent from AutoZone, O'Reilly's, Advance, et al.

Still sounds like a plugged cat.

Can you reach the O2 sensors? If so, pull one temporarily and (with the exhaust leak), see if it can accelerate.

RwP
 
smell the tranny fluid, if it smells burnt and or looks to be a dark color is bad news.
 
no its not the cat, it revs perfectly fine. plenty of power in the motor, just the drive is ugly. like i can give it gas, any amount. itll rev higher, just wont go faster. almost like its slipping but it feels more like the tc is going out. ill check the sensor, oh and i put the ebrake on, hit the brakes, and reved it in drive. it was funky around 1500 rpms. after i let off the brake and took it for a drive it drove much better.

this is horrible. i have no help from family, hardly financially supported and my car is dying -.-
 
no its not the cat, it revs perfectly fine. plenty of power in the motor, just the drive is ugly. like i can give it gas, any amount. itll rev higher, just wont go faster. almost like its slipping but it feels more like the tc is going out. ill check the sensor, oh and i put the ebrake on, hit the brakes, and reved it in drive. it was funky around 1500 rpms. after i let off the brake and took it for a drive it drove much better.

this is horrible. i have no help from family, hardly financially supported and my car is dying -.-

I am truly sorry for your trouble. When clutches fail in a transmission they slip and the engine revs more freely but the car doesn't move very well. Just because the engine revs freely in neutral doesn't mean you have enough fuel or a plugged cat. Keep in mind in neutral your engine isn't under a load and is not using any where near the amount of fuel that it will in drive.
 
I'm with 90sc35thann - if the tach is staying around 1500 or so, it's not the TQ slipping.

If it slips, RPMs go up but not as much motion goes on.

You're describing either exhaust blockage or intake blockage. Or a bad leak of some kind. Or maybe bad injectors ...

I'd check for exhaust leakage FIRST.

And like he said, revving in neutral proves NOTHING.

RwP
 
Ok another update, drivin home, I saw the check engine light go on for a minute then went off. Basically feels like I'm tryin to pull a semi. Even if I floor it it wont rev very high. If I give it any gas more than basic minimum, it just bounces at like 1500 - 2000. Also idles at like 500 rpm. Much lower than it normaly does
 
Ok another update, drivin home, I saw the check engine light go on for a minute then went off. Basically feels like I'm tryin to pull a semi. Even if I floor it it wont rev very high. If I give it any gas more than basic minimum, it just bounces at like 1500 - 2000. Also idles at like 500 rpm. Much lower than it normaly does

I am still sticking to either a fuel pump going south or a plugged cat. The advice you got earlier to remove the o2 sensors and see if the condition still exists was sound. If it is a plugged cat the car should run fine as the exhaust will escape out of the o2 bungs.
 
idk if this helps, but it only drives decent when the engine is cold. after the temp gague hits the middle or even quarter way out, it starts to lose its juice.
 
You should have two o2 sensors. On in the driver side exhaust manifold and the other in the passenger side exhaust downtube.
 
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