Signs Your Industrial Torque Converter Needs Replacing

Every car has a torque converter. A torque converter is the ‘middleman’ between the wheels and the engine of a car. It is the piece that makes all the rotating power of the engine work to move the car forward. If this part of the motor is damaged or not working correctly, the entire system doesn’t work. If your converter is playing up, you can purchase industrial torque converter parts and fix it yourself, or you take it to your local car garage to fix it for you. But how do you know if the torque converter on your car isn’t working correctly? There are three possible warning signs that may indicate that your torque converter is faulty. You can hear, feel and see if your torque converter is playing up.

Have a Listen

A torque converter that isn’t working correctly or is broken will make a distinct sound. If the torque converter is completely broken, it will make a very distinct whining sound.  A torque converter that isn’t totally broken but damaged may just knock or make a grinding sound. This is from gears grinding and slipping across each other. Both sounds are an obvious sign that things are not good within your torque converter. Another sound that can signal problems with your torque converter is the sound of your clutch slipping. Your engine may rev higher but the car doesn’t move any faster.

Take a Look

Another way you can tell if you have torque converter has problems is by looking at it. There are liquids in the torque converter that help the whole system work correctly. Transmission fluid helps keep the system from not overheating but if it becomes too dirty it can cause slipping and sound like grinding. So check the fluids on your torque converter regularly. Be sure to allow your motor to warm up for a while during the cold months before using the vehicle. This will help reduce the wear on the torque converter. You can also look at the fluid in the torque converter and transmission and check for metal shavings. If there are metal shavings in the fluid then you know that metal parts are grinding on each other and not working correctly.

Think About How Your Car Feels

Lastly, you can feel when your torque converter is having problems or is broken. You will initially just feel a little shudder here and there but by the time the torque converter is completely broken, you could have shuddering bad enough to feel as if you’re driving on rocks. You will feel the power loss. You may also notice your car overheating. Your torque converter will become super hot and you may get a signal on your dashboard that your car is overheating.

Diagnosing torque converter problems can be done using sound, look and feel. Torque converter problems are no fun and are an unfortunate part of car ownership. If you sense you are having torque converter problems, the easiest fix is to take it to an accredited shop and have a trained mechanic take a look. Torque converter fixes can be as easy as changing the fluid within the torque converter or as complicated as replacing the entire mechanism.

Previous post All About Auto Works Opinions
Next post Latest News From Toronto, Canada & World