ther is a bit of a random crackle in the tranny when it's cold before I changed fluid only in P but now after fluid change, the noise is in other D and N too, WTF!! flex plate or tc chain?? thoughts?:banghead:

BTW the fluid was brown that's why I replaced it. I went out and pulled back on the TC levera little to the left and back and the noise lessens....HUH??

???...???

Sounds like maybe the linkage isn't aligned properly. The grinding you're hearing could be from the gearset being partially engaged....do you have a lift?

Sure, it could be flex plate bolts being loose. My '98 would rattle/crackle while in D,P,N... while cold and warmed up. I did some searching, crossed my fingers, checked the bolts, and viola! they needed a little torquing. Also got a nice bright flashlight to check for any cracks while I had the dust shield pulled back. It was all-good for me. got luck?

~good luck

Yeah I'm thinkin' linkage too and maybe the flex plate also. How do I go about fixing the linkage? Any way by myse;f to check and torque the flex bolts??
P.S. Why did you ask if I had a lift? Would that affect the linkage or something??

Plate's fine so is tranny linkage.Don't know about TC linkage. There's stilla small noise but maybe I'm just obsessing. Oh well, guess no news is good news.

did you actually put a wrench to the bolts on the flex plate? or just visually inspect it?
I never got a torque wrench in there, just a 12pt closed-end and tightened the snot out of each one while using a flat-head or the open end of another wrench to keep the plate itself from turning for each of the bolts.
4-5 or so of them in all, I forget exactly how many.
from what I've picked up, the right way to do them is to take each one out and apply some lock-tite to the threads and then torque them in to specs.


Aw, hell. check this thread while you're at it. http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=87445&highlight=torque+converter

~Good Luck!

ctually Itook it to a friend of a friend who is a tran. tech, and he couldn't hear anything. he chacked the flexplate bolts and they were fine. No cracks either.
He said to just chill. It might be just in my head. He said if it gets worse bring it in, but that it was a god idea if the fluid eas brown to keep changing it every week till it looks good. I don't know when the fluid was last changed, so I'm a bit nervous to replace all the fluid. I've heard it can kill old trannys, but the tech also said AW4's are pretty strong systems. Still every dog has it's day. Ijust hope the cleaners in the new fluid don't clean it up too good.
Any risks to changing all the fluid slowly?? This is my DD and all I have. Ican't afford to fix a f'ed tranny. Should I just leave well enogh alone? I don't know how I'll sleep knowing there's brown fluid in one of the most sensitive areas of the car.
Thanks for ANY input