A good flexplate does not wobble. A warped flexplate wobbles around the outside ring teeth, even if the warp is slight. ... Under-torquing can cause a premature separation, causing the bolts to slam and break off, or jam the flexplate teeth into the starter gear teeth.

What are the signs of a bad flexplate?

Symptoms of a bad flex plate

• Clunking, grinding, chirping, or rattling noises from rear of engine when engine is idling.
• Knocking noise when engine is shifted into drive or reverse.
• Heavy vibrations felt through the driver's seat when driving at normal speeds.
• Rough-running engine.
• Loss of power at higher speeds.

What does a loose flexplate sound like?

A loose bolt on a flexplate or a crack between it's bolt holes can result in a; knocking or rattling sound. The sound is very similar to a bad connecting rod and is often, misdiagnosed.

Why does my flywheel wobble?

The engine vibrates from the combustion of the pistons pressing down on the crankshaft. ... Once the flywheel loosens on the crankshaft, the engine has excessive vibration which can shake the entire vehicle. This vibration can cause damage to the motor mounts, transmission mounts and shake other engine components loose.

Will a cracked flexplate cause vibration?

Yep, it could cause it.

Hay’s flexplate wobble

20 related questions found

Can a bad flexplate cause a misfire?

A bent flexplate can cause an erratic crank sensor signal and cause a misfire.

Does the flexplate spin in neutral?

Sorry, It spins only in one direction and is bolted to the flywheel. If the engine is running so is the Torque Converter in the same direction.

What are the symptoms of a loose torque converter bolt?

When the torque converter starts malfunctioning, you may feel shuddering and even slipping in overdrive. You usually notice your car shuddering because it feels like it's vibrating. Your car will vibrate even when you're not going very fast. The shuddering makes the car lag and is very noticeable.

Can an unbalanced flywheel cause damage?

7) Engine Vibrations with Clutch Engaged

If a flywheel is unbalanced, it may vibrate the whole powertrain even while the clutch is engaged. ... A flywheel that comes loose or disintegrates while driving is incredibly dangerous, as there is a considerable amount of energy stored in the flywheel.

What does a bad torque converter sound like?

Whining or rattling noise:

Likewise, when a vehicle torque converter fails, the car will give a bad torque converter noise–a whining or whining sounds like a power steering pump with little or no fluid in it.

How do you check flexplate?

Start the engine and let it idle. Slide under the vehicle with a stethoscope, and place the stethoscope probe against the underside of the bell housing. Any noise emanating from the this region indicates a problem with the flexplate and/or torque converter-flexplate combination.

What would cause a flexplate to crack?

Aside from a manufacturing defect, the only things that will cause a cracked flex plate are improper torque on the plate bolts at the crank and torque converter and the most common cause of transmission to engine misalignment; sometimes caused by missing alignment dowel pins that mate the transmission to the engine.

Can you straighten a bent flexplate?

Yep, just straighten out the sheet metal.

How much does it cost to replace a flexplate?

How much is a replacement flex plate? The flex plate or flywheel plate should cost somewhere in the region of $50-160, on average.

How do I know if my flywheel is loose?

A loose bolt on a flexplate or a crack between the bolt holes can result in the same knocking or rattling sound. If there's a rattling or knocking sound after an engine has been removed and replaced, the flywheel or flexplate bolts may be loose.

What does a warped flywheel feel like?

There's no hard and fast line between the flywheel with an acceptable run out, and one that's just warped; the distinction is in the symptoms. A warped flywheel will cause a steadily worsening pulsation in the brake pedal, accompanied by an intermittent rise and fall in engine rpm in later stages of warping.

What's the difference between flywheel and flexplate?

Flywheels are typically found on vehicles equipped with manual transmissions, while flexplates are used in vehicles with automatic transmissions. ... A flexplate is mounted to the crankshaft and connects the output from the engine to the input of a torque converter.

What causes a loose torque converter?

Many torque converter failures can be caused by excessive friction, which means the torque converter's needle bearings are damaged. Also, a faulty seals or faulty clutch solenoid can be to blame. A faulty seal can allow fluid to leak and become contaminated. A bad torque converter can damage a transmission.

What is a loose torque converter?

Generally a loose converter has more "stall", takes more RPM to get going, and is used to spool larger turbos or for mismatched combos. On the other side, a tight converter has a stall closer to stock, with a lower RPM to get to moving. It is used for smaller turbos or turbos that are specifically matched to a combo.

Does a flexplate need to be balanced?

The flexplate can only be installed one way. The bolt holes will only line up in one position, so the weight will be in the correct location no matter what. If the weight on the flywheel was drill and weighted to the engine while balancing, then the flexplate will need to be balanced the same.

What happens if you put a flexplate on backwards?

Putting it in backwards will effectively move the ring gear of the flexplate aft - and by the witness marks on the ring gear from the starter, it would appear that's the case becuase it looks like it's only partially engaging on the forward edges of the teeth - assuming the starter solenoid is pushing the starter gear ...

How hard should it be to turn an engine over by hand?

Even so, without the plugs in you should still be able to turn the motor over by grabbing the flywheel. 20-25 ft lbs sounds in range for a new motor, a motor with a few miles should be less.