Hi all - an odd one here, and am hoping a US based forum will have way more experience with torque converters than a european one!
I've just done an overhaul on a Renault DPO 4 speed auto. Its a pretty conventional unit made by Siemans and based on a VW design. Bog standard planetary 4 speed with a lockup converter.
This was a budget build using a nearly new donor trans for parts, but I did all the right things with fully dismantling it and cleaning everything.
I used what i thought was a known good converter with very low kms on it since it was reconditioned. Not that there was anything wrong with the converter in the trans that failed with a burnt out E2 pack at 130K kms - most likely due to the pressure modulation solenoid failing about 30K kms prior. The solenoid was replaced then, but I suspect the damage was already done.
Anyway, the rebuild went well I thought - I was OCD with cleanliness and all the right things were done I think.
Start up was good and pressure built straight away and it engaged drive happily pretty much immediately. I have the Renault specific interface and can read pressures as normal and no codes thrown.
But. There is a nasty rattle from the converter at idle and it stalls when you put it into drive or reverse - the converter is locking....
I got it to a brief drive once i managed to get it going past the small amount of slip the converter would give and it drive ok above a certain speed and changed gears well - so its not trying to engage two gears at once.
My main question (if you've made it this far and thank you!) - if the converter is locked because of a stuck on lock up solenoid, would the converter rattle at idle? I'd like to think its a lock up control problem. The computer tells me its not asking for converter to be locked and its not throwing code, but the solenoid could be jammed on mechanically. But the rattle makes me think the converter has a mechanical fault internally thats causing the clutch to jam on.
Anyone heard of a converter failing internally like that...? Or should I really be focusing on solenoids/control circuits?
Cheers from a Renault nut in Australia
I've just done an overhaul on a Renault DPO 4 speed auto. Its a pretty conventional unit made by Siemans and based on a VW design. Bog standard planetary 4 speed with a lockup converter.
This was a budget build using a nearly new donor trans for parts, but I did all the right things with fully dismantling it and cleaning everything.
I used what i thought was a known good converter with very low kms on it since it was reconditioned. Not that there was anything wrong with the converter in the trans that failed with a burnt out E2 pack at 130K kms - most likely due to the pressure modulation solenoid failing about 30K kms prior. The solenoid was replaced then, but I suspect the damage was already done.
Anyway, the rebuild went well I thought - I was OCD with cleanliness and all the right things were done I think.
Start up was good and pressure built straight away and it engaged drive happily pretty much immediately. I have the Renault specific interface and can read pressures as normal and no codes thrown.
But. There is a nasty rattle from the converter at idle and it stalls when you put it into drive or reverse - the converter is locking....
I got it to a brief drive once i managed to get it going past the small amount of slip the converter would give and it drive ok above a certain speed and changed gears well - so its not trying to engage two gears at once.
My main question (if you've made it this far and thank you!) - if the converter is locked because of a stuck on lock up solenoid, would the converter rattle at idle? I'd like to think its a lock up control problem. The computer tells me its not asking for converter to be locked and its not throwing code, but the solenoid could be jammed on mechanically. But the rattle makes me think the converter has a mechanical fault internally thats causing the clutch to jam on.
Anyone heard of a converter failing internally like that...? Or should I really be focusing on solenoids/control circuits?
Cheers from a Renault nut in Australia