Ford Techs - need some help 99 Ford escort
 

To the ford techs -

My beater car is making a death rattle on deceleration, sounds like a converter clutch rattle, almost like a terrible heat sheild rattle or even a really bad CV joint anytime the engine is decelerating. Even in neutral after a quick rev.

I'm 99% sure the noise is coming from the converter area, I don't hear it under the oil cap on the valve cover.

I have dug through all data and can't find any diagrams that outline the TCC wiring. I want to install a switch to manually lock up the converter solenoid because I can feel it locking and unlocking repeatedly on the highway. When I lift off the gas there is no rattle noise for a split second until the converter unlocks again.

Anyone know which wire supplies the signal to the TCC Solenoid? And if it's a Ground switch like the 4R100, or is it a 5V or 12V signal?

I need to get through winter with this old POS, I'm putting 130 miles a day on it and don't want to spool up miles and salt out my nice vehicles this winter. Hate to have to buy something else just to get me through the next 3 months.

Thanks guys!

Well found the wire, locked up the converter, no change. I think I might have a broken flex plate. Awesome.

fixx
 

when the car is cold crawl under it and smack the converter with a plastic dead blow hammer,,if it rattles then the converter broke loose from the outter shell...common problem with older cars,, i have done 2 this week and have another one sitting out side im doing in the am...

is that a CD4E trans on a ztech engine? x2 car? been too long. right around that time my attention was on the jag program at ford....there were many problems with shafts and the grease or lack there of in those applications around that era. in power train development most of the time u have no idea what vehicle it's going into.

my best beater car of all time was a vw golf diesel...

Was not uncommon for those motors to have the upper motor mount go out.


I gotcha beat. I have an '88 Escort. Best damn thing on wheels. I blaze paths thru snow that 4WD trucks are afraid to follow. :)

Valve seats loosen up and go kaboom!!!. Check that defiantly

Thanks for the input guys, Looks like I have a cracked flexplate. Must be all that brutal torque :)

Not looking forward to pulling the trans. Hate to throw away the car over a $25 part.

-US1 I'm jealous of your 88, the "new" body like mine is a fuel pig compared to the old ones. I never break 30 MPG on the hwy, and it usually hovers around 26. She's heavy, and way underpowered.

Summer "beater" is a '71 914. 40 MPG's out of an old type 4 vw. Just not worth ruining the car in the salt, so she's in the barn til spring.

did it crack around the ring gear or the around the crankshaft bolts?
man, i typed this last night....guess i fell asleep before i could hit the post button!