Failing Torque converter question

[Joe Anderson]

By all means, the torque converter in my van is slowly degrading and will eventually fail.if my converter does fail… will I loose the use of my van? I know it locks up eventually… but will I still be able to use the van IE 30MPH?

Topic

[Lorrin Barth]

Can’t answer without knowing the symptoms – why you think (know) it is the torque convertor.

[george gonzalez]

torque converters are very simple devices, I don’t see an obvious way they can fail. What can fail are the accessories, like the converter lock-up valves and solenoids. Oh wait, there are some seals and bearings in there that can crump on you. But generally they’re long-lived devices. If it really does “fail”, you’re in a bad spot, as then there is no way for engine power to get to the wheels and you’re dead by the side of the road. Or if the bearings or seals fail there will be a leak of red fluid and that leads to dead by the road also.

[Joe Anderson]

It’s not locking correctly anymore. it’s dragging the engine and lugging it. I’ve had it independantly checked at a trans shop and at a Stealership and they both said thats me problem. It’s a known issue on the 4th gen T&C vans

[Lorrin Barth]

Did either one of these places say how you could disable the clutch? What you’d be losing by doing this would be a tiny bit of gas mileage. If it never engaged it wouldn’t fail to disengage and lug the engine.

Disabling the clutch would probably set a CEL. This could cause a problem if you live in a state that has vehicle inspection.

[EricTheCarGuy]

I hear this a lot. Truth is, it’s not often the torque converter that’s at fault however. In your case, it may be due to the symptoms and diagnosis you describe. More info here.

http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/solving-transmission-problems

That said, if you have a torque converter issue the only fix is going to be to remove the transmission and address it. While you’re at it, you might also consider either rebuilding or replacing the transmission.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[Lorrin Barth]

Here’s a video made by vehicle owner who has put the torque converter clutch on a switch. Anyway, this is a illustration of what a torque converter clutch that doesn’t unlock does to performance.

[Author]

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