I have an automatic97 sohc with 75k on it, and having a couple issues with it.

First in the morning when I start it. It starts really loud, and has this whine to it that continues as i back out and I had to drive it a couple hundred feet before it dies down.. what could that be?

Also when I turn it makes a groaning sound, but i think that might be that I need some pwr steering fluid, I have checked yet.

and when I accelerate from a stop the first gear change (i'm guessing from 1st to 2nd) If I don't ease of the gas when it changes my car shudders really bad, like the whole car sometimes the cd im playing skips...but its never any other time after that I can go as fast as i want or anything and non of the other gears have any problems switching.

and last there is a little ticking noise, kinda like a squeak thats alsways [resent as I drive and I'm guessing thats prolly the belt...

So could anybody help/verify my assumptions?

 

Sounds like the belt that runs you power steerign and alternator is going bad. the kick may be a tranny mount look at the bushing to see if they aer loose or torn up. The other squeak does it star doing it fast as you drive faster? It may be your brakes or wheel bearing. But it also could be that belt. Try some belt conditioner on the belt it will help it from slip. Then you will know what the squeaks are becuase it will stop then you know you need to A-tighten belt or B-get a new belt. Maybe try this post for the tranny it may help https://dodgeforum.com/m_1093062/tm.htm .

 

Oh yea the belt squeak could also be a pulley going bad try to find out where its coming from.

 

Where would I look for the mounts?(sorry I'm kinda new to this)

I'v eonly had the ar for the last 10 maybe 15 k miles so Im not sure if the belt needs replacing, but I doubt the perrson before me did it so I know it prolly needs a new belt.

 

Ok, I've had all of your problems.

The loud winding noise when you first start it up is the power steering pump, Mine will make that noise for 30 seconds to a minuteand then stop, if you can turn the wheel and hear a difference in the moaning then its for sure your power steering just being cold, should stop making a noise as it gets warm. Its totally harmless unless you hear it all the time. Mine usually only does this when its 50 degreesor below out.

The Shudder you feel is the transmission, Bands and clutch disksare probably on their way out and inabout 6-8 months you'll hear a metal on metal noise and your car will barely want to move, as what happened with mine. You may have longer you may have less time, I beat the **** out of my car for a year and kept on the gas floored everytime I took it outand it took 9 months for it to go on me but there were other things like neutral drops contributed to it dieing faster but my car always had the shaking between 1st-2nd gear and taking off before I had the bright idea to do neutral drops, changed the transmission and it fixed all my problems.

I took my transmission apart and it was steel on steel for the forward clutchs. What happens is your transmission is trying to get a grip on the clutch and in a worn spot it slips off causing the shuttering you feel. Change the clutchs or whole transmission and you'll feel power you never felt before and smooth shifts. The Prothane mounts are good but not nessisary, I've driven Neons without the mounts and they do not shutter with the stock mounts. I threw prothane inserts in my mounts but I was puzzled that my stockmounts looked brand new and it still shuttered, finally after changing the transmission I knew the tranny was to blame and not the mounts.

The ticking you hear could possibly be the roller tipped rocker arms as they do make a noticable noise in all of my newer mopar engines. I'm not there to hear it so thats my shot in the dark guess

PM me I've actually had these problems before

 

Yea I guessed that the tranny was going out... I have been contemplating for a while doing a swap to mtx...but dont have the expertise to do it myself.

so do i need a new power steering pump or is it all ok for now?

 

Well if your Power Steering pump stops making the noise in under 2 minutes I'd say nothing is wrong with it, if it does make noise after 2 minutes check and make sure your fluid is topped off and if it still makes the noise while sufficiently warmed up and turning then i'd say its probably going out.