Hey all,

noticed today I had this chatter/rattle sound coming from my torque converter, hopped underneath and saw I had 1 bolt literally missing and another one loose, like finger loose...

went to 3 parts stores but nobody had it could even give me the correct part # I checked rock auto a/ well..

does anyone know what part# or exactly what size and thread pitch bolt I need?

I have a 97 ram 1500 5.2L with the 46RE trans there should be 4 of them but right now I only have 3 in

id like to just get 4 new ones and thread lock them in place

**i think I may have found them from PATC :
https://transmissioncenter.net/shop/...lex-to-conver/

 

Yeah, those look to be correct.

 

well I found some bolts at O’Reilly that fit they had them listed as “universal bolts” I brought in my old torque converter and matched the threads...

snugged up the 4 new bolts and inspected my flex plate for wear or cracks and it looks totally fine

But the rattle is still there!

it only rattles when I’m coasting usually around 40mph, if I’m accelerating at 50mph+ I don’t hear a thing but as soon as I take my foot off the gas and start slowing down I can hear it.

once I get down to 30mph or so the noise disappears.

it sounds like a loose heat shield rattling or something but I’ve checked them all obsessively and there’s no play or anything.

thinking maybe the missing bolt from my torque converter fell inside the housing I used a couple REALLY bright lights and telescoping mirror but can’t see anything in there even used a thin magnetic rod to sweep the inside of the housing to hear/see any pebbles or loose bolt but nothing.

drivability is not effected at all and it seems to run fine but man it’s CRAZY annoying when I’m passing a car or driving next to a wall it’s louddddd

 

I think a bolt rattling around in there would make some REALLY rude noises.... and could possibly do some serious damage as well..... Is it a kind of buzz? or is it indeed some kind of rattle?

 

yea a bolt I would thing would be even worse while accelerating And at higher rpm but it seems to disappear at that stage.

its a pretty consistent rattle sound more rattle than buzz the best thing I can compare it to is what a loose heat shield sounds like or a pebble in a soda can. Even thought maybe it was the dust shield on my brakes but it’s nice and tight and doesn’t appear bent or anything.

 

I have seen small rocks get between heatshields, and whatever it is they are shielding... impossible to see, but, it's there.... Can you make it do it in park?

 

nope. Tried while in park, neutral, and even drive while holding the brake, only seems to do it when slowing down or coasting between about 50-30mph give or take a few mph in either direction...

it’s like a leprechaun has a soda can with a pebble in it hiding under my truck shaking it

 

Take a rubber mallet, crawl under the truck, and start thumping on anything with a heat shield.