jason_k_3431

Hi peeps,

Been away for a while; had no licence for 6 months :(

Anyways, got a bit of a problem with my EF V8 4spd auto that seems to be getting worse. There's a shudder that seems to be roughly torque dependent .. it's not especially rpm dependent, and it's not load dependent. It barely shudders at idle, lots at 1200-1800rpm and gradually less till above 3-4000 it's not noticeable. It shudders more when under cruising or when decelerating than when accelerating .. although when accelerating it is still very noticeable at low rpms. Occurs at all road speeds (incl stopped), and in all gears (incl neutral), though due to the low load at neutral it is less noticeable. Engine tune seems fine (although it hasn't been tuned in ~11000kms, it doesnt stall, runs fine, and I doubt it woudl cause this much shuddering)

I'm guessing it's either engine mounts or torque converter, any ideas to narrow it down, or any other things to chase up?

I do seem to be dropping trans fluid; but checked it last night and fluid _level_ still seems fine ... this problem has been occuring for the last month or two (2-3000kms) but is gradually getting worse -- to the point where it's starting to rattle the dash & window mounts etc... :/

Other thing is, I feel it a lot more through the steering wheel than through the body of the car ..

I'm due for a service but I'd like to have an idea what I'm chasing & up for before I send it in

Freshmeat

Get new motor mounts and while you're under there, swap your transmission mount, too. If your dash is rattling, it's almost guaranteed to be motor mounts.

If you want, you can check your torque converter bolts. It's really easy. There should be a few bolts holding on a cover plate just behind your oil pan. Remove the cover plate, rotate your engine by using a socket on your crankshaft bolt (turning clockwise), and check the torque on each bolt. They should be tight, but don't strip them.

Good luck and keep us updated.

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jason_k_3431

Heh.

Harmonic balancer had "moved" -- replaced.

It's silky smooth v8 now .. feels smoother than it ever has (in 50000kms of owning it).. yummy :)