Sbc cracked flex plate

Bad starter drive can cause teeth or ring gear to wear rapidly or break off. The reason for the sound involves the flexplates location and its function. If the converter nose is smaller then the crankshaft pilot area, then the converter will not be centered and the flex plate is what assorbs the stress. New face for 2021 chevy colorado debuts on hall racing zr2. If you changed the balancer andor the flexplate, this may be why you have a vibration. Does anybody have a link to the sfi vortec style flexplate. This may occur in worn engines or engine that have been poorly rebuilt. Jan 27, 2009 is it common for these bolts to loosen up over time ive done a search for a rattling knocking sound from the transmission and it looks like converter or flex plate bolts. The flex plate is a key component of your cars powertrain, which includes the engine, the transmission, and the other related parts that get the power to the ground. I heard that gm has an new combo one piece flex plate.

And we also have heavyduty and sfiapproved flexplates for highhorsepower, highrpm race applications. Descriptions of the sound include clanking, chirping and a light knocking. Allstar performance all26830 153t sfi internal balance flexplate. Flexplates 6bolt crankshaft to flywheel attachment. Check for cross members that would keep you from doing this. Im pretty damn sure i broke my fourth flexplate on the truck. The powertrain is very important to your cars acceleration, shifting, and cruising, so it is essential that your flex plate is. There are tough flexplates and there are chuck norriscaliber flexplates. What causes a flywheel to crack numerous times justanswer.

A 168 tooth flexplate uses a 11 12inch bolt circle. Those factors ensure that when the engine starts and the driver puts it in. I think the shifts are setup too hard on the computer causing the flex plates to break actually. Im replacing it but i was curious what causes it, i have a modular sbc stg3. The most likely cause is a missing bushing in the back of the crankshaft. We reminded the customer about the worn bearing we made note of it in our files and he agreed to have it replaced along with another new flexplate.

A cracked flexplate is almost always a sign of other problems. The vehicles flex plate is an essential part of your driveshaft. Months ago the overdrive light on the column shifter would blink constantly and the check engine light came on. The job of a flex plate is to allow for expansion of the torque converter as engine rpm increases. If you really stop and think about a highhorsepower pro modified car planting the tires and launching to a subone second 60foot times, realizing there is a small, relatively thin plate of metal transferring 4,000 horsepower rearward at one of the key junctions in the powertrain, you begin to see the. Customer experienced loud engine noise and our tech found a cracked flex plate from over tightened bolts. Symptoms of a cracked flexplate welcome to modern mopar forum. For street, strip, and off road strength, hughes performance meets the needs. Aside from a manufacturing defect, the only things that will cause a cracked flex plate are improper torque on the plate bolts at the. I cracked two flexplates on a 350 olds i drove balls out all the time, until i threw away the torque converter and got a good one. In the event that the cars flex plate is cracked or otherwise damaged, replacement of the old part will be absolutely essential before the vehicle can be driven. My uncle thinks it may be a cracked flex plate from how i described it to him. Buy allstar performance all26830 153t sfi internal balance flexplate.

Theres also a chance they didnt gradually torque the bolts that hold the flex plate to the torque converter and maybe its not balanced. The same things that cause the flexplate to crack can also cause transmission problems. There are tough flexplatesand there are chuck norriscaliber flexplates. If you notice clunking or grinding noises while your engine is idle, in park, or neutral, check your flexplate. A loose bolt will hollow out the hole, and can cause a crack from the hole toward the middle real hard to see. Chevrolet performance offers small block engine flywheels, flexplates, and other components for your engine build or project car. Broken center of flexplate or what some people may call a flywheel on a 99 chevy hd pickup with 4l80e automatic transmssion.

Jan 19, 2011 i have a cracked flex plate im told i might need a flex plate, torque converter and possibly a front pump bearing. There are atleast 3 bolt holes on the flex plate these attach the flex plate to the converter. Furthermore, if not properly diagnosed it will occur again and often damage to the transmission may follow. I checked the bolts on the torque converter and they were fine. It bolts to the end of the crankshaft and the transmissions torque converter bolts to it. When you crack them out where the converter bolts are, they have a very tinny, almost ringing sound under load, and the cracks are very hard to see. A cracked flex plate is almost always a sign of other problems. Buy allstar performance all26800 168t sfi internal balance flexplate. In this video i talk about a noise coming between the engine and transmission. Next, turn the flexplate through a full revolution by hand so you can look at all the teeth. The teeth around the edges can also break off, causing your starter to not engage the flexplate. Buy ict billet ls heavy duty flywheel flexplate crank holding tool flex plate holder ls1 lsx ls3 lm7 lr4 lq4 ls6 l59 lq9 lm4 l33 ls2 lh6 l92 l76 ly2 ly5 ly6 551911. More severe misalignment can break a flexplate in 15,000 to 30,000 miles.

These are externally balanced engines, with balance weights on both the harmonic balancer and on the flexplate. Sometimes you can actually get a little movement of the flywheel just before the torque converter moves. Unbolt transmission mount or crossmember to allow it to. I have had this truck for almost four years now and i have now broken two flexplates within 4 months of each other. A damaged flex plate can create serious expensive damage. So i put it up on ramps and got under it to look and its cracked again.

Then whom ever replaced the fp before me didnt catch the peened bellhousing and tightened it down causing a alignment problem. The constant expansion and contraction of a flex plate over time can result cracks andor shearing of the flex plate. I remove the drive shaft from the rear axle and hang it. The classic and most obvious symptom of a cracked flexplate involves the sound it makes while the engine is running. Our race application flexplates will handle all hughes high stall converters. If not properly diagnosed it will occur again and often damage to the transmission may follow. When the trans gets up above 160 it starts to make a sound like this. Broken or loose bolts on the crankshaft end of the flexplate, or on the torque converter side, missalign the flexplate, causing a high side of the plate to strike or rub against internal components. Be aware of any starter spin that bogs, then picks up again, and bogs again in a rhythmic sequence. Just last friday my truck sheared off every converter bolt, cracked the flexplate and the debris kocked out holes in my bellhousing. I bought a car with a reactor flexplate on it, and the cert was expired. The problem turned out to be a cracked flex plate which.

Evidently my current flexplate came out of a plymouth voyager 3. A vital part of an automobile engine equipped with automatic transmission, a flexplate consists of a piece of thick sheet metal that bolts to the crankshaft and. In the past few days my 94 has been knocking while in gear and at low rpms. Nov 23, 2015 the other task the flexplate must perform is joining the crankshaft to the torque converter. I had the transmission rebuilt thinking it was the flywheel or torque convertor and wasnt the problem but transmission was in bad shape. Broken flex plates can not be repaired, they must be replaced. Notice if the starter has a low, medium or highpitched whine while spinning. Weve got tough yet affordable flexplates for stock and mildly modified street vehicles. I told him the date on the flexplate, and he said, well that plate is 10 years old, so i think that you got your moneys worth, so dont send it back as i wont recert it. Get the job done with the right part, at the right price. It runs fine in park but in any other gear with my foot on the brake it has a very noticeable, almost loud knocking sound. And like gearcruncher said, the flex plate does have a spacershim and maybe they didnt install it. Flexplate to crank bolts and pilot hub adapter included. Allstar performance all26800 168t sfi internal balance flexplate.

If you have a knocking noise from your engine it might not be the engine itself. Youll be able to customize your profile, receive reputation points as a reward for. It takes the place of the flywheel found in a conventional manual transmission setup. Mine cracked all over the place on me, didnt know it until i was doin some instals though and when i removed the starter i seen some of the cracks. If you really stop and think about a highhorsepower pro modified car planting the tires and launching to a subone second 60foot times, realizing there is a small, relatively thin plate of metal transferring 4,000 horsepower rearward at one of the key junctions in the powertrain, you.

Nov 16, 2006 it has a few thousand miles since the trans rebuild. A while back i posted on here about a ticking noise on my 2001 silverado 2500hd with a 6. Noise in my chevrolet silverado sounds like flywheel. I have seen on occasion the torque converter bolts get loose and. A 153 tooth flexplate will be paired with a torque converter that has a 10 34inch bolt circle. There are four main factors to consider when purchasing a flexplate. Sfi approved and heavy duty flexplates hughes performance. You might have inadvertently gotten a small block 400. When they crack near the crank flange, they sound rodknockish. Once registered and logged in, you will be able to contribute to this site by submitting your own content or replying to existing content. These plates are clearly the superior choice for quality and precision.

Im thinking broken flex plate in my 73 blazer however when im in gear low rpms and rolling down the street i hear the. A forum community dedicated to gmc and chevy full size owners and. I have had a quick look through the starter motor hole and checked that the bolts that hold the torque converter to the flex plate are tight which they are. Teeth can also break when engine is running and starter is engaged. Smallblock engine flywheels and flexplates chevrolet. Gm performance view topic broke my fourth flexplate. Because perfect alignment of the engine and transmission are not possible, the flexplate can absorb the minute misalignment. How to know if a flexplate is warped it still runs. Then the flexplate and converter welded themselves together trashing it. At first i thought it was comin from the top but when i get under it its alot louder sounds like its comin from the oil pan. Symptoms of a cracked flexplate general discussion. Excessive crankshaft flange runout or end plate can also cause flexplate cracking.

The tci superquality flexplates are thicker than stock plates to withstand the stresses of todays high rpm engines and highstall torque converters. Aside from a manufacturing defect, the only things that will cause a cracked flex plate are improper torque on the plate bolts at the crank and torque converter and the most common cause of transmission to engine misalignment. Thought they saw a crack in flex plate, i have a warranty that covers the flex plate, i had to authorize the removal of trans for further inspection, but the shop said the spacer looks bad and they found no cracks. About a year later the vehicle was back with another cracked flexplate. The customer didnt want to pay to have the bearing replaced so we just installed the new flexplate. Inspected and noticed flex plate slightly out alignment with ringgear bolt holes but no damage to four outer bolt holes, suspect cracked around spigot aligner. Both sfi rated for the track and nonrated for street applications. The flexplate can crack or warp due to an out of balance engine or torque converter. Cracked flywheel noise on a small block chevy youtube. Also if your truck has the spacer then reuse it or get a new one. Register now to gain access to all of our features. The first indication was the it was hitting the starter teeth. Oct 19, 2008 evening folks, my 300tdi auto today developed a nasty intermittant knocking, that seems to be coming from the bellhousing area. A warped flexplate can make metaltometal contact with the inspection plate cover, or the starter drive mechanism, and can also make a knocking noise once the vehicle is put in forward or reverse gear.

I put in a new flexplate stock 400 couldnt snag an sfi quick. Some aftermarket flexplates are drilled with both patterns to accept large and small. Whether youre racing or building a street vehicle speedway motors offers several flexplates to choose from for your smallblock chevy engine. What causes the stock flex plate to break mine cracked the whole way around the crankhaha. The first cracked fp for me i ignorantly assumed the missing torque converter bolt was the problem so i missed the bellhousing problem. The flexplate has cracked twice in the past 6 months. As the cars flex plate corrodes from exposure, the unit can become damaged and fail. If you need to replace the flex plate you do not have to remove the trans. Find our best fitting flywheel and flex plate bolts for your vehicle and enjoy free next day delivery or same day pickup at a store near you. Hand turning it over i found that the new flex plate is not running true. They are breaking the center piece with the 6 bolts right out of the center of the flexplate. The reason for the sound involves the flexplate s location and its function. Atp z111 automatic transmission flywheel flexplate. Mar 26, 2017 like bill mentioned, there is a proper torque sequence to follow to tighten the flex plate to the crankshaft.

The flex plate replaces the flywheel in automatic transmission cars. Nothing has changed as far as mods go to the enginedrivetrain or suspension for a long time. The key to choosing the correct bolt pattern and tooth count is measuring the torque converter you are using. Proposed the issue was the flex plate rather then the engine. Perhaps someone had the transmission out years ago and failed to torque the flex plate to crank bolts. Im thinking it is a specific diameter or teeth selection. How to know if a flexplate is warped by chris stevenson. Recommended price low to high price high to low name a to z name z to a bte heavy duty flexplate, 168 tooth, internally balanced. Flexplates 1piece rear main seal style free shipping. Loose torque converter bolts and cracked flex plates. Seriously though, first save yourself some possibly unnecessary work. The flexplate takes the place of the flywheel on automatic transmission vehicles. Save on atp automatic transmission flex plate z166 at advance auto parts.

Chevrolet silverado 1500 questions loud knocking noise 5. I have a loud knocking noise coming from the engine. Its coming from under the car so i know it isnt the motor and i. As a result, this can cause the flexplate to wobble. This time around, i know they make an sfi approved flexplate that will handle anything, and im putting the sucker in. Buy atp z111 automatic transmission flywheel flexplate. Flexplate technology and choosing the flexplate for you.

The other task the flexplate must perform is joining the crankshaft to the torque converter. Engine rebuilder says it happens to them all the time and i should just replace the flexplate. Slight misalignment may only cause a single flexplate to break in the life of the vehicle. Take off the bellhousing bottom cover and put a mark on the flexplate.

If these weights are not used, the motor will vibrate badly at 1500 rpm. Its getting the transmission out and back in thats the hard part. Last time i hunted the exhaust, lifters, bearings, only to find out i had to do the damn flex plate and it only had 2030k on it maximum. Bolted right on to fix a bent flex plate in my 71 c20 chevy.