Whats the easiest process for inspecting the flexplate bolts are nice and tight. I have a knock at idle and only at idle (all research points to loose flexplate) and im leaving for college in two days and need to get this fixed.

Thanks!

 

Check for cracks in the flex plate too.

 

All bolts were tight. No cracks as i could see.

The best i can describe the sound is if you put two marbles in a plastic cup and sporadically shook it around.

And ideas?

 

See if its coming from the top, valve cover area

 

Definitely bottom end. Sounds like its the area around the bell housing/back of oil pan. I checked the 4 bolts on the flex plate. Were there more that i should have checked?

 

Marble sounds usually, but not always, indicate something going on with the rods. Since its just at idle, I wouldn't think it's rod bearings, those are usually most pronounced under load, over 2k rpm. Have you checked your torque converter? If you checked your flex plate bolts and not your torque converter bolts (on the back of the crank not flex plate to torque converter) you removed the torque converter? Shake it and see is it's coming from there.

 

I didnt remove the torque converter. The trans is still in the jeep. I just removed the inspection cover on the trans and checked the 4 bolts on the flex plate

 

Those are torque converter bolts, flex plate bolts are on the back of the crank and hold the flex plate to it.

 

this is pretty much the sound, but the bolts were tight. Tight as in if i got a wrench on them to tighten them the whole flexplate rotated.

 

The HEADS of the bolts i tightened are facing the front of the jeep. What your saying is the bolts i SHOULD be tightening, the heads are facing the rear of the jeep?

I dont mean to sound stupid, im just better with pictures than words. How hard is it to snake a wrench up there? My inspection place didnt wanna come off entirely because the manifold was blocking a bolt in place...

 

Specs on them are only 23 ft lbs, so that should be tight enough. On the off chance, try pulling the plug wires one at a time working from the back and see if it changes the sound any. If its a rod, you'll hear a change I think.

 

Which set of bolts are usually the troublesome ones. The ones i checked (TC) or the ones that i did not check(flex to crank)

 

torque converter are the usual culprits

 

do you need to drop the trans to check the crank bolts?

 

yeah as far as i know