So i replaced my flexplate and its still making a weird noise. At idle i can hear it tapping but when i give it some gas it almost sounds like the plates rattling when i let off of it. Not really sure what could cause this but i forgot the top 2 bellhousing bolts.. didnt go very far before i put them in tho… i also cross threaded a torque converter bolt and replaced it with one with a 17mm head… not sure if that could throw off the balance or not but they all seem to be as tight as i can get them. Not really sure what to do at this point besides pull the trans out again and start looking for problems but wondering if anybody here had any ideas?
Im trying to add a video and i cant tell if its posting or not but heres this

 

Hey, I had a 4.0 with a similar sound, I am quite sure mine was due to the wear in the crankshaft thrust bearings. These are the bearings on the crankshaft that control the front to back thrust of the crankshaft. The pounding noise I had would come and go intermittently, but my jeep was rusty so I parked that one for parts.
Greg
2000 plow jeep, 1999 XJ daily driver, 1998 Driver, 1998 Parts Jeep, 1995 Parts Jeep, 1986 Driver, (my wife thinks I have a problem) hahaha

 

this one i got lucky on its pretty much rust free but “just needed a flexplate” im hoping its not thrust bearings but idrk where else to look now.. not really sure how to go about checking those or fixing it and if thats what the problem is im pretty sure it just smoked my new flexplate too

 

So get your front pulley (harmonic Balancer) and try to move it back and forth, be best to remove the flex plate cover as well and try a pry bar in the front and back of engine. I am sure mine was the same noise, and am fairly certain that was the problem, but i did not drop the trans. to check it out.
Not much else it could be, I don't think?

 

unless leaving those top bolts out cracked the flexplate again yeah i dont see anything else it could be either… i also didnt have them out for long before i found them in the glovebox so i dont think that caused any damage. Havent dropped the oil pan but i did get a prybar on the crank pulley and push it a little bit it didnt seem to wanna move but when i dis that it was rainy and i didnt really look too hard… maybe nows a good time to mention the front and rear main seals both have small leaks so dropping the pan was in the near future anyway and i also replaced a very wobbly harmonic balancer on this thing not too long after i put a flexplate in it.

 

I'm not sure whether this will help or not, but . . . .

A friend replaced the flex plate on his 95 when he overhauled the engine only to have to have it scrape / grind. When we got it out and compared it to the original, is was WAAAY off. The bolts all lined up but bearing race was deeper / shallower (can't remember ? ? ?) in relation to the torque converter. He reused the original and it runs fine. You may need to investigate it further. He got his money back but it took an act of congress and a lot of song and dance. Don't rely on the accuracy of mail order parts suppliers software or distribution systems.

goodyoleboy

 

i think theres either an issue with the flexplate or the torque converter. Maybe the torque converter isnt fully seated but i feel like thered be bigger problems if that was the case

 

Good luck with it!

Always could be worse. :-) You could be chasing an intermittent ABS light.

Hard parts I can understand but electronics, . . . beam me up Scotty.

goodyoleboy

 

honestly really considering sending it into a shop. As much as id hate to do that i dont really have the best spot to pull the transmission. thats why i was hoping itd be good for a while

 

Pulling the trans is not a walk in the park or a job I'd relish doing by myself. However it is a job this old man could do if necessary.

However, whatever you find is exactly what the garage is going to find. The only difference is the effort / labor and the parts you're going to pay a PREMIUM for plus markup. So it becomes a matter of what parts do they have the skill, tools, and equipment to replace that you don't. Just brainstorming / thinking outside the box, but what about renting a nearby storage space with power, lights, and covering the floor with visquene / plastic sheeting for $20 - $40 and tossing it when you're done. No fuss, no muss.

goodyoleboy