2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse transmission sounds

Tiny
SLEDBOY2K
  • MEMBER
  • 2001 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE
  • 3.0L
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 100,000 MILES
I just replaced my F4A51 transmission with another one and now when I put it in reverse or in gear it sounds almost like a dry bearing sqeaking. I thought initially it was a pulley so I've torn it down to the tiiming belt and checked all the pulleys, water pump and such. I've driven it a couple hundred miles and it shifts smooth and the sound is barely there and only at idle. The other thing I noticed is that when I turn the engine off it sounds like something rubbing for a couple of revolutions until the engine stops turning. It almost sounds like the fly wheel rubbing or something like that except it really only makes the sound when put in gear, it goes away in N or P. I thought when I first drained the tranny I found a piece of the wave spring but thought that it may be from my old tranny since I had it torn apart to see what the problem was and it had crapped the wave spring ruining the pump. Will this transmission run with a broken piece of wave spring? I'm not really good at diagnosing or even working on transmissions except to replace them. Any ideas or help would be appreciated.
Friday, August 22nd, 2014 AT 7:54 PM

9 Replies

Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 109,645 POSTS
You say the noise goes away in park or neutral. When in gear, there is pressure on the drive line that can move the engine and trans. Are the trans mounts as well as engine mounts good and holding things tight? Does the sound seem to come from the engine or transmission?
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Friday, August 22nd, 2014 AT 8:01 PM
Tiny
SLEDBOY2K
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Well, my main engine mount is pretty much toast, the others, bolted to the transmission seem to be in ok shape but may not be 100%.
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Saturday, August 23rd, 2014 AT 10:23 AM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
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I know it sounds crazy, but since there is no noise in park or neutral, it almost sounds like there is something binding or touching when you place it in gear. Does the engine move a lot when placed in gear?
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Sunday, August 24th, 2014 AT 8:23 PM
Tiny
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It does move a bit when placed into either reverse or drive. The noise is coming from the transmission when its first started, if its driven a couple of miles the sound is either non-existent or barely audible. Sounds aweful on startup when placed into gear.
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Monday, September 1st, 2014 AT 2:16 PM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
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If it goes away when it warms up, then it isn't a mount. That leads me to an internal bearing or bushing.
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Monday, September 1st, 2014 AT 7:22 PM
Tiny
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If the wave ring inside was broken would the transmission still run and could that somehow be the cause of the sound. I know these transmissions have issues with that and its the reason the first transmission broke. When I first installed the trans, I drained what was left of the old fluid into a bucket and found a piece of the wave ring about an inch long. It's possible it was a piece from my old tranny since I use the same bucket for tranny fluid, but I'm pretty sure it came from this transmission.
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Monday, September 1st, 2014 AT 8:18 PM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
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It it is bad, eventually the transmission will stop working. Could it make noise, yes. What I have seen is that a broken spring will make its way to the pump and cause damage.
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Tuesday, September 2nd, 2014 AT 4:56 AM
Tiny
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Do I need any specialized tools to take the transmission apart. I'm pretty mechanically inclined but never taken an auto trans apart. I paid someone to take the old one apart and I have parts for 2 transmissions, I'm hoping I could make one good one out of both bad ones. Thanks for all your help
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Tuesday, September 2nd, 2014 AT 6:00 PM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
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If you feel you can, then give it a try. Yes, some special tools are needed. You need a sliding hammer to remove the front pump which is where I feel a broken spring would eventually go. Once it is off, the insides are easy to remove. However, make sure you have a GOOD exploded view of all internal parts so you get it back together correctly. One thrust bearing missed can cause major issues.
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Tuesday, September 2nd, 2014 AT 6:26 PM

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