I think I'm screwed....Crank Bearing?

2000xp8 · Apr 18, 2010

If the crank bearings were so worn that they were squeaking you would be burning some oil for sure.
Buy yourself an autometer oil pressure gauge, and drive the car around, you'll know right away by what your oil pressure is when the car is hot, if the bearings are bad.

How old is your balancer?

1985GT50 · Apr 18, 2010

HotFox said:
No you do not have to drop the trans. There should be a little tin cover just behind the oil pan that bolts to the bell housing that will give you access the the converter, not sure never played with a auto in a mustang. There are 4 bolts, you will need to rotate the engine around to gain access to each one. The reason I am thinking this it the pump that drives the trans in just behind the converter and could make noise from what you are describing.

Scott

i've checked there, and the tin cover is missing. i can see the flywheel with the bolts, but in talking to another friend i think they put them in backwards. the nut is visible...not the bolt head. if i loosen those and push it back to separate from the engine, will i run the risk of the bolt dropping inside the housing? also, do i have the order right? front to back: flywheel, torque converter, trans?

2000xp8 said:
If the crank bearings were so worn that they were squeaking you would be burning some oil for sure.
Buy yourself an autometer oil pressure gauge, and drive the car around, you'll know right away by what your oil pressure is when the car is hot, if the bearings are bad.

How old is your balancer?

i'm assuming the balancer is orig, but the block was supposedly rebuilt 20k ago. with the belt off i tried to turn it by hand, as an autozone guy thought the rubber gasket around it may have gone bad. no go, didn't turn by hand. i did replace my radiator and wonder if i hadn't bled it well, but i think my temp gauge may be bad. when i opened the hood it was friggin hot, but the guage read normal. is there anything that may make noise when overly hot that may not at normal temp? besides accessories of course, because it persists when the belt is off. thanks to all thus far.... good insight!

1985GT50 · Apr 18, 2010

sorry....total miles on block / balance around 120k.

MustangLX-5.0 · Apr 18, 2010

I'm not a big engine guru. But I will provide a little info, just in case it may be of help. 302's are HOT under the hood. Driving it around for 30 minutes and then popping the hood, it's HOT in there, yet the temp gauge says around the middle. Normal, my 5.0 gets the same way, and my 89GT I had a few years ago did the same thing. It's probably because there isn't as much air space.. versus say, my 3.8. I could run the 3-8 all day, stop, pop the hood and it wont be flamin hot in there. reason being, more airspace. I wouldn't worry about that unless you are 200% sure its running too hot. Get an aftermarket temp gauge and wire it up just to be sure.

I have never heard of a crank bearing "squeaking". IMO, I dont think it would ever make any metallic noise , except scraping or grinding. The oil that gets in there would prevent it. Also, if a crank bearing were bad, the crank would spin a lot easier. On my 3.8, I can rotate the crank if I grab the pulley firmly with both hands. On my 5.0, I cant even budge it a millimeter. It's tight. If it's tight, you're crank bearings are good. Another way to tell that the crank bearings are getting worn, if you have AC, turn it on. When the compressor engages, any noises that you have on the tranny side of the crank will get louder. Or you may hear noises back there if there aren't normally any. The compressor engaging puts a big load on the engine and if bearings are worn or bad, the load being put on from the front end, will transfer to the back end. It's a fact. The throwout bearing in my tranny has always made rumbling/grinding like noises for a few years. Last couple of years, whenever I turn the AC on, the TB noise gets TWICE as loud. Signs that the crank bearings are worn.

Excuse me for asking, but I thought the Torque converter was submerged in tranny fluid? no? How else would it use the fluid to convert engine torque?

HotFox · Apr 19, 2010

Yes the order is right Flex plate (flywheel), converter, transmission.

If they are nuts then the stud or bolt is welded to the converter, pulling them out will not run the risk of them falling out. This is how the trans is installed and removed. Pull torque converter nuts and then pull trans out off the engine, converter stays on trans. You will not be in any risk of losing or having problems if you pull the bolts and push the converter back off the flex plate. You will have to be careful that when you start it up that the studs do not interfere with the flex plate as the car is running. I did this year ago to diagnose a vibration on a Chevy pickup to see if it was in the trans or engine.

MustangLX-5.0: Yes the converter is filled with fluid internally

Scott

1985GT50 · Apr 19, 2010

HotFox said:
Yes the order is right Flex plate (flywheel), converter, transmission.

If they are nuts then the stud or bolt is welded to the converter, pulling them out will not run the risk of them falling out. This is how the trans is installed and removed. Pull torque converter nuts and then pull trans out off the engine, converter stays on trans. You will not be in any risk of losing or having problems if you pull the bolts and push the converter back off the flex plate. You will have to be careful that when you start it up that the studs do not interfere with the flex plate as the car is running. I did this year ago to diagnose a vibration on a Chevy pickup to see if it was in the trans or engine.

MustangLX-5.0: Yes the converter is filled with fluid internally

Scott

thanks scott.
makes sense, with one thing unclear (sorry i'm sounding remedial...).
if i push the studs back in, clearing the flywheel, where does the torque converter actually GO? i'm assuming the whole tranny won't slide freely back down the shaft, so is there something i need to loosen / undo to be able to push it backward?
("who let this noob in here!?")

MustangLX-5.0 · Apr 19, 2010

The whole tranny isn't going to move. The bellhousing bolts are keeping it on.. yes.. You are trying to slide the tranny backwards so you can spin the engine without spinning the torque converter. If that's not what you are tryinf to do, then never mind I said that. brain fart

I think I'm screwed....Crank Bearing?

2000xp8

1985GT50

New Member

1985GT50

New Member

MustangLX-5.0

HotFox

1985GT50

New Member

MustangLX-5.0

Similar threads

I think I'm screwed....Crank Bearing?

2000xp8

1985GT50

New Member

1985GT50

New Member

MustangLX-5.0

HotFox

1985GT50

New Member

MustangLX-5.0

Similar threads

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency