moparman13045

I have an 05 Ram 2500 4x4 with a billet ATS trans with 5star tq converter that I recently purchased. I noticed that it had a rattle to it at idle only in park or neutral, but not in drive or reverse.

Rattle is definitely coming from the transmission torque converter area.

I have narrowed it down to in the front near the tq converter inspection cover. When you take that cover off it is even louder.

I thought that maybe some of the bolts have backed out of tq converter. I took a look in the inspection hole where you tighten the converter bolts and spun the converter around put a wrench on each bolt to check for any loose, but none. I didn't have time to go through and double check them with torque wrench yet, which i will do tomorrow. All the holes look good, doesn't appear to be moving around in the holes at all.
I when spinning the flywheel around, I don't see any cracks but I can only see the outer three inches of it anyhow.

Any ideas of what I do next? Thanks

ataboy9026

could also be the flywheel loose. did you replace it? or take it off to check/change rear seal?

moparman13045

Well I am not sure if it has been replaced or taken out. It hasn't by me because I just bought it. I will have to try and check with previous owner.

LFD2037

TC bolts and/or flexplate bolts loose. I just went thru this exact same thing. Better get it fixed REALLY soon.

Woodchuck61

I have a 5 Star converter and have notice a little rattling or vibration sound ever since I did the rebuild about 45k ago. Never thought it was the TQ though. Is that all you did to it, TQ and flexplate?

hilclmr2

If you dont have a billet flexplate your going to need one real soon.

Woodchuck61

Good one, how much power did it take to do that? The stock POS is so unbelievably thin.

RamNu2

My truck had a similair rattle and when inspecting it found that i had completely ripped the flexplate center out.

hilclmr2

That was a 100hp Quad chip that did that. That truck has a bit more power now tho.

yelloz28

Did you find out what your rattle was?

Its crazy that some people can destroy a stock flexplate doing almost nothing and then again there are some that are making them work in big hp trucks

RamNu2

Here was mine.

RickCJ

I thought all multi disc TQs and clutches rattled. Isn't that normal?

06RED-BARON

Mine has a rattle in park or nuetral, its been doing that for 110'000km's. I just think its annoying, no issue's with anything else though.

Chad...

05CTDN8

WRONG!!!!! The multi layer MANUAL clutches should rattle. I know many people running the ATS, Goerend, Suncoast TC and they should not rattle.

Let me say this. On the 11th of October I had a little rattle in N and P also, went to the strip and shattered my flex plate. I would say the rattle was the tears in the flex plate ( we dont have flywheels, like spark plugs...) making noise as they are "flexing". Or, it very well could be 1 bolt loose on the flex plate or torque converter. The converter is easy to check...otherwise I would say pyll the tranny and inspect the flywheel, flywheel spacer ring, flywheel retainer bolts. As well pull the converter whie you are there. inspect the input and pump shafts. drain the converter, try to shake it a little and see if you hear any obvious parts rattling around.....But since you are with ATS (NOT BASHING AT ALL HERE) call before you do any of this...They will want to hear about this before you begin exploratory surgery on your purple monster.


Mine lasted about 125 launches, 5 dyno's, tons of trailer and mud recovery pulls. But in the end it took 536 HP, 20 LBS boost and about 39 feet to stip the flexplate center hub out, destroy the tc, scarred the input shaft and ate the rear main seal and front tranny seal...

moparman13045

I found out some interesting news this week.
I was having a rattle noise in park and neutral on the truck that sounded like it was coming directly from my torque converter. The transmission is an ATS with a five star converter. It has everything but the billet shafts and flexplate. I wasn't really having any other symptoms but that in the morning I would have to wait a bit for the converter to fill sometimes not always.
It seemed to shift pretty good going down the road and everything.

But I wanted some billet put in it and a flexplate so I took the trans out of my truck once again to install a billet flexplate, and have a billet input and output shaft put in.

I took it to a local guy who has been building race transmissions for years which is now his business. When he disassembled the trans he found that the forward and direct clutches and steels were just about toast (they looked like it too) as well as the bands.

Upon pressure testing the ATS hi volume pump, he told me that the cut plugs that are in the pump (he described them as being almost like a freeze plug in a block) were leaking and when he applied pressure one of them actually fell out of its bore. He said that the decrease in pressure from the pump leaking caused the clutches steels and bands to burn up, which were what was likely the cause of my rattle in park and neutral. My transmission had less than ten thousand miles on it and has a date on it of 11/07 so its not really old.
He also showed me how the ATS clutch material was just like stock material, not anything special so he upgraded mine with a better material when he put it back together. Also when he fixed the plugs in the pump, he threaded them and installed screw in plugs now so they shouldn't leak pressure ever again.

I am not trying to say anything bad about ATS or that anyone who has a rattle has this same problem, but rather the facts of the story coming from a guy I really trust.