Had a little trouble today with the torque converter.

So on my way to work today, aside from some minor belt squeaking which I now attribute to the belt getting wet somehow due to the heavy rains we've had lately (it disappeared halfway to work and didn't return after sitting in the parking lot for an hour, distance from home to work is about 10-15 miles) the car was driving fine. The converter was locking as it should when it should.

Then for no apparent reason, it stopped locking up altogether. This was stoplight to stoplight traffic by the way, no highway. My first reaction was "huh" and I used my scangauge (it's starting to pay for itself!) to scan for codes even though the check engine light wasn't on and none were stored. I flipped to transmission fluid temperature on the gauge and it never exceeded 120 or so for the trip, remember though it is a short distance and the external temperature was about 73*F. I have a transmission cooler installed. The converter will usually lock at these temperatures.

Anyway it continued not to lock all the way to work at speeds of up to 60 mph. Other than that it was doing just fine, shifting as well as you could ask from a nearly 155k mile transmission. Which is to say soundly and confidently, if not the smoothest between first and second gear.

So this was biting at me at work and getting me very anxious so I finished up early and left to see if the problem was going to warrant finding family members to auction off. I drove around for about an hour, and the entire time it locked up just like it always had without incident, exactly when and how it is supposed to. Never missed. Transmission fluid temperatures peaked at 154* at the end of the trip in stoplight to stoplight traffic and would settle to around 150* or so it seemed on open road. Again external temperature was 73*F.

Maybe it was just a freak incident? I have had something else similarly odd occur with the torque converter lockup before but didn't pay it too much thought because it still locked up and it too disappeared after a while. A couple of times a few months ago in chilly weather the torque converter would wait to lockup until 45 mph instead of the usual 30 mph at low throttle. I was curious but not alarmed as it was still locking up fine. As I said, that too went away and hasn't returned since.

Other than that, my car is a picture of health. Oil pressure is excellent in all regards, fluid levels and conditions are great (including the transmission fluid which is a nice pretty shade of red and smells fine), all the gauges read fine, and I am getting some pretty exceptional mileage which tells me that my engine is in a good state of tune.

Any insight you could give on the torque converter would be appreciated though.
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-Dan
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2012 Nissan Maxima SV Premium • Super Black • Charcoal • VQ35DE • Bose • Factory HID • 5000k LED Int/Ext
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__I n n o v a t i o n__T h a t __E x c i t e s

I thought the converter didn't lock until 4th gear. IIRC I've never had it lock in 3rd gear in my car. Maybe I just didn't notice.

Replicate it first.

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2012 Chevrolet Cruze Eco - Current car

1999 Buick LeSabre Custom - Former car

Learn from the mistakes of others, that way when you mess up you can do so in new and interesting ways.

i know mine locks up in 3rd, but not sure if all makes/models/years do.

my 95 did this all the time, and sometimes fixed itself after a restart. it's probably your PCM detecting slip and preventing lockup rather than a major physical problem with the TCC

Yeah it will lock up in third and fourth. It's been that way since I got it. I don't think yours does LeSabre because yours is a 99 with the 4T-65E, rather than mine which is a 97 with the 4T-60E. Perhaps the lockup strategies are different.

I went on a drive after letting it sit for six hours so it was nice and cool and couldn't replicate the problem. The torque converter locking or the squeak for that matter, even though as I said I think I know for sure what that was. Looks like maybe it was just a freak incident.

Thanks for the replies though!
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_________________
-Dan
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2012 Nissan Maxima SV Premium • Super Black • Charcoal • VQ35DE • Bose • Factory HID • 5000k LED Int/Ext
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__I n n o v a t i o n__T h a t __E x c i t e s

Thought yours was a 98 for some reason...

Glad to hear it's not doing it!

_________________
2012 Chevrolet Cruze Eco - Current car

1999 Buick LeSabre Custom - Former car

Learn from the mistakes of others, that way when you mess up you can do so in new and interesting ways.