Does your car transmission need to be rebuilt if you have a chirping noise coming from the torque converter?

I recently discovered that there was a chirping noise coming from my car. The gears are shifting fine with no sluggishness. I thought it was my belts but that wasn't the case. The car was taken to a transmission shop by my local mechanic. They said it was the torque converter and it would have to be replaced and the transmission would have to be rebuilt because of metal pieces being passed on to the trans(repair cost $2,000 to 2,200). That was determined only by sitting on a rack with nothing else done. I went for a second opinion by taking it to another trans shop. He stated that the torque converter needs to be replaced but the trans does not need to be replaced(repair cost $500). He highly doubts that metal pieces were passed on because all the gears are shifting fine.|||If your torque converter is making noise,it is making metal!


A chirping noise,if it really is coming from inside the converter,would indicate metal to metal contact between internal components within the converter.In this case,simply replacing the converter would be chancy.


Removal and inspection of the trans pan would tell a lot.


There is a magnet in most transmission pans that traps metal contamination.


I suppose if the inside of the pan and the magnet were spotless clean,it may be worth trying a converter,but remember,metal contamination is the number one cause for repeat repairs to transmissions.


I would make certain that the noise is not caused by somthing rubbing the flex plate before jumping into a trans repair.


Have any repairs been made in that area lately that may have caused a rubbing situation,such as a starter replacement,or engine or trans removal?


Also,depending on the age and milage of your car,maybe a good used transmission assy would be an option.


If you do have metal contamination,make certain that whoever makes the repair has a way to flush your transmission cooler,so that you do not contaminate your repaired or replacement transmission with metal from this failure.


Best of luck to you.|||On your vehicle you can replace the torque converter only. The problem that can occur during replacement is when they pull the transmission for repair and see that it may need something else. Sometimes a transmission hydraulic pump can cause a noise problem as well. Best of luck!