Can a Flexplate be repaired?
A flywheel can crack on the friction surface from heat caused by a slipping clutch. The ring gear on a flex plate and a flywheel can fail. The ring gear on a flex plate requires replacing the “flex plate assembly”. Either way your transmission will have to be removed to do the repair which is very labor intensive.
What causes a cracked flexplate?
The following causes for cracked flexplate failures: 1) Out of balance engine or torque converter. 2) Bad starter drive can cause teeth or ring gear to wear rapidly or break off. Teeth can also break when engine is running and starter is engaged.
What does a crack in the flexplate mean?
Similar in function to a flywheel in manual transmission engines and called a flexplate due to its expansion, or flexing, during the operation of the engine, flexplate usage presents opportunities for cracks to develop. The classic and most obvious symptom of a cracked flexplate involves the sound it makes while the engine is running.
How many times has my flex plate cracked?
Q: The flexplate has cracked twice in the past 6 months. The flexplate has cracked twice in the past 6 months. I replaced it with a brand new one.
What kind of noise does a cracked flexplate make?
Noise The classic and most obvious symptom of a cracked flexplate involves the sound it makes while the engine is running. Descriptions of the sound include clanking, chirping and a light knocking. At high speeds, the flexplate — like most engine parts — endures a considerable amount of strain and stress.
Can a misalignment cause a flexplate to break?
Slight misalignment may only cause a single flexplate to break in the life of the vehicle. More severe misalignment can break a flexplate in 15,000 to 30,000 miles. Excessive crankshaft flange run-out or end plate can also cause flexplate cracking.
Why does flexplate crack or fail?
Because perfect alignment of the engine and transmission are not possible, the flexplate can absorb the minute misalignment. As misalignment increases, the flexplate flexes more. This continual flexing eventually causes the metal to fatigue and the flexplate cracks. Misalignment should be less than .008 of an inch and the less the better.
What is broken flex plate?
A crack and or broken flex plate can be caused by a failing torque convertor and/or worn crankshaft thrust washers that will allow the crankshaft to have to much end play. This is the back and forth movement of the crankshaft. Just replacing the flex play is only repairing the damage caused by the problem, not the cause of the problem.
What is a flex plate?
(April 2019) A flexplate (or flex plate) is a metal disk that connects the output from an engine to the input of a torque converter in a car equipped with an automatic transmission.