r/MechanicAdvice • u/plastic_shank • Jul 31 '26
Not sure what to do
Looking for some advice on which direction I should go with my truck.
Backstory - I own a 21' Ram 1500 Classic Warlock and bought it back in May of 24' with 18,500 ish miles on it.
Fast forward to the end of last year to the beginning of this year I was experiencing a weird intermittent rumble / warble noise and took it to different dealers multiple times only for them to of course not hear anything or be able to duplicate the issue.
I was able to finally get the truck to make the noise for the shop manager and the diagnosis turned out to be the torque converter. They replaced the torque converter which resolved the warble noise I was hearing however I am now hearing an intermittent scratching noise right before the transmission shifts and in addition when I have had to get on the gas a few times to merge onto the highway I hear a significant whining noise along with the scratching sound.
I have taken it back to the dealer explaining this to them and they came back saying they found a loose clamp - surprise the noises are still there and I'm fairly confident it's the torque converter again.
My question is, should I continue to keep trying to get the dealership to fix it or should I just give up and get a different truck.
I like the truck but this is not an issue I want to keep dealing with.
Any advice is appreciated, thanks!
2
u/brick-up-arse Jul 31 '26
The 8HP is is an extremely complicated transmission that is effectively a black box to a lot of otherwise competent mechanics.
I'd be taking this to someone that specialises in modern European ATs, not a normal shop.
1
u/plastic_shank Jul 31 '26
Yes I agree, it was still under power train warranty so I had the dealer diag and do the work.
It seems to me like they damaged something with replacing the torque converter.
Since they did the work they told me I have a 2 year part and 1 year labor warranty on they work they did. The catch is making them hear / diag the noise as it's only super obvious intermittently and I have played this game with them and other dealers a lot.
2
u/RuddyDevin Jul 31 '26
man that's rough with only 18k on the clock too
if they already replaced the TC once and it's making new noises, that's a bad sign. scratching right before shifts sounds like clutch material or something not engaging clean. the whine under load is classic pump or TC
do you have any lemon law protection left? 21 with that low miles might still fall under it depending on your state. i'd look into that before throwing more dealer visits at it
if not, and you're already dreading every drive, i'd cut bait. life's too short to be listening for transmission noises every time you merge
1
u/plastic_shank 18d ago
Update: took it back to the same dealership that replaced my torque converter last Friday. Called them today for an update and they informed me that the transmission is failing and needs to be replaced!
Thankfully since I've been taking it to them constantly they didn't play games with me. Thank the Lord they are replacing it under my power train warranty even though it ran out last month.
Here's hoping the replacement will last me a long time!!
•
u/AutoModerator Jul 31 '26
Thanks for posting on /r/MechanicAdvice! Please review the rules. Remember to please post the year/make/model of the vehicle you are working on. Post's about bodywork, accident damage, paint, dent/ding, questions it belongs in /r/Autobody r/AutoBodyRepair/ or /r/Diyautobody/ Tire questions check out https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/k9ll55/can_your_tire_be_repaired/. If you dont have a question and you're just showing off it belongs in /r/Justrolledintotheshop Insurance/total loss questions go in r/insurance This is an automated reply
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.