Rich9928p

My '83 A/T (4-speed) was making some bad drivetrain noises. With the car on the hoist, it was difficult to pinpoint the source of the noise. My mechanic's guess was the bearings that support the rear flex plate at the torque converter, aka carrier bearings.

It is a major job to gain access to these bearings. The front flex plate has a circlip and spacers that need to be removed. The exhaust system and bell housing must be removed, all the cable connections to the A/T removed, and loosen the A/T and push it back a bit. Only then can the torque tube removed. Removing the torque tube housing is not easy because access to the small Allen bolts is very tight. Once all if this is removed the bearings are replaced. They are P/N 900 052 122 00 and are relatively inexpensive. A press is needed to remove and install the bearings.

The driveshaft spun smoothly in the torque tube so we didn't worry about those bearings.

Reassembly is pretty much everything in reverse. There is one very pesky TV cable guide that bolts in at the top of the torque converter.

It is a 5+ hour job with all the correct tools and experience.

So, be aware that not all drivetrain noise in A/T equipped cars is due to the torque tube. If you're replacing the torque tube bearings I would suggest replacing the carrier bearings too while you're in there.

WallyP

And thus the reason for replacing the torque converter bearings when you replace/rebuild the torque tube.