Torque Converter Slipping

[ttzcar]

Oh the irony,... just as I was singing the X5's praises.
My torque converter is slipping. (2002 4.4) That's the reason my car was shaking/vibrating on the highway over 65mph randomly. I took some advice I read on this forum and it doesn't vibrate/shake as much if I keep it in Sport Mode. Here's my question and if someone with the knowledge can PLEASE help with a reply...
My torque converter has been slipping for about 3 weeks now, I'm wondering how long I can drive it like that or what to look for as not to get stranded somewhere. My rpms are only fluttering about 500 rpms right now. It's not too bad other than the violent shaking at higher speeds. I won't have any money to fix for about 3 weeks and I sold my second car 3 weeks ago (yup, sucks). Does anyone know approximately how long the X5 can run on a slipping torque converter before it finally gives up and moves nowhere? My commute to work is about 50 miles round trip and I've been managing just fine in the slow lane. Thanks guys.

[Jordo]

I have the same year and motor as yours.... and had the same failure. I drove mine about....1.5-2 months in that condition. When it finally got so bad that I was getting "fail safe mode" and it locked its self in 3rd gear....

When the tranny was torn apart, they said because the torque converter failed and still used for so long, all the debris naturlly went into the oil...

And they said that debris wore out out the oil pump, added exsesive ware on the bearings and planitary gears. It resulted in a complete Tranny rebuild that ran me $3400.

That said, if I had to do it all over again, I would call BS and just replace the TC.

[TriX5]

I think you are playing Russian roulette with your car. it could last for a month and it could be over in a day.

You are not doing yourself any favors here. The sooner you act, the fewer problems in the AT. Ofcourse if you are going to spring for a refurbed AT then it matters little.

Good luck.

[chilliwilli]

Stop driving ASAP...however, it may already be too late. One failing component if neglected WILL cause consequential damage to other component$...in this case, oil pump and trany.

[jgood]

My torque converter failed, and I had it replaced after a good month of noticeable symptoms. Some very minor symptoms showed up a few months before that, however. I didn't have any shaking or vibrating issues on the highway, mine was limited to vibrating while accelerating at ~20-40mph, only intermittently under certain throttle loads. And long before that started, the torque converter was slipping a minor amount, causing the RPM's to jump up every few seconds while accelerating, but not a noticeable jerking, just an audible change in engine speed.

Are you sure it's a torque converter issue?

You really are pushing your luck by driving it. If it is the converter, and it fails and sends pieces through the trans, you just turned a $1000 repair bill into a $3500 repair bill. So you can decide if it's worth it to drive, or figure something else out (rental car, borrow friends car, etc...). I was lucky, I drove on mine about a month with bad symptoms, and when the shop dropped the trans pan, they said everything looked very clean and didn't recommend opening up the trans for rebuild, but to just replace the converter.

I don't know how the transmissions and converters work exactly, but I'd think if keeping it in Sport mode helps the symptoms (like mine did), keeping it in that mode will help reduce the chance of further damage.