Chirping/Squeaking over 20mph?

[thehellend]

If you unscrew it behind the speedometer it will still squeak as the transmission will still be spinning the cable. If you unscrew it at the transmission, be careful as you can loose parts going down the road. Try a little lubricant down the cable from the top by the gauge. Some recommend oil, some recommend graphite. Ask your more mature mechanic.

Turns out I have no idea how speedo cables work - they spin?! lol

 

[highdesertranger]

ok it could be the speedo cable and they need to be lubed every so often anyway so give it a try it probably needs it and it's cheap and easy.

does it even have a carrier bearing?

from what you describe(I am surprised nobody mentioned it) is a Ujoint. if you replace the Ujoint get a Spicer(brand name). I don't know if I want to tell a rookie how to diagnose this without taking it apart. I will walk you though the take apart method if you want.

if you want to learn about basic mechanics get a book. I believe everyone who lives in their vehicle should at least have the basic knowledge of auto repair so you don't get taken advantage of.

highdesertranger

 

[hepcat]

does it even have a carrier bearing?

You guys are all wet.  It ain't the carrier bearing, transmission, u-joint, OR the speedo cable.  Don't you guys know anything?  Those are exactly the symptoms of a muffler bearing failure.   And Art, here I thought you were a mechanic.  Geez... 

Ok... I second, third, or whatever the speedo cable.  It's an easy and cheap fix... and probably the easiest thing to get to lube,  and replace if necessary.

And if that ain't it... then its the muffler bearing fer sure. 

 

[thehellend]

Alright so check it, while I was under there trying to figure out where the speedo cable was, I noticed a leak. I soon realized it was coming from under the transmission, and I was like "Surely that's new because I checked the transmission fluids and they were topped up!" so I googled it, and realized you need to check them hot and with the engine idling... well, the fluid is a good few mm's below the low level on the dipstick.

Am I justified in getting a little pissed off with this new mechanic, that 1) I took it in for a general inspection a few weeks ago and they deemed it fine, and 2) I took it in yesterday, they did a check that resulted in them suspecting the transmission, and they didn't bother to check the fluid level?

Here's the thing, I think the fluid has been low the whole time, as I checked it before when cold and turned off, and it read the same as this time when I mistakenly did it again. So I almost wonder if they never bothered checking it at all. Surely it can't leak that much in the time I've had the van?!

So could this be a new suspect - very low transmission fluid?

 

[thehellend]

Also apologies if I'm making no sense, I just spent an hour in a 100+ degree van breathing in engine fumes.

 

[thehellend]

Also I did a quick video of the 'squeak' -

 

[thehellend]

from what you describe(I am surprised nobody mentioned it)  is a Ujoint.  if you replace the Ujoint get a Spicer(brand name).  I don't know if I want to tell a rookie how to diagnose this without taking it apart.  I will walk you though the take apart method if you want.

I suspected a U-joint but my (now lower in my esteem) new mechanic said nope, that wasn't it.

 

[hepcat]

Am I justified in getting a little pissed off with this new mechanic

Surely it can't leak that much in the time I've had the van?!

So could this be a new suspect - very low transmission fluid?

Yes, I'd be having a chat with your mechanic to at least see what he has to say.  That's pretty basic stuff.

Yes, it COULD leak that much in the time you've had the van... but you'd know it by the big puddle of trans fluid under the van.

And last, the trans itself isn't a likely suspect for a squeak or squeal.  When they're low on fluid they just begin to shift weirdly... lurch and so forth, but they generally don't make noises.

 

[thehellend]

Yes, I'd be having a chat with your mechanic to at least see what he has to say.  That's pretty basic stuff.

Yes, it COULD leak that much in the time you've had the van... but you'd know it by the big puddle of trans fluid under the van.

And last, the trans itself isn't a likely suspect for a squeak or squeal.  When they're low on fluid they just begin to shift weirdly... lurch and so forth, but they generally don't make noises.

Thanks. I called them just now, they DID apparently check it and it wasn't low. So now I'm apparently reading it wrong? Or it lost a whole transmission worth over night.  I'm so confused.

 

[Gary68]

trans fluid expands a lot from cold to hot,you need to be at running temp,minimum of 20 mile drive,park on level ground,engine running,check fluid

find a large clean piece of cardboard and put it under the van for the night and see what dripped on it in the morning

 

[hepcat]

Thanks. I called them just now, they DID apparently check it and it wasn't low. So now I'm apparently reading it wrong? Or it lost a whole transmission worth over night.  I'm so confused.

You likely have only lost a quart or a little more. A TH400 can hold as much as 10 quarts in the pan and torque converter.

One thing with vans is that they tend to have really long trans dipsticks, and it can take two or three times checking it to get an accurate read.  I usually check it until I get a consistent level on the dipstick two or three times in a row.  If you get consistent levels on the dipstick after two or three times of checking the level and it's consistently low, then you've got a couple of options.  

If your mechanic is close, drive the thing over there and have them check it while you watch to "show you how to do it, 'cause it looks low to you and you're not sure you're reading the dipstick right?"  And then have them show you the dipstick while you watch them check it.  If it shows full, you'll know you did something wrong when you checked it (although it's pretty tough to screw it up.)  If it's low, they need to explain how they checked it yesterday and it was fine then.

 

[thehellend]

Thanks guys. I am going to take a couple more readings myself and perhaps explore my options from there.

The more I think about this mechanic the more I'm not happy. There's a pretty audible noise coming from somewhere, and they suggested I "drive it more so the noise becomes louder" so they can hear where it's coming from better. There's a leak coming from the transmission pan, and no one has mentioned it to me in two separate diagnostic visits (unless it wasn't there then, in which case they caused it, as it's not driven anywhere since then other than the drive around the block to warm up the fluids), and the last time I was on the phone with them to ask if they checked various things (and I did it in an innocent, not questioning their expertise kinda way) they got defensive about everything I said, saying things like "our mechanics have 20 years in the field" etc etc.

I'm definitely over sensitive, but I also explained to the mechanic that my number one priority, over cost, was safety. So I'm super irked that I have been handed back a van that's squealing, and told "drive it more to make it easier for us".

 

[hepcat]

There are mechanics who have twenty years' experience, and there are mechanics who have one year of experience, twenty times.

Good luck!

 

[thehellend]

There are mechanics who have twenty years' experience, and there are mechanics who have one year of experience, twenty times.

Good luck!

Omg I love this. Thank you.


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[highdesertranger]

I will get right to the point, your mechanic is full of sh*t.

a TH 400 holds about 12 quarts of fluid depending on the size of the convertor. however if you are 2 quarts low the tranny will start slipping and if you lost 2 quarts in a couple of days you would have a huge puddle. think Exxon Valdez.

get a book and read it, top off the trans, and lube the speedo cable. I still say it's a Ujoint. highdesertranger

 

[rvpopeye]

There are mechanics that have 20 years experience fixing things.

And then there are "mechanics" that have 20 years experience just guessing and then throwing parts at problems till they find the right one.........sometimes called "technicians". :dodgy:

 

[CautionToTheWind]

My first thought was water pump. Can the noise be replicated at an idle while stepping on accelerator? Or must you be moving? How about the belts, they can squeak.

 

[thehellend]

My first thought was water pump. Can the noise be replicated at an idle while stepping on accelerator? Or must you be moving? How about the belts, they can squeak.

Nope, van has to be moving.

 

[Gary68]

just watched your vid

and it sounds like a belt or speedo cable to me

the belt noise would be in the front of the engine

the speedo would be in dash and/or to the right of you

 

[bullfrog]

Definitely changes with the speed of the vehicle, but doesn't a bad speedo cable usually cause the needle to jump or vibrate? Does GM still use the split cable for cruse control? U-joints usually have rusty red bearing dust appear around the caps before getting loose.