I have a 92 Deville , 177.000 miles. there is a bad sound like something is in the flywheel. at first there was a clunk , low and in front... I hoped it not to be the tranny. a mechanic says it is. Did turning off the vehicle in drive then putting in park when stopped cause this? they said clutch plates are sticking?? will DTC show me what is wrong... battery is low now. no smell or bad color in dipstick. shifted wonderfully. looking at others posts, i did hear a whirling sometimes while driving. i thought is was the fan on the transmission .. was it not? i wish i took auto mechanics in school instead of guitar.. I am female, no excuse just letting in on my way of thinking! thanks.

 

Here is some more info, perhaps this will help. Mechanic says it cleared the noise once it got warmed up. My husband will not let me run it to see if it will do that, says it will cause more problems. I will try to get codes if I can sneak the battery charger on it tomorrow,,, he forbids me to try and diagnose.? the sound is like the poster who said cards in the bicycle spokes , maybe louder. thanks, love that deville.

 

Shutting the engine off with the trans in gear will not hurt anything, so that didn't cause your problem.
More info is needed, tho, to give much help. It could be something as simple as a dust shield rubbing on the flywheel, a rock or something could have gotten up in there, a torque converter bolt may be loose and hitting on something, cracked/broken flywheel....many different possibilities.
It may or may not have any diagnostic codes set, but if it does, that might help.
If the trans was shifting properly before, and the only issue was it started making this noise all of a sudden, I would lean toward something rubbing, or a bolt coming loose and rubbing/hittingon something. Noises are really hard to diagnose over a forum, but we'll try to help best we can.
"Clutch plates sticking"??? If any of the clutches inside the trans were actually "sticking", the trans would be binding up, like it is in two gears at once. I can't see that being an issue, as far as your noise.
You really need to start the car and see if the noise is still there, and if the trans shifts properly. You may not really have a major problem at all, as far as the trans is concerned, but...I can't hear the noise, so....

 

Thanks so much for reply. I feel some relief if you say my bad driving habit of turning it off in gear may not be the issue. the clunk has been for maybe a month , not everytime, maybe once a week from 20-30 starts a week. then that clatter... last 2 times and not driven it since. i will go and inspect around the trans and flywheel and see if anything is loose. we looked in the flywheel, husband says the starter bracket is just a bit loose and hoped it was a bad starter. thats when i went to take to mechanic and had the loud clatter and they put it up on rack, no starter loose they say. ok, so husband charged the battery so i will go and get codes . codes have alot of history and that was getting me weirded out, so i did not pay attention when the check light came on last month. i need a motor mount in rear, replaced the front one early 2011. needs struts, a bit of a squeak in front left. i can take the trans cover off without loosing fluid and look right? even if i loose fluid i got to peek in there. Husband know about some maintenance , does 72-76 Scout 6 cyc. internationals .. if its got front wheel drive and computer he won't touch it.. but i am persuading him to help.! thanks again, let you know what i find

 

just started her up, not a clunk or nothing! reset the computer with that 20 minute idle program, then did DTC. got E 0.0 cruise servo ( ?) E 30 ISC Rpm out of range ? E 5.2 PCM memory reset E 7.0 intermittent TPS signal ? E 9.5 engine stall detected and the bad one E 9.6 torque convertor over stress... If I take to a transmission shop what do i expect to diagnose the trouble..to open and look and what does that cost. they quoted 1700 for rebuilt, does it have to be that? I know, you can't tell from there but if i get to that point of diagnose I can't just pack it home to wait till i have that amount of $$. thanks for your help.

 

The E96 was prolly set by turning the key off while in gear with the engine running, or someone doing a "stall test". That involves putting the car in gear, holding the brakes on, and flooring the throttle for a few seconds. It does NOT mean you have a torque converter problem, tho. The code specifies it is an operator error type code, or "Action of driver which could damage vehicle drivetrain or create an unsafe condition".

Is the clanking still there, or did it go away?
I wouldn't be too quick to send it to a trans shop just yet. $1700 is a reasonable price for an overhaul, but if you don't need it, it's kinda just wasting $$$. Of course, if you do take it to a trans shop to see what the noise is, they will tell you it needs a trans anyway, regardless. Very few honest operators out there these days, so you really have to be diligent in choosing where to take it.

 

you are kind to reply and help me. i don't think the clunk has gone away.. i have not driven it. i want to have enough cash to repair when i do bring in to someone... i only hope when i do they tell me the truth . so i am doing diligence... getting info of trans shops here. i will go and meet the one most use in town soon. are you coming to st augustine fl anytime soon, i would hire you. i will reply in a month or so, thats when i will be able to afford to have it looked at and and decide what is what. keep well. r