SpyderGS:</P>


I'm posting at this forum instead of the new members area, per your recent post there about new folks using the correct forum for tech help.</P>


My Expo is running but still has problems with excessive vibrations. The 2nd mechanic did check the balance shafts. While he did not tear down the engine to look at them inside, he spun them and said they spun smoothly and did not appear from the outside to be damaged or bent. As I've driven the car the past couple of days, I've tried to notice when the vibrations are at their worst. When I first turn the key, there is a loud hum, almost like I've gunned the motor (which I haven't), then it settles down to a quiet idle. Once I'm on the road and accelerating to normal traffice speed, it sounds like the car has trouble changing gears---almost like it's hanging up. There's the loud hum that gets louder as it's trying to shift to the next gear (it's an automatic), and once it goes through the shift to the next gear, it's quiet and running smoothly. When the gears are trying to change is also when the vibrations are really bad. It goes through this building/hanging process through all gears, and once it's past the last gear, it's quiet and running with very little vibration, if any. Remember---I'm a schoolteacher, not a car person---but I'm wondering if this could be a transmission problem? Thanks for your opinion and advice. Joy</P>

It almost sounds like a transmission problem, perhaps the torque converter is going out. The torque converter is the "in-between" that connects the engine to the gearbox. It actually seperates the engine form the gearbox for a brief moment when the gears are shifting, so if the shifts are taking overly too long....that may be the problem. It's very possible for the Torque Converter to be damaged because of the broken engine mounts, but your mechanic should have done an inspection prior to giving you the car back. Let your mechanic drive the car around the block and he may be able to narrow down the cause. Since you haven't posted in quite some time Joy, i thought you had rid yourself of all these problems!I suppose not... But hey, it never rains every day, so eventually things will work out for you<IMG src=smileys/smiley2.gif border="0">

It is a transmission problem. The same problem happened to me when my transmission started going out about a year ago. Sorry to butt into your conversation but I am about 90% sure its the same problem I had.

Thanks for the input, Spyderman9803; sounds like you've confirmed what SpyderGS said.</P>


SpyderGS: thanks for coming to the rescue again. I didn't post for awhile because my Expo was the in the shop of the 2nd repairman for awhile. I just got it back to drive. I took it on a 90 mile trip via interstate, and the loud hum was almost unbearable. Definitely couldn't have a conversation with anyone. As long as I kept the speed at 65, it ran fairly quietly, but when I set the cruise control on 70, it sounded like a plane taking off and never quieted down. </P>


Now I have to decide if it's worth putting more money into it. Since I've put close to $1000 in it in the last month, I guess I'll go ahead and talk to the 2nd mechanic about working on the transmittion. Even though it won't be cheap, it's still better than having to get another car, and I really like this one. He did say it should get at least 300,000 miles, as it's been kept in great shape for the past 10 years (It has 169,000 miles so far). Thanks again for the advice, and I'll keep you guys posted. Wish you lived close by; I'd bake you some homemade bread to say "thanks!"</P>


Joy</P>