Welcome Visitor! Please take a few seconds and AllenP
Member
I'm becoming acquainted with a 2004 2.3 automatic, which overall is working great!
Three issues have caught my attention so far, though:
1. There's more vibration than I expect. It's at engine frequency (not related to driveline or wheel/brake rotor speed) and most pronounced at lower RPM. Every time I leave from a stop, the tape measure that lives in my center console rattles annoyingly for a while, for example. Yes, I can move the tape measure to a quieter location, but that didn't fix the vibration. Is the 2.3 just a slightly buzzy engine, or should I be inspecting the motor mounts for example?
2. It seems the torque converter isn't locking up as intended. Sometimes I can feel it lock, as I'm accelerating gently, at about 45 mph. That's what it should do, right? Sometimes it's still not locked at 65 mph steady cruise, and other times it seems to unlock—producing a slight increase in RPM with no discernible transmission shift, and afterward the engine rpm changes with even small throttle changes—with small increases in throttle even above 60 mph. Is this normal? If not, what might I do to help the locking mechanism behave as intended? Lock and unlock are both smooth & quiet, so I don't suspect a mechanical problem, but TBH this is my first automatic in 20+ years and I'm not familiar with how the torque converter lock and its controls work.
3. Fuel consumption so far, driving quite gently, is 16/22. The EPA chart here suggests 22/26 is possible, and the previous owner says some years ago (last time he paid attention) he was getting 25 mpg driving to Idaho & back at 75 mph. There are 175k miles on the motor, but it's been carefully maintained and it starts easily & runs smooth & strong (aside from the minor vibration above), doesn't burn oil, etc. so I don't immediately suspect poor compression or an ignition or fueling problem. The tires are stock size and aired up. It's winter, so that's part of the problem, and the lumber rack prob. impacts efficiency a little at highway speeds. I bet limited/delayed torque converter lock-up also contributes to poor mileage at highway speeds... but I'm wondering what else should I look at to figure out if I can improve the mileage, especially around town. Air filter? I'll look, but that's never made a mileage improvement in my experience.
Three issues have caught my attention so far, though:
1. There's more vibration than I expect. It's at engine frequency (not related to driveline or wheel/brake rotor speed) and most pronounced at lower RPM. Every time I leave from a stop, the tape measure that lives in my center console rattles annoyingly for a while, for example. Yes, I can move the tape measure to a quieter location, but that didn't fix the vibration. Is the 2.3 just a slightly buzzy engine, or should I be inspecting the motor mounts for example?
2. It seems the torque converter isn't locking up as intended. Sometimes I can feel it lock, as I'm accelerating gently, at about 45 mph. That's what it should do, right? Sometimes it's still not locked at 65 mph steady cruise, and other times it seems to unlock—producing a slight increase in RPM with no discernible transmission shift, and afterward the engine rpm changes with even small throttle changes—with small increases in throttle even above 60 mph. Is this normal? If not, what might I do to help the locking mechanism behave as intended? Lock and unlock are both smooth & quiet, so I don't suspect a mechanical problem, but TBH this is my first automatic in 20+ years and I'm not familiar with how the torque converter lock and its controls work.
3. Fuel consumption so far, driving quite gently, is 16/22. The EPA chart here suggests 22/26 is possible, and the previous owner says some years ago (last time he paid attention) he was getting 25 mpg driving to Idaho & back at 75 mph. There are 175k miles on the motor, but it's been carefully maintained and it starts easily & runs smooth & strong (aside from the minor vibration above), doesn't burn oil, etc. so I don't immediately suspect poor compression or an ignition or fueling problem. The tires are stock size and aired up. It's winter, so that's part of the problem, and the lumber rack prob. impacts efficiency a little at highway speeds. I bet limited/delayed torque converter lock-up also contributes to poor mileage at highway speeds... but I'm wondering what else should I look at to figure out if I can improve the mileage, especially around town. Air filter? I'll look, but that's never made a mileage improvement in my experience.
Last edited:
