Nervous, Worried, Help Please!

[nfpgasmask]

OK, so it seems like this hateful "clunking" takes place mostly when I am in Power Drive. So what is going on when Power Drive is enabled that could cause this shift slamming?

Bart

[etlsport]

power mode lets you rev a little higher than you normally would.. could just be that your gears are spinning faster when the shift happens, so more noticable clunk?

[nfpgasmask]

power mode lets you rev a little higher than you normally would.. could just be that your gears are spinning faster when the shift happens, so more noticable clunk?

I suppose that could be it. It seems to definitely be when I downshift outta 3rd back into 2nd and then quickly back up to 3rd. It clunks and jerks a little.

However, I must say this, the clunks that I am noticing now (probably because I am paying overly close attention to it) do not happen like the day when it was happening really bad EVERY TIME I shifted from 2nd to 3rd. So maybe some of the "normal" clunking of the VX I am indeed mistaking for a problem, however I know for a fact, the occasion when the violent shifting occurred was ANYTHING but normal.

So we'll see.

Bart

[etlsport]

yeah i get some clunking too.. usually when i do something to cause it.. like changes in acceleration around the gear change, either giving more gas or letting off right before a gear change, that kind of stuff is to be expected with a heavier car, i definately have paranoid moments with noises.. like the other day i was on a highway that hadnt been paved in awhile and i kept hitting spots that hadnt settled as much and had a rythmic bumping... and i started freaking out, then i changed lanes and the bumping went away... hahaha

[nfpgasmask]

Yup, thats exactly it. The roads in Chicago are anything but smooth and its lots of stop and go around 20-30 mph. The VX clunks just like you said, when changing speeds around shift times. After what happened to my Xterra, I am like extra-freakin-paranoid about ANY weird sounds that I am not used to. (and no, I will not go into the Xterra story, it still pisses me off!)

And speaking of sounds, when I start up in my small 1 car garage, I can hear a faint, rythmic rattling sound bouncing of the garage walls. I just noticed this yesterday. It seems to rattle more when the front wheels are cut a little. It just sounds like something vibrating with the engine. I don't think it is anything major, but still, I DONTLIKEIT!

Bart

yeah i get some clunking too.. usually when i do something to cause it.. like changes in acceleration around the gear change, either giving more gas or letting off right before a gear change, that kind of stuff is to be expected with a heavier car, i definately have paranoid moments with noises.. like the other day i was on a highway that hadnt been paved in awhile and i kept hitting spots that hadnt settled as much and had a rythmic bumping... and i started freaking out, then i changed lanes and the bumping went away... hahaha

[mbeach]

At some point, especially for a salted northern VX, the heatshields on your exhaust piping (in the vicinity of the transfer case) will rust through and rattle.

Tap them with a screwdriver to see if they are loose.

[ScottinMA]

Change out the tranny fluid to synthetic. I'm using Mobil 1 ATF. No problems at all since the switch. Make sure you do it right and replace the tranny filter.

[vrsvx]

I had the same issue a month after I got mine. I drove to a local mall(85 degrees)and when leaving I had the first gear shift was hard like the torque converter was loading up. I am planning on taking it in in a few weeks and have them drain and put synthetic fluid in it. Knock on wood I have not heard the noise since.