My car is back on the road... with problems...

[mongo]

So I got my 3100 finally rebuilt and back in nearly 9 months after it broke a cam (1998 Buick Century).

It took a while to wear the rust off the brakes but it drives great. Now the problems I am seeing (easiest ones first):

I have a check engine light. Ran the code and it is vacuum related. Vents inside the car won't change. I will have to track down a leak. Time consuming but not a big deal.

ABS and Brake light came on. It goes off intemittantly. I feel like the light is on due to a bad sensor (rust from the rotors getting on the reluctor ring) or the brakes need to be bled after sitting so long (ABS failing the pressure test). Brakes feel good even without the ABS. Brake fluid is dirty but level is fine. Just a maintenance item.

Now the really bad one. I have knock that just started. It seems to be coming from the bell housing side. It kind of sounds like a bearing but I think I have narrowed it down to being most likely a torque converter or flywheel knock. I am going to pull the dust cover tomorrow to make sure.

If I need to change the torque converter or replace a bent/cracked flywheel, which is easier to pull? The engine or transmission?

[LeftVentricle]

If I need to change the torque converter or replace a bent/cracked flywheel, which is easier to pull? The engine or transmission?

Both. It would be much easier to yank the entire drivetrain as one unit and separate them outside the car.

EDIT: Here is a rough outline of what you would need to do to pull the unit.

• Remove hood.
• Unbolt throttle body from intake. Do not remove throttle cables. Unhook wiring. Set aside.
• Unbolt AC compressor. Set aside.
• Unbolt power steering pump. Set aside.
• Unhook all wiring from everywhere on the engine and transmission. (I have an older A-body Century, and this involved either removing the upper intake to unhook the wiring going to the injectors or cutting them and splicing them back together later. Your choice.)
• Lift vehicle and place securely on jack stands.
• Remove front wheels.
  
• Optional step: unbolt struts from steering knuckles.
• Pop Axles out of the transmission.
• Unbolt mounts from subframe.
• Unbolt dogbone(s) from engine-side brackets and header panel. Set aside.
• Unbolt exhaust downpipe from rear manifold.
• Unhook heater hoses.
• Remove transmission cooling lines from radiator.
  
• Optional step: Remove cooling fans and radiator. May not be necessary, but it certainly made it easier on my car.
• Hoist it out.
• Installation is the reverse of removal.

Hope this helps.

[mongo]

Thanks. That doesn't sound too bad. Luckily for me it looks like I have some time before I have to pull it again.

Found the vacuum leak(s). One of the hoses is right next to the battery. The last installer busted them up good then patched them with electrical tape. I got those sorted out.

The brakes... I am going to let that go for a bit and see if it straightens out on its own.

The knock.... So I swapped the harmonic balancer. No change in the knocking noise but at least the pulley is straight now. I pulled the flex plate to torque converter bolts and slid the converter back into the transmission. No knock. I bolted it back up.... still no knock. I changed the oil (first oil change after rebuild) and see a lot of very fine metal most likely from the cylinders and rings breaking in. No particles big enough to indicate a catastrophic bearing failure. Still... I don't feel I am out of the woods yet. I expect that knock will return with a vengence at some point. They alway do....