I recently bought an 85 power ram and it has a 318 motor. i am new to the dodge world so i dont really know much about them. i have a slight knocking noise coming from my tranny. i used a stethascope and determined thats where it was coming from. i dont know what tranny is in it or anyidea why it would make that noise. anyone have any ideas?

 

Where "front to rear"on the tranny do you here the knocking?

 

I would check and make sure the flex plate bolts are tight. You may even need to remove the trans and check the flex plate for cracks Power wagon should have a 727.
Also if someone used the wrong converter to flex plate bolts they could be hitting

 

I put the stethascope on the tranny fluid pan and i could here it the best

Also the plAte that goes down to the bottom of the tranny is missing three bolts and the one that is in it doesnt tighten up Anyone know what size and kind of bolt they Are?

 

The bolts should be 1/4 but if three are missing chances are someone put the plate in wrong and the tabs are hitting the bolts on the torque converter.

Remove the plate and check the front of the transmission housing. If the holes are just stripped and not broken you can use a 1/4 drillbit to drill out the holes. Then use a 5/16 course thread tap to oversize the holes. The tap should be tapered not blunt and you must use wax on the tap to cut threads in aluminum. Cutting oil will cause the threads to break.

Aside from the 4 bolts there should also be two brackets from the engine to transmission that cover this plate. If the brackets are missing I would also suggest checking very carefully the front of the housing to on the transmission for cracks. They like to crack over the top of the transmission just before the pump if those brackets are mission.

Your transmission can be identified by the transmission oil pan gasket. While it should have a 727 it doesn't mean it will. There is 904 transmissions in these as well.

 

Does doing all that requir me to drop the transmission?

 

If your truck is 4wd, then you should have an access panel on the transmission hump inside the truck, you may be able to get a good loo at the top end from there.

Is the knocking noise constant or does it change with engine/vehicle speed? When does it start? Does it ever stop?

 

Is the knocking noise constant or does it change with engine/vehicle speed? When does it start? Does it ever stop?[/QUOTE]

I can hear it best at idle but it speeds up with acceleration and it doesnt seem as bad when the truck is cold just when it warms up