[travster07]

I have a 99 3.8L auto, i just purchased, and the issue i'm having is when i place the tranny from park, into drive, theres a short delay,going into gear harder than i think is normal, the same from drive to reverse....it kinda feels like a u-joint issue, but i dont think thats the problem.....the tranny also when accelerating from a standstill, has a noticable vibration, that i originally thought may be just tires needing balanced, but dont think thats the cause of it either...I also hear a whine during idle in park, originally thought to be power steering pump....has anyone else had these symptoms? does this sound like a common torque converter issue, or someting more serious? is there a simple test to determine if it's the converter? Appreciate your help!!

[Horseshoeing]

Does it vibrate in park when you rev the motor up? If it does, I would look at the trans rubber mount. Or maybe the transmission converter.

[travster07]

No, it doesn't seem to vibrate when revved up in park....it vibrates during accereration in drive..feels sort of like driving over rumble strips on the highway....also get occasional slipping between gear change, where it feels like it would in a straight drive, when your clutch is slipping, if you ease off the throttle, it will recover, and tranny pulls ok.....I was curious if it might be the converter failing, causing vibration, and slippage, slow going into gear.....theres about a 1-2 second delay, when putting in drive or reverse, kind of like it takes longer than normal to get enough pressure to go into gear...I'm thinking all these symptoms are related, and the only thing i can think of, that could be related to all would be the converter.....if anybody can think of anything else that would show all the above symptoms, let me know.....Thanks everybody!!