Flex Plate Broke

[rdkurth]

I just acquired a 1992 Explorer 4X4 for $250.00 It had a bad Flex Plate made every thing vibrate badly. I replaced the Flex Plate it was ripped in three places.
Every thing was working great. The engine was running smoothly started just fine. A week after replacing the Flex Plate it broke again. It completely sheared off of the drive shaft.

Has any body had this happen. It was only a week. I am getting ready to replace it again. I did not replace the spacer when I did the work before. Should I replace it.

This should be a mater of just installing a new flex plate.

What would case it to break so soon. I was not driving it very fast or very hard.

 

[Spdrcer34]

A week after replacing the Flex Plate it broke again. It completely sheared off of the drive shaft.

WHAT?

Aside from THAT comment, which I can't seem to wrap my head around....

....A number of things could cause your broken Flex Plate issue. The shortest distance between 2 points, is a straight line. So I would look at the items it directly touches. That would be the Crank, Crank Bolts, Torque Convertor, Torque Convertor Nuts and Starter.

 

[rdkurth]

So I would look at the items it directly touches. That would be the Crank, Crank Bolts, Torque Converter, Torque Converter Nuts and Starter.

The starter is new. Torque Converter Nuts are new. The How would I know if the crank is bad. Also what would it look like if any of the other stuff is bad. From appearance it looks like everything is fine.
I am replacing this time the spacer between the crank and the flex plate.

 

[RangerX]

I vaguely recall seeing others having this problem, repeated broken flexplates.
I don't remember the fix, but you might try searching for those threads.

 

[rayford2]

Flex PLate (and other) hardware

One of the hidden bugs in replacing parts in a pre-owned vehicle (and sometimes factory stuff) is hardware.
Quite often, a previous owner will replace a component with sub-standard hardware, particularly nuts and bolts that were rusted or damaged. This hardware is "graded" according to it's application and is "head-stamped" to indicate it's tensile strength. Graded bolts are identified on American threaded bolts with hash-marks raised on the bolt head, and recessed dots on the nuts. 3 hash marks (or dots, on nuts) represent Grade 5. 4=Grade 6,
5=Grade7, 6=Grade 8. Metric Nuts and bolts use numbers.
If you use a hardware-store bolt of low grade on a critical rotating part such as a flywheel, this bolt will "brinnell" (stretch) and will cause the bolt holes to enlarge due to friction before the bolt itself fails, often causing some other damage.
"OK, so I'll use ALL Grade 8 bolts on everything", you say. NOT SO FAST!
Higher Grade bolts get harder and more brittle as their Grade goes up. Also, their expansion/contraction parameters change with Grades.
What's my point? If you are working on a critical application please make sure you're using the right Grade of hardware. DON'T assume the bolts and nuts you removed are suitable for reuse. The guy (gal) before you may have used what was at hand, or the lower Grade hardware was all he could find in a pinch. CHECK THOSE HASH-MARKS AND DOTS. And remember to match the same Grade nut to the bolt. You can't rightfully mix them.
......Sorry for the lecture, but in my lifetime I've seen too much equipment fail due to the wrong selection of hardware. I'm 67 years old.
Oh, just one more thing; TORQUE IT RIGHT!!.......Ray S. in PA

 

[rdkurth]

The Bolts are the original ones. Should replace them. I did TORQUE and then checked a second time to make sure. I replaced the nuts on the torque converter but I did this with the proper nuts recommended.
So if you do not have the proper bolts from the flex plate to the crank it can case the whole flex plate to completely rip off of the crank.

 

[rdkurth]

If I use a third party flex plate like one from Schuck's or Napa are they as good as the one that comes from the dealer. And if not does anybody make a stronger flex plate like one for racing because I can't find one.

 

[4x4xbrian.com]

you may want to test fit the flexplate to the tq converter before installing it, make sure the nose of the tq converter seats into the spacer correctly before reinstalling it. if it does not slip right in, all the way it will cause this

just a tip, when tightening the tq conv. bolts, run them all down finger tight before tightening them completely this will ensure the tq conv is seated properly to the flex plate.

 

[rdkurth]

This is what the Flex Plate looks like. The center just ripped 0ff

This just the center

This is what the spacer looked like compared to the new one I just bought and will be installing with the new Flex Plate

Could the spacer be what cased it to rip off it looks really bad

 

[doonze]

wow those pics are big....

Ok, Just my .02 cents....

Something caused your flex plate to "seize". I mean, something stopped the flex plate from moving anymore, but the crank just kept right on trucking. I just saying I'd bet good money that's what happened from the pics, but as far as what it could have been.... IDK....

A bad spacer could damage it I'm sure... but like THAT???!!?

Maybe if it let the flex plate move some...hmmmmm.... I still think the outside stopped and the inside didn't.

Now the question is, what would cause it?


EDIT:

I just looked back over that pic, and I can't see how if it was just "off center" or "unbalanced" that you couldn't have KNOWN it before it happened. That thing would have been shaking the whole truck, and the car next to you, if it was that unbalanced. I still think it just came to a sudden and unexpected stop. Then tore loose all to hell.

Was there NO weird sounds before this let loose?

 

[rdkurth]

wow those pics are big....

Ok, Just my .02 cents....

Something caused your flex plate to "seize". I mean, something stopped the flex plate from moving anymore, but the crank just kept right on trucking. I just saying I'd bet good money that's what happened from the pics, but as far as what it could have been.... IDK....

A bad spacer could damage it I'm sure... but like THAT???!!?

Maybe if it let the flex plate move some...hmmmmm.... I still think the outside stopped and the inside didn't.

Now the question is, what would cause it?


EDIT:

I just looked back over that pic, and I can't see how if it was just "off center" or "unbalanced" that you couldn't have KNOWN it before it happened. That thing would have been shaking the whole truck, and the car next to you, if it was that unbalanced. I still think it just came to a sudden and unexpected stop. Then tore loose all to hell.

Was there NO weird sounds before this let loose?

It did not happen all at one time. The day before it started making a little clinking noise every time I started it. When finally broke I was on my way home to look at it. So it happened over a couple of days. Sorry about the pictures didn't have a program to shrink them down on the computer I was using to upload the pictures. But a lest you can see the detail.

 

[doonze]

Ahhh...ok then...

Now, I'd say that funky looking spacer might be a good start.... But man, after seeing that...wow..... I'd be wearing body armor to try it out next time.

I guess if it happens a 3rd time, you'll know it wasn't the spacer.....

 

[Spdrcer34]

Garage Art!!

I have NEVER seen a flexplate break like that!...Even in 850-1100 HP Drag Cars. I've seen them shatter when a Nitrous fed motor balloons the Torque Convertor, and takes the Flex Plate out with it. But they don't break LIKE THAT...weird.

Ryan

 

[bearfish]

broken flex plate 5 x's

I just acquired a 1992 Explorer 4X4 for $250.00 It had a bad Flex Plate made every thing vibrate badly. I replaced the Flex Plate it was ripped in three places.
Every thing was working great. The engine was running smoothly started just fine. A week after replacing the Flex Plate it broke again. It completely sheared off of the drive shaft.

Has any body had this happen. It was only a week. I am getting ready to replace it again. I did not replace the spacer when I did the work before. Should I replace it.

This should be a mater of just installing a new flex plate.

What would case it to break so soon. I was not driving it very fast or very hard.

I've had the same proble, 5 times. I have only owned my 02 Explorer 2 years. in that time I have spent $750 in flex plates and a lot of busted knuckles. The last time it broke I was on an outing in new mexico, 600 miles from my home. it broke and left me stranded for the last time. I had to walk to the nearest truck stop about 15 mile away to get cell phone service and beg a fiend to drop everything and come and get me. Four hours later we went back to the truck and the highway patrol had tagged it for towing. I sold the ford to the title to the towing company for a $100 bucks and I will never own another ford
again. I'm a chevy man forever. the ford flex plate is the most rediculous sub-quality set up I have ever seen on a vehicle in my 40 years in the auto industry.

 

[natenkiki2004]

bearfish, I hate to be harsh but that's kinda what you get with newer vehicles. You'll be sour real quick if you think newer Chevy's are any different. In all likelihood though, there was probably some kind of misalignment issue or something like that. There's plenty of people around here with older Explorers that have hundreds of thousands of miles on factory original parts. If you're mechanically inclined, older vehicles are where it's at for reliability. Below your name it shows a 1980 C20, that's probably damn reliable, back when Chevy knew how to build vehicles that lasted. That pretty much died in the mid 90's for them though. Ford can still be good, depending on what you choose. The newer Explorers are just glorified sedans with AWD.

 

[2stroke]

bearfish, I hate to be harsh but that's kinda what you get with newer vehicles. You'll be sour real quick if you think newer Chevy's are any different. In all likelihood though, there was probably some kind of misalignment issue or something like that. There's plenty of people around here with older Explorers that have hundreds of thousands of miles on factory original parts. If you're mechanically inclined, older vehicles are where it's at for reliability. Below your name it shows a 1980 C20, that's probably damn reliable, back when Chevy knew how to build vehicles that lasted. That pretty much died in the mid 90's for them though. Ford can still be good, depending on what you choose. The newer Explorers are just glorified sedans with AWD.

The GM 5.3 is one of the best engine ever made, rivaling that of the old 5.7. I know how work on old fords, but they haven't came out with anything good since they got rid of the 4.9 I6. Infact, I really don't care for any new vehicles. I like certain chevy pickups from the early 2000's. Other than that I'll only take one of two things for a new vehicle. A Nissan Xterra with its 6 speed manual, or better yet a Dodge with 5 speed and 5.9 Cummins.

I can't afford either, so I stick with what I know. On a good note, I finally picked up a real project so I can quit working on my DD. A 1984 Chevy K5 Blazer with the 350. I plan on swapping in an NV4500 manual tranny eventually, but I'll stick with the 700r4 auto for now. If only I can figure out this beast of a carb. Its an Edelbrock 4 barrel, and I have never tuned a car carburetor before. Millions of jets, and metering rods, and what not. I'd much rather have fuel injection, it seems so much easier to work on and tune than a carb.

I honestly don't have anything against Ford, or GM, or Chrysler, or any brand, but you just can't beat the parts interchangeability of older GM. Ford, it has to be X year, with X, and with X pattern. GM it can be from X-X decades, and from a dozen different models.