what's a flexplate?
 

first off... thanks to lwin for coming out and helping me check out the car this past weekend...

but now i'm at the tech forum for some enlightening....

so what's this flex plate in relations to tranny and engine?

i think the symptoms are that the engine makes a scratching sound when the the rpm is at a certain level....

Flexplate
 

Hi Subafan,On one side you have the engine, then the flexplate, and then the tranny. There are slots that have pins that ride in them. I see it as a flexable connection between the power plant and the power distribution. You could go to Subaru parts and look at a schematic of the drive train and see how they line up. Take care, BOBB

It's a thin guage piece of stamped steel that bolts to the crankshaft of the engine and also bolts to the torque convertor. It provides the mechanical connection between the engine and the torque convertor which then spins and creates the fluid movement to provide power to the transmission and drivetrain.

You need one Arthur? I've got three in my garage right now.

Todd

hmm.... i probably will need one.... but it also sounds like a pain to the pocket books to get it in the car..... sigh.....

i also need a clip for the pass. side windows....

ok, so if i understand correctly, to fix the flexplate problem, i would have to take out either the engine or the tranny??

lets say that i'm going to do this.... are there other things i should replace at the same time? my svx has about 136k and i'm not sure about the prior history, so lets assume worst case scenario...

If you're going to replace the flexplate (some call it a flywheel) then be sure to replace the rear main seal, as it would be so easy to do with the flex plate off, and you'd have to pull the tranny again later to replace it.
The seal is probably about $15

Just for (perhaps "over") simplification, the "flexplate" is the same thing as a "flywheel" in a manual tranny. The difference is, it's in an autobox. :)

Dang, we Kentuckians sure know our flywheels. :)

ok.... so that means the flexplate or the flywheel is considered a part of the transmission right? which would also mean i'm having problems with my rebuilt transmission under warranty, i can/should be able to take it back down to the shop to get them to fix the problem at least at a discount price...... !?

I would think so. If the flexplate was damaged, they should have noticed and replaced it, or, at least pointed it out and asked. The part is very inexpensive, it's the replacement that'll bite you in the bum.

While it's in the same place as a manual tranny's flywheel, and it's bolted to the crankshaft in much the same way, 'flywheel' doesn't accurately describe the thing's function. Neither does 'flex plate,' because it shouldn't flex much at all.

I've also seen the term 'drive plate,' which is what I've adopted. I think it's the most accurate.

Edit: Subaruparts.com lists it as 'plate, drive.' It is only $30 or so, but replacing it is a pain, yes. I'd drop the tranny rather than pulling the engine. Well, unless it was mine, in which case I'd pull the engine because there are any number of seals I'd like to replace and having the engine out would make life a lot easier. :)

Okay, "Blondeman Junior." :p :D