Torque Converter is starting to go out
On August 13th, I was doing a spirited drive, like I usually do multiple times a week. On the way home afterward, I noticed that when coming to a stop, the car started to stumble. It only happened twice, and I also noticed a whirring noise coming from underneath the vehicle that wasn't there previously.
Ever since then, the car has had the same noise, but it only occurs when the transmission is in Drive or Reverse. After doing some research, I started to suspect the torque converter.
Six days later, I dropped the transmission pan to look for debris and found a lot of glitter, but no large chunks. The transmission still shifts and idles fine, with no slipping or anything else that seems abnormal. However, I have noticed that the transmission temperature easily climbs to 250°F when idling after a drive, so I'm thinking the transmission cooler may be clogged.
I've stopped driving the vehicle for now, and I'm trying to figure out what I should do next. Should I just replace the torque converter and take the chance, or should I replace the torque converter, valve body, and transmission all at the same time? I'm mainly trying to figure out what I can get away with repairing without having to replace everything if the transmission itself is still in good shape.
When I bought the car, it had 65,000 miles on it, and it currently has 95,000 miles. I've serviced the transmission twice during that time, but only performed drain-and-fills, using Matic S fluid.