M2Gunner

I’m pretty sure my torque converter is going bad but before I replace it I figured I’d check and see if anyone on here has a different idea of what it could be. This is on my 2001 XJ. About one month ago I would get a ratcheting sound when I would take off only after shifting into drive from park and only when my Jeep had been sitting for a while and was cold. Didn’t do it at all after I had driven for a while and shut it off for a few minutes. I flushed the transmission, changed trans filter and refilled with new trans fluid. It didn’t seem to help at all. The fluid I drained out did smell burnt but wasn’t black or anything.
Today I had two new things happen that I haven’t experienced before. The first was when I tried to help a neighbor who got his little Altima stuck in the mud on the side of the road get unstuck by pulling him out. Once I got tension on the tow strap and gave it a little gas I got the ratcheting sound again, rpm’s rose but Jeep wouldn’t move an inch. Ended up pulling him out with the winch. When I got home I went to back in the driveway that has a very slight incline. Same thing again. As soon as I gave it some gas to back up the incline I got the ratcheting sound and it wouldn’t move. Had to pull forward and get a running start. Most info I can find from doing a google search says bad torque converter although a couple say bad transmission. I’m leaning towards the torque converter because the trans has less than 30K on a rebuild but still has original torque converter (guy I bought it from had it done).
Any thoughts or ideas of what I should check or do before I pull the trans and replace the torque converter would definitely be appreciated