Your transmission will give you signs before it dies. The best way to avoid transmission problems, which can be expensive, is to get your transmission serviced every 30,000 miles or two years. If you haven’t done so or if your transmission experiences trouble anyway, it’s best to have the system looked at right away. Don’t put it off because driving with a bad transmission will damage it further. Here are a handful of signs that your transmission is going out. Heed the warning and have it inspected ASAP.
Slipping Gears
You’re driving along and your vehicle feels as if it’s changing gears when it shouldn’t be. When the gears slip out, i.e. the transmission slips out of gear, you have transmission problems that need attention right away. You should be able to put your vehicle in gear and have it stay there without trouble. It should also switch between gears and stay in the proper gear without slipping out of it.
Rough Shifting Gears
Your transmission should also go into gear and change between the gears without a fight. Gear shifts should be smooth and seamless, even if you push down on the accelerator to shift the transmission into a lower gear to pick up speed. Rough shifting in both automatic and manual transmissions signals a problem that should be looked into before the gears begin to slip as discussed above.
Delayed Shifting
This problem occurs in automatic transmissions, as manual transmissions are shifted by the driver. If your car, truck, or SUV seems to shift too late, i.e. the gear shifts seem delayed as you pick up speed, you have transmission trouble. The gears should shift at the ideal speeds and you shouldn’t have a delay when you shift the transmission from park into drive. It should go into first gear right away.
Leaking Fluid
Leaking transmission fluid can be the cause of the above three symptoms. Transmission fluid lubricates gears to ensure they shift easily and don’t overheat. Transmission fluid is red – dark red if it’s dirty – and leaks from underneath your automobile. You’ll see the fluid spots on your garage floor underneath the vehicle rather than underneath the engine. The transmission sits toward the back of the engine.
Don’t take chances with transmission problems. Bring your vehicle in for an inspection right away. The longer you wait the more damage you’ll cause to your transmission’s components and this turns an inexpensive automotive repair bill into an expensive one. Stop by Stringer Auto Repair, LLC today. We are located in Johnstown, OH.
