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Nine Signs Your Transmission Is Going Out

Nine Signs Your Transmission Is Going Out

Nine Signs Your Transmission Is Going Out

You’re driving along and all of a sudden your engine revs and you lose power. Then, you hear a clunk and the engine engages again. This is just one sign that your transmission is going out. Advantage Automotive is going to list nine signs of automatic transmission failure below, all of which we can help you with by repairing or replacing your transmission.

1. Won’t Shift Gears

Another sign of a dying transmission is a refusal to shift gears. This can happen initially when you try to put your vehicle into park or reverse, or it can happen as the vehicle attempts to go through the gear cycle. This problem can be caused by low transmission fluid or the wrong type of transmission fluid.

2. The Gears Slip

The scenario we described in the introduction is the gears slipping. Your automatic transmission will put your vehicle into gear and begin to shift through the gear cycle, but once it is in gear, it will slip out of it. This causes the engine to rev and your vehicle will lose power because it’s forced into neutral.

3. Noise When Shifting

You should not hear clunking or grinding when you put your car, truck, or SUV into drive or reverse, or when it shifts between gears. Even though you drive an automatic transmission, it has an internal clutch mechanism. This could be going bad, or the clunking or grinding could be caused by other worn parts.

4. Neutral Noises

You might also hear sounds when the vehicle is in neutral. The most common sign there’s something wrong with the transmission when the car is in neutral is a whining sound. Some people also describe the sound as a humming sound. Either way, you shouldn’t hear strange noises when in neutral.

5. Shaking or Vibrating

When you learn to drive a manual transmission, the gear shifts can be pretty rough. You should never have a problem with rough shifting from an automatic transmission. The gear shifts should be seamless, and your vehicle shouldn’t lurch, shake, or vibrate as the automatic transmission shifts the gears.

6. Burning Smells

Burning smells should signal an alarm inside your head to pull off the road right away and cut your engine. Old or low transmission fluid can overheat the automatic transmission and you will smell hot odors. When something smells hot, it is, and in a combustion engine, this can cause a fire.

7. Fluid Leaks

Transmission fluid is bright red and will leak underneath your car toward the center of it. If you have red fluid leaking from the front of your vehicle, it’s probably power steering fluid or coolant. Transmission fluid is also translucent and smells kind of sweet. It can leak from the pan, pan gasket, or hoses.

8. Pink Fluid

If the transmission fluid is pink, we have very bad news for you. Transmission fluid turns pink because it’s being diluted by engine coolant. This means you have a breach in the transmission that is allowing the coolant into the system. This seriously damages the transmission, i.e. we’ll have to replace it.

9. Check Engine Alert

Finally, the check engine light will come on if the automatic transmission is going bad. This alert covers many vehicle systems that do not have their own light on your dashboard. Any time the check engine light comes on, it’s important to have the reason diagnoses ASAP to avoid significant damage.

Stop by Advantage Auto Service’s auto shop in Marietta, GA, if you experience any of the nine signs listed above. We’ll inspect your transmission and fix the problem right away.

Transmission Fluid Change: The Consequences of Not Getting Your Car’s Transmission Fluid Changed

Transmission Fluid Change: The Consequences of Not Getting Your Car’s Transmission Fluid Changed

How often should you get your car’s transmission fluid changed? The answer to this question depends on where you live, how old your car is, and how often you drive it. For instance, if you live in a place that gets pretty cold during the winter, you may need to get the fluid changed more often than if you live in a warmer climate area, where it rarely snows. Delaying getting your car’s transmission fluid changed can have serious consequences which will almost always result in shortening the life of the transmission.

Burned Out Fluid

If you don’t change your transmission fluid, it will eventually burn out. This can cause several problems, including transmission trouble and a decrease in fuel efficiency. In addition, burned-out fluid can lead to overheating and potentially damage the transmission itself.

Slipping Gears

Transmission trouble can start with something as small as slipping gears. This is often caused by not enough transmission fluid, and if left unchecked, it can lead to big problems down the road. So if you notice your car slipping gears, it’s essential to get it checked out as soon as possible to avoid more severe issues.

Difficulty Shifting

If you have transmission trouble, shifting gears may not be easy. This can be caused because of contaminated transmission fluid which does not allow for the correct amount of pressure to maintain correct shifting patterns. Additionally, your car may make strange noises or jerk when shifting gears. Over time, this can damage your transmission and lead to more expensive repairs.

Overheating Transmission

Overheating is one of the most common and severe consequences of not changing your car’s transmission fluid. When transmission fluid breaks down, it can’t do its job correctly, which leads to friction and heat. That extra friction and heat can cause your transmission to overheat, leading to even more severe problems.

Delayed Acceleration

When your car’s transmission fluid is low, it can cause delayed acceleration. This is because the fluid is responsible for lubricating the transmission. When it’s low, the transmission has to work harder to function properly. In addition to delayed acceleration, low transmission fluid can cause the car to jerk or hesitate when shifting gears.

Transmission fluid is the lifeblood of your car’s transmission, and if it’s consistently low you will have transmission damage eventually. It’s essential to get any leaks repaired, and to follow the recommended maintenance schedule to keep your car’s transmission in good shape.

Signs Your Manual Transmission Clutch Is Going Bad

Signs Your Manual Transmission Clutch Is Going Bad

A manual transmission clutch doesn’t have a set lifespan. Some only last 30,000 miles and others can last 100,000 miles or more. A lot of it depends on the driver, as bleeding or riding a clutch wears it down faster. You’ll see signs that your clutch is going bad and this may be the time to replace it. Advantage Auto Service recommends you look for the following things.

Odd Engine Revving

If your clutch is slipping, you will hear your car, truck, or SUV’s engine rev yet you won’t move forward or you’ll only move forward slowly. This is because the clutch is struggling to create the friction it needs to turn what’s called the flywheel. This causes your motor to rev because you’ve got your foot on the gas but your vehicle to remain still because the clutch hasn’t engaged the transmission like should.

You might also hear what sounds like revving when your vehicle is in neutral. A sign that your clutch’s input shaft bearing has worn out is a noisy engine before you put your automobile into gear and then a normal-sounding engine once it is in gear. The noise will quiet once you depress the clutch pedal, so if it sounds as if your engine is revving or louder in neutral, you might have problems with your clutch.

Grinding

Until you get used to your manual transmission, including the clutch, you might grind gears. Once you learn where the clutch-catch is, you’ll shift between gears smoothly and without noise. If your manual transmission begins grinding between gears even though you’re a smooth-shifting king or queen, your clutch’s pressure plate, release mechanism, or throwout bearing might need to be replaced.

Gears Don’t Catch

Finally, if you find you cannot get your vehicle into gear or get the gears to catch as you switch between gears, your clutch probably needs to be replaced. It’s also possible it just needs to be adjusted, as sometimes a loose clutch will prevent an automobile from going into gear. If your clutch pedal squeaks when you depress it, it also needs to be lubricated, so bring your vehicle in for a clutch service.

Advantage Auto Service offers preventative maintenance and auto repairs to our customers in the greater Atlanta, GA, area. If your clutch is acting funny or exhibiting any of the above signs, can call us to set up an inspection. We’ll give your clutch and manual transmission a thorough once-over and recommend the appropriate maintenance and/or repairs.