Replacing your car's transmission will typically cost you at least several thousand dollars, if not a whole lot more. This is why you should try not to leave any transmission troubles unattended for any length of time. You can prevent these types of problems by keeping an eye out for some of the first signs that suggest your car's transmission may be about to fail. In this article, we discuss the most common signs that'll show your vehicle may be suffering from transmission issues.
If you notice any of these issues, you should attend to them immediately to prevent any further damage to your car.
Trouble Shifting Gears
When you're driving your car under normal circumstances, your transmission should move from one gear to the next without you really noticing. But when your transmission is starting to fail, you may find you'll struggle to shift from one gear to the next. In some cases, you may be able to fix this by replacing the transmission fluid and making sure you use the correct product for your car. However, it may also be a sign of a much more serious problem that can eventually lead to the complete failure of your vehicle's transmission.
Slipping Gears
When your vehicle's transmission reaches the appropriate gear while you're driving, it should stay there, but it won't be able to do this if the gears slip. Slipping gears will cause your engine to rev loudly even when it isn't engaged and will cause them to disengage from the gear it should be in. Your engine will then engage again, but it'll often result in your car lunging forward for a moment before you can bring it to a stop. If you frequently permit the gears in a transmission to slip, you risk significantly damaging it.
Strange Sounds While Shifting
Generally speaking, you shouldn't hear any sounds at all when your transmission is shifting. So, if you hear grinding or clunking sounds coming from your transmission's direction, it'll indicate a problem. The internal clutch systems in automatic transmissions have a tendency to break down over time. There are also other parts inside a transmission that can wear out and cause strange sounds. It would be worth investigating these sounds to see where they stem from. In certain circumstances, you may only need a quick fix, but in others, you may require a completely new transmission.
Noises While in Neutral
Do you regularly hear a whining sound emanating from your transmission while your car is in neutral? There's a chance that this sound will be considerably worse than those we just mentioned. Some people simply hope that it'll go away, but this noise frequently appears as a serious problem in the transmission develops. You don't want your transmission to make any noise while it's in neutral.
Shaking or Vibrating Car
It isn't uncommon at all for a vehicle with a manual transmission to shake and vibrate a little. But if your car has an automatic transmission and it's shaking and vibrating all the time, it signifies an issue you'll have to address. As your transmission switches gears, you shouldn't feel a single thing. We advise that you have a mechanic inspect your transmission to determine what the cause of the shaking and vibration may be.
Burning Smells
Pulling over immediately is best if you ever smell something burning in your vehicle when on the road. Your car is likely overheating and will need to cool off and get repaired. Your transmission isn't the only thing that can overheat, but if it has old or little to no transmission fluid in it, it'll get too hot and begin to overheat.
If you don't stop driving a car with a transmission that smells like it's burning, you'll run the risk of burning the transmission out. And you'll also run the risk of starting a fire under your car's hood. This fire can escalate and quickly create a very dangerous situation, placing you and other road users or passengers in harm's way.
Leaking Fluid
Have you ever noticed a bright red fluid leaking from somewhere underneath your car? There's a good chance this is going to be transmission fluid. There are other fluids, like power steering fluid, that can also be red. But you can differentiate them based on the translucency and the sweet smell of transmission fluid. Leaking transmission fluid is serious and requires you to get your car repaired immediately.
Your car's transmission can leak from a few different places, including the pan, the pan gasket, and possibly even the hoses. You may prevent being caught driving around in a vehicle with insufficient transmission fluid by replacing the leaking components.
Check Engine Light
When the check engine light in your car comes on, it should be a sign that you need to take immediate action. You'll have to take your car to a dealership as soon as possible so they can determine what caused the check engine light to turn on. It can be any number of things, from a loose gas gap to a faulty transmission. If something is wrong with your transmission, you'll want to know about it sooner rather than later. It's why you shouldn't ever ignore it when the check engine light comes on.
Trust Us To Fix Your Transmission Problems
Has your transmission recently started to give you trouble? Transmission problems shouldn't be left unattended for too long because they jeopardize the safety of your entire vehicle. Apple Nissan can help you put all your transmission troubles in the past when you bring your vehicle to our service center. Our highly skilled technicians will analyze your car's transmission and determine what's wrong with it before setting out to fix it using only state-of-the-art equipment. Contact us today to schedule an appointment so you can stop spending so much time worrying about your transmission.
Automatic Car Transmission by Dejan Krsmanovic  is licensed with CC BY 2.0
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