Your transmission is an essential part of your vehicle and one that most people overlook. After all, you check your oil and water regularly, but do you ever look at your transmission? When it starts to go wrong you’ll going to find it difficult to drive your car, it can even cause it to fail completely.
The most important thing you can do is have your car regularly serviced at a reputable garage. Prevention is definitely better than cure. But if you do start to notice issues with your transmission you should click here to speak to an expert who can help you.
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Of course, you need to be aware of the most common symptoms of transmission trouble:
1. Grinding Noise
You’re probably familiar with the grinding noise your car makes when you fail to change gear smoothly. If you’re operating the clutch properly or have an automatic transmission and you hear this noise then you have an issue.
It’s possible the transmission fluid is simply low but it’ more likely to be an issue with the cogs wearing out.
Of course, any unusual noise coming from the engine or transmission should be checked out as quickly as possible.
2. Burning Smell
A burning smell is never a good thing, it means that parts are getting too hot, suggesting insufficient lubrication in your gearbox. This then causes parts to rub together, creating friction, the burning smell, and prematurely wearing out your gearbox.
3. Engine Check Light
There are many reasons why your check engine light may come on, the transmission is just one of them. The important thing is to have the car checked as soon as it comes on, even if it appears to be running fine. It can save you expensive issues in the future.
4. Loss Of Power
If your car appears to be losing power then you may have a problem with the engine or the gearbox may no longer be working properly. As it transfers the power of the engine to the wheels, any loss of transmission efficiency will show as a reduction in power.
In short, if you notice power is down, get your vehicle checked, you need to know what the issue is even if it’s not the transmission.
5. Delayed Engagement
On a manual car, you’ll notice the car is struggling to go into gear or it clunks as you bring the clutch up. An automatic transmission will simply pause before changing gear. Both of these suggest that the transmission is struggling and needs an overhaul.
Your transmission box is complex, especially in an automatic car. It consists of lots of cogs carefully positioned to interact with each other and provide the power you need at your wheels. Lack of lubrication or simply excess use will cause these components to wear and work less efficiently. That’s when you start to have transmission problems and you need to seek professional help quickly.
The earlier you speak to your garage the better the chance of saving or repairing your transmission, it can be very expensive to replace it.
