The transmission system is one of the most important components of your vehicle. If transmission fails, you will have to spend thousands of dollars to fix it. However, you can save most of your money by detecting the signs of a failing transmission ahead of time. That’s why we thought of sharing the most common signs of a failing transmission. If you notice one or more of these signs, make sure to drive your car to an expert mechanic immediately.
Slipping gears
Slipping gears is one of the most common issues of a failing transmission. It is quite alarming and scary to notice how your gears are slipping impulsively. You should never continue to drive under such conditions. Otherwise, you may end up with fatal accidents on the road.
Along with slipping gears, you will also hear revving engines along with gear changes. This experience would be similar to driving on top of ice. In other words, you will not have any traction on the road at all. Along with slipping gears, you may also experience strange noises and delays in acceleration. On top of that, you may also experience a harsh response when you are trying to shift gears. No matter what, you must get in touch with a mechanic immediately.
Transmission fluid leaks
Do you experience fluid leaks from the transmission system? This is one of the easiest ways to identify a failing transmission. However, you need to have a clear understanding of how to differentiate transmission fluids from other fluids. Transmission fluid usually has a red colour and a sweet smell. You will be able to see this in the parking lot or in your garage where you park the car. Whenever you see this liquid, you need to get the help of a mechanic. Then you can fix the fluid leak and save your transmission system from further damage.
Grinding or whining noises from gears
You will hear grinding or whining noises in vehicles with both automatic and manual transmissions. If you are driving a manual, this happens due to a failing clutch. Hence, you need to go ahead with a clutch replacement.
But in vehicles with automatic transmission, grinding sounds are one of the signs of a failing transmission. When you are shifting gears, the clutch would experience continuous wear and tear. Along with time, it will lead the clutch to slip. This slip is associated with a whining or grinding sound. You can only hear it when you are shifting gears.
When the clutch is slipping, you will not have proper control over the gear that you are driving in. Only an expert mechanic will be able to inspect your vehicle and help with fixing this issue.
Delayed gear engagement
Your gears should shift quickly and seamlessly in the ideal world. But when there is a delay, you need to identify that something is wrong with it. You will mostly be able to identify this issue when you are trying to put the car in park. It can also happen when you shift into drive mode from the park. If your car is not taking off immediately after taking off your foot from the brake pedal, you need to drive directly to a garage.
You get a burning smell
You never expect to notice a burning smell when you are driving your vehicle. But when you notice one, it can be due to transmission overheating. Here, the transmission fluid of your vehicle is responsible for giving the burning smell. There is no need to panic, but you need to confirm that it is not something from any other component. Then you can drive to an expert mechanic and inspect the transmission system.
Difficulty shifting gears
Apart from delayed gear responses, you may also experience difficulties in shifting gears. This is obviously an issue with the transmission system. In fact, this issue usually happens when the transmission fluid is low. However, you will not be able to inspect it on your own. That’s where you must get the help of a mechanic.
Transmission shudder or vibration
Do you experience vibrations when shifting or when you are in certain gears? This can be a dead giveaway. Numerous factors can lead you to this problem. Internal mechanical components refusing to change gears is one common reason. No matter what the reason is, you need to fix it immediately. Otherwise, you may even have to bear the cost of a complete engine rebuild.
You see a transmission warning light on the dashboard
The “Check Engine” light on your dashboard can light up due to a transmission issue as well. This light comes on when there is a major issue in your vehicle. An early sign of a failing transmission can be one of the reasons behind the light.
An expert mechanic will be able to scan your vehicle to confirm what exactly the issue is. You just need to drive your car to a garage. Then the mechanic will connect the vehicle to an OBD scanner and get the problem code. Based on the problem code, your mechanic will go ahead with fixing the issue.
Your car is noisy in neutral gear
One of the common manual transmission problems you will have to experience would be noisy gear. While your gear is on neutral, you will hear bumping or similar noises. You often get this noise due to problematic transmission fluid. Therefore, you will need to proceed with replacing it.
It is important to be extra careful when changing transmission fluid as well. If you overfill, you will end up causing more damage to transmission parts and components. When you don’t want to encounter other gearbox issues, you need to stick to an expert mechanic.
Dragging clutch
When the clutch is dragging, it will fail to disengage the disk from the flywheel. As a result, you will make the gears of your vehicle crash while changing them. This problem can usually happen due to mechanical failure. For example, torque converter problems can make your clutch drag. Mechanics also say that clutch misplacement can make you end up with this issue. The best thing is to go for an expert inspection of the clutch and figure out what exactly the issue is.
Transmission won’t go to a specific gear
Along with slipping gear, you will notice that the transmission won’t go into a specific gear. This issue can happen due to a broken gear. Such automatic transmission problems arise due to worn-out or bent gear teeth. While trying to understand slipping gears, your mechanic will pay attention to symptoms like this as well. Then it is possible to pinpoint and figure out what exactly is causing the problem. It provides you with a cost-effective way to go ahead with repairing your transmission.
Final Words
No matter what sign you face, you need to identify the exact reason behind it. It will help you with early detection of problems. One of the best tips you can follow as a vehicle owner is to seek immediate assistance upon noticing these signs. Only an experienced and skilled mechanic can identify the exact problem and help you with fixing it.
If you are searching for a mechanic in Brisbane to diagnose these transmission issues, you can contact SNC Automotive. With the latest tools and technologies, we can identify transmission issues of all vehicles. Whether you are driving a vehicle with a manual transmission or automatic transmission, you can connect with us. We will not just help you with identifying what the underlying issue is. Our experts will go ahead and fix the issue for you as well. Feel free to contact us and bring your vehicle immediately upon noticing any of these signs.