No need to stop reading this blog post if you drive a stick. These are signs your manual transmission needs a service as well. Still, more drivers on the road today drive automatics; so much so, some automobile manufacturers have stopped producing vehicles with manual transmissions. Is your transmission on the verge of failing? DOC Auto suggests you look for these four signs.
1. Gear Slips
You control the gear shifts with a manual transmission, but an automatic transmission shifts gears for you when necessary. You can still tell, however, if a gear shift doesn’t seem right. If you notice that your automatic transmission seems to shift gears when it shouldn’t or it slips out of gear into neutral or a lower gear, your transmission is going bad and needs to be serviced. It shouldn’t slip out of or between gears. Once in gear, the transmission should stay in that gear until it’s time to shift into the next gear.
2. Rough Gear Shifts
As your automatic transmission cycles through the gears while you pick up speed, each gear shift should be seamless. You shouldn’t feel your transmission fighting from one gear to the next nor should you have trouble putting it into Drive, Neutral, or Park. Rough gear shifts in both automatic and manual transmissions are signs of trouble. It could be something as simple as low transmission fluid, but it could also be a sign that your transmission is failing and you’re on the road toward a total replacement.
3. Delayed Gear Shifts
Your vehicle’s transmission should immediately go into Drive from Park once you’ve directed it to do so using the gear stick. It should also shift from first to second to third and so on without delay once you hit the speed for which the gear shift is preferable. As with rough gear shifts, any delays in shifting into gear are a sign of transmission trouble. Your vehicle should shift gears without issue and without any noticeable delay. If your vehicle lurches during gear shifts, this, too, means there’s a problem.
4. Fluid Leaks
Finally, if you notice drops of fluid on your garage floor that are more toward the center of your car than the front, your transmission is probably leaking oil. Transmission oil is pink to red when it’s clean. If the fluid is dark red or black, you have a huge problem if it’s transmission oil because the oil is sealed away and should never change colors. Darker fluid suggests it’s burning, which means your transmission parts are overheating. Transmission fluid leaks should be repaired ASAP, as low fluid damages your tranny.
Located in Fredericksburg, VA, DOC Auto services, repairs, and replaces transmission. Call us to set up an appointment for a transmission inspection at 540-469-1773.