To prevent problems with the automatic transmission, bring your vehicle to our shop every 30,000 miles for an automatic transmission service. The manual transmission also needs to be serviced every 30,000 miles. This service allows us to inspect the transmission and replace any worn parts. It also gives us a chance to replace the old transmission fluid with new fluid that is ready to protect the transmission. Here are signs that your automatic transmission is going bad.
Slips Into Neutral
If your vehicle suddenly loses power and the RPMs increase substantially, it’s probable that your transmission has just slipped into neutral by itself. An inability to remain in gear is a sign that the transmission is going bad and needs to be repaired.
Won’t Shift Gears
The transmission may also refuse to shift the gears in the gear cycle. In addition, it may skip some of the gears. Unfortunately, you may not be able to drive your automobile if the transmission will not shift out of first gear. You may have to drive slowly if it gets stuck in a higher gear.
Unresponsiveness
Your transmission definitely needs repair if it becomes unresponsive. This means the transmission will not go into gear at all. Unfortunately, this is a sign of a serious problem.
Leaking Red Fluid
If the transmission is not serviced, it can also start to leak transmission fluid. Transmission fluid is red. It will turn brown as it gets older if you don’t have it changed. The transmission fluid can leak out of various parts in the transmission system including the torque converter.
Burning/Hot Odors
If the transmission fluid is leaking out of the transmission, the transmission will get too hot. As such, you will smell burning odors coming from underneath your automobile. We can find the transmission leak and repair it to prevent the transmission from overheating.
Grinds/Clunks
Sometimes, the automatic transmission will give you an audible warning that it needs to be serviced or repaired. If it is grinding the gears, clunking when you put it into gear, humming, or squealing, bring your vehicle to our shop right away.
Shakes/Vibrates
Finally, the transmission may shift gears roughly and make your vehicle shake or vibrate at every gear shift. The only thing you should be able to feel when the transmission shifts gears is the difference in the engine’s RPMs. Anything else is a problem.
We are here to help, so call us today if you have not had your automatic transmission serviced in 30,000 miles. We would be happy to inspect the transmission and repair any problems.