Your car needs a functional transmission to take all that power the engine creates and use it to apply force to the wheels and get the car moving. If your transmission is having trouble, you’re not going much anywhere. Here’s what Kauai Auto Repair wants you to be aware of so that you can spot transmission issues more quickly. That always translates to a faster and smaller repair.
You Can’t Shift up or Down
When your transmission is working perfectly, you’re not likely to notice much about what it’s doing or how it’s making that happen. But the instant that you can’t shift, whether that’s up or down, you’ve got a problem. It’s never a good idea to force the car into gear, but this is definitely a sign of transmission trouble.
The Car Hesitates While Shifting
Sometimes you might not have as obvious a problem. If you start to feel your car hesitating or jolting forward when it should be smoothly changing gears, you do still need to figure out what’s going on. It’s possible that there’s just a problem with the transmission fluid, but the problem could be a bigger one.
You Smell Burnt Transmission Fluid or Find a Leak
Transmission fluid shouldn’t be outside of your car unless there’s a leak, and that’s a problem. You’ll usually see transmission fluid leaking toward the back of the car, unlike most other fluids. Also, it’s very possible that you have a leak that you don’t see, because the fluid falls onto other hot parts of the car. If that’s the case, you might smell a burnt chemical smell instead of finding a puddle.
The Transmission Is Loud
A failing transmission is not quiet about it, that’s for sure. If you’re hearing a lot of grinding or whining sounds as the transmission tries to do its job, that’s something that needs to be investigated. Sometimes when the transmission is making the most noise can offer big clues.
You’ve Got the Check Engine Light Glowing
As always, the check engine light is your car’s onboard computer alerting you to something really important. In the case of your car’s transmission, the check engine light is letting you know that the damage is to the point that the issues in the transmission are going to start affecting the engine itself. And that’s a doubly big repair you need to avoid if possible.
Don’t let your transmission issues get you down. Kauai Auto Repair in Lihue, HI can help. Contact us today and we’ll set up an appointment to inspect your transmission and get the repairs going.
