5 Reasons Your Transmission Needs to Be Serviced

While many drivers prefer an automatic transmission to take care of the gear shifting for them, it's a vital part of your car that can potentially break down. These are 5 reasons why your car's transmission could be having trouble.

Not Enough Transmission Fluid

One of the most common problems with a transmission is not having enough transmission fluid for it to operate properly. Low fluid can cause the transmission to slip, delay when the gears shift, create shifting that is erratic or hard, or cause the transmission to potentially overheat.

The solution is to simply add more transmission fluid, and to catch the problem early before it causes more damage

Transmission Fluid Leak

A transmission fluid leak will have the same symptoms as having low fluid, but adding more fluid will not fix the problem. A leak can happen due to a damaged gasket, oil pan, cooler line, O-ring, filter tube, or solenoid.

These repairs are simple, and typically do not require removing your transmission to fix them.

Overfilled Transmission

If you added too much transmission fluid it will cause some problems in the transmission such as foaming, shifting problems, and gear slipping. The increased pressure from the foam may cause damage to the transmission's internal seals and cause a fluid leak.

This problem requires manually draining the transmission fluid until it returns to safe levels.

Dirty Transmission Fluid

Having dirty transmission fluid causes similar symptoms to having a transmission fluid leak. It can happen from a clogged filter, a transmission that has overheated, or not properly servicing a transmission.

A mechanic will flush the entire system of transmission fluid so that it can be replaced. Filter replacement will also be necessary since it is most likely dirty.

Slipping Transmission

You may notice that your car's engine is revving higher than it normally does while also not accelerating at the appropriate speed. There may also be issues with gear changes being delayed or sluggish, or the transmission itself overheating. These are signs of a transmission that is slipping. It can be caused by not having enough fluid, dirty fluid, failed solenoids, or an overfilled transmission.

This problem will require a professional diagnosis to locate the true cause of the problem. Since the work is more intensive to diagnose, you will need to pay for the diagnosis.

If you notice any of these 5 problems, have your car looked at by a professional like Felix Auto Repair & Towing immediately. Fixing the problem early will prevent more damage from happening to the transmission.

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