Many people never notice their transmission until it begins to give them trouble. Often, people do not even know what a transmission is until they have to take their car to an auto repair shop and then they’re surprised when they need transmission repair. When you have a car, you should have at least a little bit of an understand of its parts. That way you can handle problems as they arise and save yourself money and grief.
The transmission is what sends power from the engine to your wheels. Every automobile has a certain Revolutions Per Minute or RPM that it runs best at and the transmission makes sure that the wheels stay within that range. Transmissions have different gears, high and low, that change how fast the engine and the wheels move. There is also reverse and neutral. In park, a lock slides into a shaft and keeps the wheels from rolling.
Many components make up a transmission. Some new transmissions have over 300 parts and that leaves a lot of room for something to go wrong. There are planetary gear sets, which are mechanical systems that let you move your car forward or backwards. A hydraulic system is what uses transmission fluid that is kept under pressure by the oil pump.
The pump pushes the fluid through the valve body into the clutches and bands, which control the gear sets. There are also gaskets and seals in a transmission that keep the oil from leaking out. Torque converters act like clutches and are let you stop your car while keeping your engine running. There is also a governor and throttle cable or modulator.
These parts keep track of your speed and the position of the throttle, and then decide when to shift gears. Newer cars have this controlled by a computer. Some problems are easy to spot before they get worse. If there is a persistent leak of red oil and you know it’s coming from your car, you should stop at your mechanic.
Simply tell your mechanic that you have red oil leaking from your transmission or your power steering system. If it’s just a few drops, it can easily be fixed and you can postpone transmission repair if you check fluid levels often. Remember that a transmission should shift smoothly and quietly, so if you hear noises or the shifting is erratic, have it checked. Whining noises in your floorboards is a definite transmission repair job for the auto repair shop.
When you take your car in, it can be hard to tell them what is wrong. For example, if you are hearing a whining coming from under your floorboards, you could hop online and do a few minutes of research to find out what could cause that. Then you tell your mechanic you suspect your transmission may be the cause. If you don’t have the time, you could simply tell your mechanic that as you were driving you began to hear a whining sound.
Mention that it’s coming from the floorboards and sounds like a herd of mosquitoes, or anything else that might help. If your car is giving you a hard time when you try to shift gears, explain the problem as best you can. Make a mental note of the speed you were going and whether you were idling or not. Whether it felt that the gears jumped or jerked could be valuable information to help your mechanic get to the root of the problem.
Eagle Transmission and auto repair in Rowlett Texas offers the best Rowlett auto repair available. We always do a free computer diagnosis of your transmission before any repairs are started. Call us at 972-412-0242 – http://www.eagletransrowlett.com