If your automatic transmission is doing any of the things listed below, drive straight to Scotty’s Automotive if you can. If the transmission is acting up severely, we recommend you have your vehicle towed to our shop instead. Continuing to drive the vehicle could cause additional and unnecessary damage to the transmission. Let’s talk more about transmission problems below.
Burning Up
The transmission can overheat if the fluid is too low or if it is dirty and old. Changing the transmission fluid every 30,000 miles always ensures you have clean transmission fluid in the automatic transmission that is ready to protect it and help it shift gears.
Gear Problems
Speaking of shifting gears, if the transmission starts to have problems shifting the gears, have it inspected immediately. Signs that the transmission is going bad include hesitation to shift the gears, skipping gears, and slipping out of gear into neutral.
Leaking Fluid
The transmission may also start to leak fluid if it needs to be serviced or repaired. There are several places in the transmission from where the fluid can leak. These places include the hoses, seals, gaskets, torque converter, and the transmission pan.
Strange Noises
Strange noises coming from the transmission are also a sign that it is going bad. Your transmission should never clunk into gear or clunk when it shifts gears. It also shouldn’t squeal or grind. It definitely should not hum while it is in neutral.
Strange Shaking
The strange noises may be accompanied by strange shaking when the transmission shifts gears. Your vehicle should not shudder at each gearshift. Rather, everything should go smoothly when the transmission shifts gears.
Unresponsiveness
If you ignore the problems listed above, the transmission will eventually become unresponsive. You won’t be able to drive your automobile because you won’t be able to get it into gear. Even if you do get into gear, the transmission may refuse to shift through the gear cycle. This is a sign that your transmission requires immediate attention.
Check Engine Light
Finally, all of these things may be accompanied by a check engine warning on the dashboard. The engine control unit may receive an error code from a transmission system sensor. If the unit cannot resolve the problem itself, it will turn on the check engine light.
Call Scotty’s Automotive in Montague, NJ, today to schedule an appointment for your vehicle’s automatic transmission if it has not been serviced in over 30,000 miles.
