In most passenger cars and trucks sold in the United States, there are two types of transmissions. If you need to use a clutch, and shift through each gear, you have a manual transmission. If you simply shift the into drive, reverse, and park, then your car has an automatic transmission. When everything is working well, drivers rarely notice their transmissions. When something out of the ordinary takes place, drivers notice in a hurry. Those are the times drivers should consider auto transmission service near Taylorsville.

Slippage: Automatic Transmission

As an automatic transmission shifts forward, drivers should feel the car steadily engage the next gear. Take note if there is any hesitation during the shifting process. If the engine revs higher, but the transmission fails to advance, you’re experiencing transmission slippage. In an automatic transmission, slippage may have many different causes. The most common cause is low transmission fluid. The level should be checked regularly.

Slippage: Manual Transmission

Once the driver has fully released the clutch, and the vehicle is firmly shifted into gear, a manual transmission should not slip. Slippage can only be caused by an excessively worn clutch. Once a clutch begins to slip, the problem will get progressively worse. The issue will be more prevalent in the lower gears such as first or second. During this time, the greatest amount of pressure is on the clutch disc. Eventually, the engine will just rev higher, and the vehicle will no longer move forward. The clutch must be replaced.

Missing a Gear

This issue is nearly exclusive to automatic transmissions. If first gear is unavailable, the vehicle may not move forward. In some models, the vehicle may still advance, but the car will start to move forward in second gear. This would result in a much slower advancement. It would feel as if there is an unseen force pushing against the vehicle. A similar experience and feeling would occur if your transmission skips second gear. Initial advancement would be quick, and steady. Once the second gear was missed, the driver would experience slower than normal advancement. If third gear is missing, the engine will rev too high at highway speeds. This will result in excessive heat inside the transmission. Too much heat can lead to total transmission failure. You will also notice an excessive use of fuel.

Seek Service

In a nutshell, if a driver notices anything out of the ordinary with their vehicle’s transmission, that driver may need auto transmission service near Taylorsville.