Your automobile’s transmission should be serviced every 30,000 miles or when your vehicle manufacturer recommends it. If it has been longer than that since your last service, you may be on the road to transmission problems. Meadows Automotive lists below the signs that your transmission is going bad and needs servicing.
If your car, truck, or utility vehicle is struggling to change gears, you’ve got a transmission problem. It could be that the transmission fluid is low or you have the wrong transmission fluid in the system. Either way, your vehicle should change gears without issue. If it isn’t, there’s a problem.
If your transmission fluid is low, old, or dirty, you may notice hot smells while you’re driving. Anytime your vehicle smells hot, this could signal a dangerous situation, such as an issue with the electrical system, the fuel system, the brakes, or the transmission.
One way to see if your transmission is having problems is to put your vehicle in neutral and listen. If you hear strange humming sounds, clunking, squealing, or grinding, your transmission definitely needs to be inspected right away.
Your transmission might be shifting gears okay, but once the transmission is in gear, it may slip out of gear. You can tell that this has happened because your vehicle goes into neutral, i.e., the engine revs very high, and you suddenly lose power.
Red or brown fluid leaking from underneath your automobile more toward the center than the engine is transmission fluid. If the fluid is pink and frothy, you have transmission fluid and engine coolant mixing through a serious breach between the two systems.
You may also hear strange sounds as your transmission shifts through the gear cycle. You may hear clunking, grinding, or squealing. This is a bad sign of serious transmission problems, and you shouldn’t keep driving your car without getting the transmission inspected first.
You may also find it difficult to get your transmission out of park and into reverse or drive. If this is the case, or if the transmission makes a loud clunking noise before it goes into park or reverse, have your vehicle towed to our shop.
Meadows Automotive is the best auto shop in Waterford Township, MI, and we’d be happy to inspect your transmission if you notice any of the signs of trouble above or if your check engine light comes on.
