Nick's Auto Blog

Hello, my name is Nick. This is my new auto blog. Have you ever wondered about how you can improve the look and functioning of your auto? If so you are in the right place. I live in a large house in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia and my house has as many garage parking spots as it does rooms. And believe me, it has a lot of rooms. I like to collect classic cars and then work on them to restore them to their former glory. In doing this, I have learnt lots of cool tricks. I would like to share some of these tricks with you here.

Know the Signs of a Faulty Automatic Gearbox

Automotive Blog

Gears and gearboxes are reliable devices or features in your car. While automatic transmission may offer you greater reliability because of improvements in their operations and design, they are bound to develop problems sometimes. Effects of the mode of operation or unforeseen interactions of the transmission systems are usually some of the main courses of these problems rather than the faults of the gear itself. Therefore, being a very crucial system in your vehicle, it's important to understand some of the signs and symptoms of your automatic gearbox failures. Here are some of the signs that you shouldn't ignore. 

Slippage

If your automatic gearbox has a problem, you are likely to experience slippage. There are various indicators of a slipping transmission. For a slipping transmission, you will feel your gear changing for no apparent reason. Since an automatic transmission changes the gear ratios automatically as you drive, you may not easily tell a slipping gear. For this reason, you will be able to easily tell that your automatic gear is slipping when you try to accelerate but only remain at the same speed.

Another sign that's often related to slippage is rough shifts. Some of the signs of rough shifts include vibrations when your vehicle is changing gear and difficulties getting up to speed.

Delayed Engagement

Delayed engagement is also another sign of a faulty automatic gearbox. For a delayed engagement, you will notice that your vehicle is taking unusually long before engaging or shifting into another gear. For instance, when switching from "P" to "D", the transition should be smooth. You should also feel your vehicle wanting to move forward. However, if you have a faulty gearbox, you may notice a long pause before the car engages into Drive. In addition, you may feel your vehicle rev your engine as you accelerate.

Leaks

Checking your transmission fluid levels is another quick way to troubleshoot your automatic gearbox. Transmissions are often sealed well and therefore shouldn't leak any fluid. If you have been noticing leak spots on your garage floor and driveway, find out whether they are active leaks by laying a cardboard down the middle and front of your car to determine that. If they are, check the level of your transmission fluid by simply pulling out the transmission dipstick, wiping it off and reinserting it. Leave it for some time about half an hour or so and repeat the process. If the level is lower than before, you might need to have the leak patched and your transmission fluid replenished.

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24 March 2016