{"id":254,"date":"2021-11-30T02:02:27","date_gmt":"2021-11-30T02:02:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bmtech.com.au\/transmission-repairs-get-your-shift-together-before-its-too-late\/"},"modified":"2022-10-28T14:06:31","modified_gmt":"2022-10-28T03:06:31","slug":"transmission-repairs-get-your-shift-together-before-its-too-late","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bmtech.com.au\/transmission-repairs-get-your-shift-together-before-its-too-late\/","title":{"rendered":"Transmission Repair: Get Your Shift Together Before It\u2019s Too Late"},"content":{"rendered":"

You reverse out of your driveway, try to shift gears and you hear a horrible clunking, grinding noise. Maybe you\u2019re driving along and the engine is revving higher but you\u2019re not accelerating, then the dreaded warning light or message appears on the dash. The question now is: transmission repair, rebuild or replacement? One thing is for certain \u2013 the sooner you have the transmission inspected by a professional, the less financial damage you\u2019ll be committing yourself to.<\/p>\n

What is the transmission?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Like nearly all components in your vehicle, the transmission is something you can\u2019t do without. While the engine is responsible for generating the power that turns the wheels, the transmission is responsible for determining how much<\/em> power reaches the wheels. Without it, you\u2019d be stuck in one gear.<\/p>\n

In a manual car, you engage the clutch to disengage the transmission from the engine, allowing you to change gears. Releasing the clutch re-engages the transmission and the engine, allowing power to flow through to the wheels once again.<\/p>\n

In an automatic car, a torque converter is used to determine when to shift gears so it moves to higher gears as you accelerate and lower gears when you slow down.<\/p>\n

As you can see, it\u2019s an important piece of machinery. Now let\u2019s take a look at why it might be making that horrible clunking noise when you go to change gears.<\/p>\n

Why might you need transmission repair?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Not enough transmission fluid<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A transmission needs fluid for lubrication as well as hydraulic power. Without transmission fluid, it can\u2019t operate within the right temperature or facilitate gear shifts. If the fluid level is low, the transmission won\u2019t be adequately lubricated, and all those moving parts are going to reach extremely high temperatures due to all the friction and eventually seize up. The good news is that transmission fluid generally lasts for around 100,000 km.<\/p>\n

Fluid leak<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Ever walked out to your car and seen a small river of red liquid snaking its way from underneath? This is the transmission fluid, and you have a leak. Obviously, this leads to the same issues as mentioned above. Unfortunately, topping up the fluid level won\u2019t fix the problem. The leak must be found and sealed.<\/p>\n

Blocked filter<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As good as lubricating fluids are, wherever there are moving parts, there will eventually be debris. This could be dirt from the surrounding environment or smalls flakes of metal grinded off the components themselves. Filters are used to catch this debris. If they become clogged, fluid can no longer flow through them easily and \u2013 you guessed it \u2013 the issues from a lack of lubrication arise. Thankfully, changing a filter isn\u2019t a big expense, as long as you get to it before further damage is caused to the transmission itself.<\/p>\n

How do I know if I need transmission repair?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Picking up on transmission issues early is the key to keeping the expense down. So, what are the tell-tale signs?<\/p>\n