4 Common Causes of Transmission Failure

Transmission trouble can present in many ways, including hard shifting, delayed shifting, no shifting or audible grinding noises that occur while shifting. These issues should never be ignored, as doing so will only allow them to get worse. You may be curious though, what's causing these transmission problems? Truth be told, the cause of many issues will fall into one of the following categories. What is most important though, is that you get to a transmission repair shop as soon as a problem occurs, or else you may end up needing a transmission replacement.

Lack of Maintenance

If you don't change the oil in your car's engine, it's going to end up damaged due to increased friction between its moving parts. Maintenance, such as changing oil, belts and hoses, is critical to engine health. The same can be said about the transmission, though its maintenance needs come around far less often. When your vehicle is due for transmission service be sure to have it done, or it will end up needing repair.

Transmission Fluid Leak

Have you spotted a red liquid dripping from your vehicle? This is most likely transmission fluid, though differential fluid does look similar. A lack of transmission fluid can result in a number of different problems for the transmission, all of which ultimately result in the inability to shift through the gears at all.

Leaving your Hand on the Shifter

Believe it or not, leaving your hand on the shifter, whether automatic or manual, can cause big trouble for the transmission. Even a light resting of the hand can put pressure on the shifter, which can cause misalignment within the gears and other components of the transmission. This of course will result in excessive friction, which will wear away at the transmission's inner components.

Solenoid Failure

The transmission solenoid receives signals from the car's computer that tells it when to shift, how fast to shift, when it should not shift and so on. This part moves 100s or even 1000s of times per second, so the wear that it suffers can be grand. If you experience strange shifting patterns, are unable to get into gear, notice shifting delays or suffer from slipping or flaring shifts, it may be time for transmission solenoid replacement.

These issues can often be resolved, if caught quickly. If you ignore problems with the transmission, you may end up needing a transmission replacement. If the latter is the case and you need to order a rebuilt transmission online, reach out to Total Transmission Supply. We offer professionally rebuilt transmissions for GM, Dodge and Ford products. To learn more, or to order a rebuilt transmission that can be shipped across the country, give us a call toll free at (855) 907-0390 today.

Total Transmission Supply Blog

Written and Published By MORBiZ