How Grinding And Shaking Indicate A Transmission Problem

If you are driving an automatic car, a computer will help your car shift gears at the right moment. However, if there is something wrong with the transmission, your car can experience one of several symptoms that indicate you should have your transmission inspected. You should not notice anything different regarding your car when shifting gears, so transmission problems are often easy to identify.

The Transmission is Behaving Strangely

If your car is ever shaking, especially when speeding up or slowing down, this can be a sign that there is something wrong with the transmission. The car might also jerk forward suddenly when you are shifting from park to drive.

You Hear Weird Noises

If there are strange noises coming from your car, such as a grinding noise, when you shift gears that you have never heard before, this usually indicates a problem with your transmission.

Diagnosing the Problem

The symptoms described above can also result from problems with the engine. Fortunately, when one of these problems occurs, the computer on your engine will generate error codes that can help you identify the source of the problem so you can have the transmission repaired. Grinding and shaking often results from gears that have worn out and will need to be replaced. The longer you wait to do this, the more expensive it will be to repair your transmission and you may need to have the whole device replaced.

Dirty Transmissions

The transmission could become dirty, causing the grinding or shaking. You may also notice that it is difficult to shift gears and that the transmission appears to be slipping. A dirty transmission is cleaned using a transmission flush. All of the original oil in the transmission is removed and new oil is flushed through the transmission using a special machine.

Low Transmission Fluid

If you have low transmission fluid, this can cause grinding or shaking. The good news is that it isn't expensive to have the transmission fluid replaced. The transmission fluid is red or green, so if you notice a pool of red or green liquid underneath your car, this can indicate that you have a leak that must be repaired in addition to having the transmission filled with new transmission fluid.

Clutch Problems

Sometimes, the clutch needs to be replaced or adjusted. This, and many of the other common transmission problems, will need to be handled by a qualified transmission repair technician.  

To learn more about transmission repair, visit a company like Integrity Transmission & Auto Service Center.