The transmission is part of your vehicle’s power train which consists of the engine, transmission, drive shaft, differential, and axles. Special gearing in the transmission divides down the engine’s RPM (rotations per minute) into a suitable turning rate for the tires. With different gears, your engine can always operate in its most efficient and powerful range of RPM regardless of how fast of slow you’re driving.
Pacific Automotive has specialists in transmission repair, maintenance, and replacement to keep your car or truck on the road and performing at its best.
Modern Transmissions
Over the years fewer and fewer vehicles come equipped with manual transmissions, and automatics have become more and more complicated. Did you know that an automatic transmission was considered “standard equipment” before turn signals were? Today’s automatics are are a complex combination of gears, hydraulics, valves, cooling features, electronic solenoids, sensors, and even their own computer. So you’ll want all work, even routine maintenance, to be performed by an up to date mechanic with access to all the manufacturer’s information and updates.
Transmission Maintenance
A transmission can be just as complex as the engine, yet few people give much thought to its maintenance. That’s a big mistake, as like most other things it’s far less expensive to prevent transmission repairs in the first place.
So they’re an important part of the manufacturer’s scheduled maintenance and inspections. It’s necessary to follow that schedule to maintain the warranty, and to keep your vehicle safe and reliable after that. You’ll save money in the long run with fewer repairs and a longer vehicle lifetime. Like oil in the engine, transmission fluid is the key to proper operation and cooling, otherwise excessive wear will lead to early failure. But changing that fluid is more complicated, requiring a hoist plus some training in inspection and adjustments. There’s also a fluid filter, but it’s inside the transmission!
Transmission Repairs
Whenever your car or truck is still drivable, it’s tempting to avoid the interruption to your life and just keep using your vehicle. But that just delays the inevitable and almost always results in more damage and a much more expensive transmission repair. So stop by for a check if you notice anything different in the way your auto behaves. Here are some symptoms to pay attention to:
- the check engine light may also indicate a transmission problem
- the vehicle won’t move even though the engine is running, the emergency brake is off, and it should be “in gear”
- sluggishness or lack of power
- a reddish fluid leak
- uneven acceleration or deceleration, including “slipping,” loosing power between shifts, or a hard or sudden upshift or downshift
- prolonged or delayed gear changes
- delays in shifting into reverse or overdrive (top gear), or not shifting into these at all
- unusual sounds such as rattles, clunks, whining, or grinding
- a burning smell
A well-trained mechanic will carefully listen to your description of symptoms )and perhaps do their own test drive), check the engine codes, and perform specific tests. Based on all this, vehicle manuals and manufacturer’s notifications, and their own experience the auto mechanic will make a diagnosis and give you a transmission repair cost estimate. Repair could be anything from a quick adjustment to a complete transmission rebuild.
Transmission Rebuilds
Often what seems like a major problem can be fixed with just a simple sensor replacement, adjustment, or low-cost transmission repair. But sometimes a major overhaul, that is to say a transmission rebuild, is required. Replacing the transmission is another option. But keep in mind that there’s no such thing as a new replacement. Even at dealerships the replacement will be a “remanufactured” unit. These do have a longer warranty, but are simply rebuilt at their factory or special facility. Such replacements are quicker (a local rebuild can take from several days to a week), but are much more expensive.
A transmission rebuild involves removing it from the vehicle, then nearly completely disassembling it. All parts subject to wear or aging, such as seals, o-rings, bands, valves, gaskets, clutch assemblies, and more are replaced as the transmission is reassembled. In some cases there are upgraded parts so that you end up with something better than the original.
Pacific Automotive
We’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have, so give us a call or just drop by for a visit with our transmission repair, rebuild, and replacement specialists. We’re here to meet all of your automotive needs with ASE certified master mechanics and personal attention for guaranteed satisfaction.