Transmission

We offer full service transmission repair and maintenance. Below are some signs that your transmission may need repair, or other service. If you experience any of these symptoms, please contact us for an appointment to diagnose and insure your transmission is working properly and safely.

Burning Smell

If you smell anything that resembles burning oil, it may be your transmission overheating due to low transmission fluid. Get this checked immediately as you may have a leak, or dirty transmission fluid that needs changing.

Noisy Transmission in Neutral

If you hear noises while the car is in neutral it may be a minor adjustment or something more serious like mechanical wear that will need replacement parts.

Gears Slipping

When your transmission is functioning normally the car stays in the gear you designate, or that the computer designates for a given RPM range, until you or the computer initiate a gear shift.
But on a transmission in which the gears slip, the car can spontaneously pop out of the gear it's in while driving and (in a manual) force the stick back into neutral. If you are experiencing this problem, schedule your car for transmission maintenance soon.

Leaking Fluid

Automatic transmission fluid is vital to your car's shifting capabilities, so a little fluid on your driveway can quickly turn into a major problem. Automatic transmission fluid is bright red, clear and a little sweet-smelling when everything's working correctly. When you check your automatic transmission fluid, make sure it's not a dark color and that it doesn't have a burnt smell. If it is, you'll need to take it to a mechanic and have it replaced. (Note: Faster Auto Service checks transmission fluid quality and levels with our regular oil change service).
If you have a manual transmission, checking the fluid levels may not be as easy as simply lifting the hood and reading a dipstick. Manual transmission fluid has to be checked right at the transmission case -- usually through the fill plug.

Check Engine Light

The check engine light can be a great early indicator that something is starting to go wrong with your transmission. The check engine light can come on for any number of reasons not related to your transmission as well, but don't overlook this clear warning sign.

Grinding or Shaking

Your car may respond differently when your transmission isn't working correctly if it is a manual or automatic transmission. When you fully engage the clutch, shift and then hear a grinding sound, you may have a worn clutch or you may just need to have it adjusted. Or one or more of your transmission's gear synchronizers is worn out or damaged. Grinding gears can be caused by a number of different factors.
For automatic transmissions you'll most likely feel the car shimmy into each gear, or the transmission will make a jarring transition into the next gear. Both are signs that your transmission needs attention.

Whining, Clunking and Humming

It's difficult to know exactly how your car may sound if there is transmission trouble. However, you will most likely experience sound that clearly doesn't sound right. With an automatic transmission you may hear a whining, humming or even a slight buzzing sound.
With manual transmissions if you shift gears and hear a clunking sound, then you definitely need to have it checked out.

Lack of Response

Properly functioning transmissions are designed to go into the correct gear every time. When they hesitate or refuse to go, it's a sign there's something wrong. With manual transmission you may notice after shifting into a gear that the engine will rev up, but the car won't be moving as quickly as the engine is running. This may be a worn-out clutch or more serious transmission problem.
Automatic transmissions have a similar lack-of-response problem. You will typically experience this issue while engaging the "Park" or "Drive" position. The car should shift quickly into either of these modes. If your transmission hesitates to go into either one, then it's likely there's an issue with the transmission.
Refuses to go into gear (manual or transmission)

If your transmission refuses to go in gear when you depress the clutch at any time in any gear you may be experiencing low transmission fluid, wrong viscosity of fluid, or required adjusting of the shift cables or clutch linkage.
Dragging Clutch (manual transmission)
If you attempt to shift gears and can't, it may be due to the clutch still engaged spinning along with the engine due to what is called a dragging clutch. The clutch has failed to disengage the clutch disk from the flywheel resulting in a grinding noise with each attempt to shift. More often than not, the problem is too much slack in the clutch pedal.