How to Check the Transmission for Problems

The transmission is one of the most expensive parts of your car. Replacing a damaged transmission could cost as much as $2000. Because of this, it is important to understand how to care for your car and look for possible problems with the transmission and fix them before they become serious.

The transmission is the easiest part of the car to break, and the most expensive to repair. If you abuse your transmission, it can malfunction in less than thirty minutes. Trying to get your car out of the snow or mud can put strain on the transmission which will damage it. The transmission is easily affected by liquids. Adding oil improperly to your transmission is a great way to damage it also.

When you are choosing a used car to buy, the transmission is the most important part to check. It you don't know what to look for, have an expert take a look at it. This is a part of the car which you don't want dying on you. The first thing you want to do is check the history of the car. If the car you are interested in buying has been in an accident, or has been used as a rental, don't buy it.

You also want to avoid buying cars which have had their transmission rebuilt. There is no way to tell if the auto shop did a quality job. If you want to check the transmission on your own car, the first thing you want to do is check the transmission liquid level and its condition. Put the automatic transmission in "park", and pull out the dipstick and wipe off the fluid. Then place the dipstick back, and pull it out again.

Examine the dipstick and fluid carefully. Rub the fluid on a white piece of paper. The liquid should be lucid and clean. It shouldn't have any metal or black pieces in it. Transmission fluid which is new should be a red or brown, but it should never be black. Smell the fluid. If it has a burnt smell, this means the transmission is not in good shape. Avoid buying a car which has black transmission fluid or it smells like it is burnt.

Most new cars don't have dipsticks for the transmission. In this situation, you want to take the car out for a test drive. If you notice hang-ups when you shift the transmission stick, this means the transmission is damaged. If the car jerks or shudders while you are shifting, this is also a sign that the transmission is in bad shape. Avoid buying it.