The transmission in your vehicle is a very complex piece of machinery. It’s also the most interesting and involved for a mechanic. Any transmission handles many strains during your commute and operates with several different gears, fluids and principles.

Manual transmission repair in Chattanooga

If you drive a stick, you should understand the three shafts involved in your transmission. First, is the input shaft. The input shaft connects directly to your clutch and pulls power from the car’s engine. Second, the output shaft connects to either the car’s axle or drive shaft mattering on the vehicle’s layout. Finally, the counter-shaft. The counter-shaft, connected to your shifter, acts as a kind of translator for the input and output shaft combining different weights and measures.

This shifter moves easily when your car is in neutral. When you engage by upshifting, you get the most torque out of first gear when the input shaft moves the first gear to the countershaft which moves the output shaft. From there the power goes to the car’s differential and becomes the final drive. As you move from first to second, and second and third, etc., torque decreases but power increases.

Automatic transmission repair

The difference here is that the crankshaft, instead of connecting to the differential, connects to a torque converter that looks roughly like a donut shape. Within the torque converter, you would find fan-like blades that spin, acting on the principles of hydraulics. The purpose here is to control the gear shift and lock the torque converter as hydraulic pressure is applied. Next to the torque converter are a set of transmission gears–usually three–including one to reverse and one to enter overdrive. The end result is an automatic transmission that shifts as the speed, road, and load conditions change.

Transmission slipping

The first thing to usually go wrong on a transmission is usually the synchronizers. These brass rings allow for easy shifting but wear overtime as you put more work into shifting which can result in metal grinding against metal.

With an automatic, the universal joints are usually the first to go. Due to heavy vibration, these joints will wear overtime. Unfortunately, these joints cannot be replaced, and the transmission will likely have to be replaced or at least removed.

Transmission maintenance

Want to avoid a costly trip to the your local auto shop in Chattanooga, TN? Following four simple rules can help you avoid costly measures in the future.

Firstly, maintain proper levels. A vehicle that carries excessive loads, travels off-road or does serious commuting should be checked, and checked often.

Avoid riding your clutch. Don’t let off too early, and don’t ride it into a stop. If you’re revving the engine or killing it, you should try to find a better practice.

Transmission coolers are recommended on larger trucks.

If you find yourself stuck in a rut, don’t push it! Over-accelerating your engine will put great stress on the universal joints and can result in transmission failure.