Do you think your car has a bad transmission? Are you hearing bad sounds when you shift or accelerate? You may need a new transmission. A bad transmission could mean a lot of issues, and even being stranded with your car.
Get to know the common symptoms of a bad transmission and how much it would cost to replace or repair.
What is a Transmission?
The transmission is the component in your vehicle that allows you to change speeds smoothly and efficiently, while ensuring you have the power you need, when you need it. Imagine driving at just one speed for your entire trip?
The concept is also relevant to bicycle gears. Lower gears produce more power, while higher gears allow for more speed.
There are three styles of transmissions in cars: manual, automatic, and CVT. Manual transmission, as you’d expect, makes you shift the gears; Automatic transmissions use the vehicle to automatically drive it through the gears; CVTs, or continuously variable transmission, are automatic transmissions with one long gear.
Top 7 Signs of a Bad Transmission
What are some signs that your transmission is slipping or that you may have transmission failure? Let’s discuss seven of the most common blown transmission signs.
#1. Stain on Garage Floor or Driveway.
You can keep an eye out for leaks by placing some heavy-weight paper or cardboard under your car when you park overnight. If it is stained by the morning, you will know if it’s oil or transmission fluid.
If you are able, bring your paper or cardboard with you to your mechanic, and they can then determine what leak you have, if you are unsure.
#2. Strange Noises.
If any part of your vehicle is making a new type of noise, you need to have it examined. A transmission failure is nothing to mess with, but it could just be a whining or buzzing noise at first.
Get into a mechanic and let them check the transmission out. If you catch it early, if it is a failure, it might not be as bad as it could be.
#3. Gears Are Hesitating.
Gears should change effortlessly, it is something you should not even have to think about, let alone wrestle with while driving. Gears that are hesitating may indicate a transmission fluid leak, a serious predicament that you need to remedy soon.
#4. Burning Smell.
If you smell a burning odor in the car, it could be because your transmission fluid has overheated, or you are low on fluid. If you notice this soon enough, it’s not the end of the world.
Just pull over, let the car cool down, and/or purchase a quart of automatic transmission fluid (ATF) at a nearby gas station or auto parts store to top it off.
Most of the time, this is enough to get you to limp home or to a repair shop. If you have something wrong with your transmission, you want to get diagnosed right away before a completely blown transmission needs rebuilding or replacing, and the expenses that come with that.
#5. Grinding Gears.
A manual transmission grinding gears is a lot easier to diagnose, and you can feel it and hear the noise. Even better, it could be a simple replacement of the clutch (which is not simple at all, but better than the alternative).
An automatic is going to produce a loud noise, but it’s a grating noise that is not as easy to recognize. If you have been driving a manual car for some time, you’ve likely faced gear-grinding before, so you know the noise I’m talking about. I’m talking about a grating noise that is constant.
#6. Noisy in Neutral.
If the car makes funny noises while you are in neutral, you are going to want to check your under-the-hood-in-neutral. You may even be able to resolve it by the addition of more chain lube, so it is full of fluid.
If it continues after you have added more chain lube, you may want to address the matter with a mechanic to see if there was more damage done to the transmission.
#7. Check Engine Light.
Those lights are irritating, annoyingly timely to service, especially if you are having a rough month. If you do not want to face a worse problem, get it checked out sooner rather than later.
Proper maintenance can save you plenty of future costly repairs down the road.
Transmission Repair Cost (And Replacement Cost)
Get ready for it. Transmission repair and replacement will cost you, and you’ll often find a rebuilt transmission for sale, which can cost anywhere between $1,500 to $3,500, plus about $1,000 labor.
The overall cost will depend on the make and model of your vehicle and what kind of shop you take it to. You will generally find that a manual transmission will cost less to replace/repair than an automatic transmission.
For more guarantee, go with a factory rebuild. You’ll pay more, but have a warranty of up to 100,000 miles or up to three years. If the mechanic rebuilds it, the costs aren’t much, but the warranty is for a shorter time. It could take a minimum of three or four days because the bad module must be removed and stripped, and repaired.
Cost can vary because there is no way to know what the problems are inside. Your other option is for a salvage transmission.
If you’re lucky, it will cost between $200 to $600, but the problem with that is you don’t know what you’re getting in addition to having to locate it and deliver it to the shop. Then you will still have the labor costs to install it.
Talk to the repair shop up front, as some won’t offer that service at all because of possible problems. Stay away from used parts, unless you know something about the state of repair and maintenance of that vehicle.
You’ll also need to be governed by your budget, so when you calculate that the repair is reasonable, calculate towing costs into it. You could risk driving the car, IF it’s a short distance away from the garage. If it’s a fair distance, CALL A TOW TRUCK NOW.
Can You Drive with a Bad Transmission?
We don’t recommend it. Under normal conditions, you should not. However, if you have found a leak, maybe you can get by if you keep topping up the transmission fluid again and again. This is a hassle as it means you have to check the fluid every time you get in the car.
You will always need a bottle of transmission fluid with you if you are going to do this. If you are going to try this, make sure you have the right type of fluid for your vehicle.
If the gears are grinding or you are unsure of the problem, just park the car instead of driving it. There is a high risk of damage. If the metal in the transmission starts flaking off, that is then getting into your coolant, expect a repair bill that will be extremely expensive.