What To Do When Your Car Slips Gears On Its Own

13 December 2017
 Categories: , Blog

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Slipping of gears can be caused by many issues in a car. Some of the signs that your car may be slipping gears include a delay in acceleration, difficulty in changing the gears, not being able to reverse, an unusual burning smell etc. It's difficult to drive around a car when it's in this condition. However, if you can correctly diagnose the problem, you should be able to have it quickly taken care of. To get to the bottom of why your gears might be slipping, here are a few common causes of the problem.

Low Quantity of Transmission Fluid

If your car uses an automatic transmission, not having enough transmission fluid can be one of the more common reasons for slipping of gears. Without enough fluid, it's not possible to produce enough hydraulic pressure to change the gears. Each car manufacturer has their own guidelines on how you can check the level of transmission fluid in your car. Be sure to follow the directions provided by your manufacturer.

Ineffective Fluid

The transmission fluid in your car may be rendered ineffective by several issues such as a high level of contaminants. Overheating can also cause a problem called burnt fluid. This can be identified by the telltale smell. Just like contaminants, this will make the transmission fluid ineffective. To diagnose these problems, you will have to test the transmission fluid. If either problem is present, you'll have to change the fluid.

Leaking of Transmission Fluid

This problem is closely associated with low levels of transmission fluid. If the fluid is leaking from the pan, the transmission lines, a damaged gasket or any other part of the system, topping up the fluid won't do much to help. The best solution is to check your driveway or wherever your car was parked for any signs of a leak. You'll need auto transmission repair to fix these problems.

Worn Clutch Discs

Both automatic and manual transmissions use clutch discs and if these are worn, you will experience slipping of gears. In manual transmissions, this is the most common cause of slipping gears. The clutch may also fail or become misaligned but this doesn't happen frequently. In case your clutch discs have worn down, the only solution is to get new ones.

Apart from these, there are still other reasons why your gears may slip such as wear and tear of the gears. A professional can pinpoint the problem if you can't do this on your own. Visit a site like http://www.budgetautomotivetucson.com for more help.