I just got home from putting my brothers on the bus. On the way back, I had to speed up to get into a driving lane, because nobody was letting me in at a normal speed and driving in the left turn lane is, well, illegal if you're not making a left turn. While speeding up, I noticed there was about a half a second gap between me pushing on the gas and the car picking up speed. I think the transmission was slipping. I about freaked out and pulled over to the side of the road but I was almost home anyway, but I took it easy the rest of the way and it seemed fine. What signs do I look for in a dying transmission?
Is my transmission about to bite the big one?
- Thread starter fury
- Start date
Mirlyn
Well-Known Member
I think he means auto or stick 
When mine went out in the truck, I suddenly had no overdrive. Stopped at a stoplight after pulling off a highway, and after driving away, I noticed it stop in 4th--didn't throw over. After the next light, that gear was gone. Just didn't shift.
When mine went out in the truck, I suddenly had no overdrive. Stopped at a stoplight after pulling off a highway, and after driving away, I noticed it stop in 4th--didn't throw over. After the next light, that gear was gone. Just didn't shift.
chcr
Too cute for words
The fluid should be red. Smell it too. Seriously, freuquently it will smell burnt if there's a problem. I'm assuming it's an automatic with overdrive. At certain speeds, most of these will take a moment to shift down or lock the torque converter. You can hope it's that simple. Do you have a tachometer? If so, take it to an empty stretch of road and try to duplicate the problem. If the RPMs don't increase out of proportion with your speed increase, you're probably pretty safe.
Please note: If you can build a computer, you can probably rebuild a transmission. There are just a lot more little parts. The hard part is taking it out and putting it in.
Edit--effing typos
Please note: If you can build a computer, you can probably rebuild a transmission. There are just a lot more little parts. The hard part is taking it out and putting it in.
Edit--effing typos
Justintime
Guest
If its a manual maybe you had the clutch deeper than you think or you pulled up slower than normal and the gear connected later than you expected? 
Justintime
Guest
Leslie said:
Lets find out what type of trannie before we go rebuilding stuff. ok grease canuck?
unclehobart
New Member
It could also be a fuel problem. If your fuel filter is dying, it usually rears its ugly head on a long drive or by stomping on the gas.
PM Kruz... hes the full time mechanic.
PM Kruz... hes the full time mechanic.
greenfreak
New Member
I've had older cars like that, where the transmission was already slipping when I got it. The '79 Chevy Impala that I had for 6 months was like that but since I got it for free and it was a rustbucket, I didn't really put any effort into it.
I've had similar issues with the car I have now. I have to learn to stop driving it like a stick shift. I have this bad habit, when I reverse out of my driveway, putting it in drive before it's stopped all the way. It shifts like it was a standard when I do that.
Funny thing, I've noticed a smell in the car for the past week, like stale cigarette smoke. No one has ever smoked in my car, so that's not it. It usually happens when I'm accelerating... *makes note to go out and check transmission fluid when it stops raining*
I've had similar issues with the car I have now. I have to learn to stop driving it like a stick shift. I have this bad habit, when I reverse out of my driveway, putting it in drive before it's stopped all the way. It shifts like it was a standard when I do that.
Funny thing, I've noticed a smell in the car for the past week, like stale cigarette smoke. No one has ever smoked in my car, so that's not it. It usually happens when I'm accelerating... *makes note to go out and check transmission fluid when it stops raining*
Justintime
Guest
no no, i proposed first 
Oh, sorry. Auto. I could never drive a stick.Mirlyn said:
HomeLAN: I did happen to hit the gas nearly to the floor. Drove me from 0 to about 45 mph in a few seconds.
The delay was before the car even started moving though, doesn't that mean it was in first gear or something, so it couldn't have tried to downshift?
chcr
Too cute for words
Were you really stopped, or rolling? even just barely rolling can put you in a higher gear. The real question is did the engine rev before it started moving. If it did, then it may be a transmission problem, if not, probably fuel delivery or ignition. I'd say the first step is still to try to reproduce the problem. The first time something like that happens you're usually to busy thinking "WTF is wrong now" to make any meaningful observations. Go at it just like a computer problem. Oh, and PM Kruz, I didn't realize he was a pro. I know a lot about cars, but people who do it for a living have a whole other level of expertise.fury said: