How To Listen To Your Transmission

If your transmission is generating noise, this indicates that a part of your transmission is hitting something incorrectly. Common noises that indicate that there is something wrong with the transmission include a buzzing, clunking or clicking noise. This will be a sound that you have likely never heard before. It is important to pay attention to what you hear. You might even be able to diagnose what is wrong with your transmission by listening carefully.

Some Sounds Only Occur Under Specific Circumstances

If you have a manual transmission, the strange sound that you hear will be more likely to sound mechanical. Also, if you hear loud noises and your transmission is in neutral, this can indicate that you have more serious mechanical wear and that you will likely need to have parts replaced. Worn bearings and reverse idle gears are often the most common causes.

The Problem Will Only Get Worse

Regardless of what is causing the problem, you will need to have the problem diagnosed as soon as possible rather than when you have time. What might have been a simple repair might be much more expensive if you put it off.

You May Need To Play Around To Identify The Sound

Sometimes, you can have a difficult time identifying what type of noise you are hearing, so you should try driving your car at different speeds to determine if you can cause the sound to return. Also, you should spend some time idling and should also rev your engine while your car is in park to see if you can generate the noise.

When the engine is in neutral, place your foot on the gas to raise the RPM slightly. Have your foot on the break and switch to drive. You may hear a loud clunk, which can indicate that you have a torque converter mount that is disconnected or completely broken.

Try shifting from neutral to reverse. If you hear a loud clunk, this can indicate that you have a cross rubber mount that has too much wear. Or you may simply hear vibrations, which can indicate that you have a malfunctioning mount.

The Problem Might Be Easily Fixable

One reason why there might be a strange transmission noise is that there is not enough transmission fluid. Check your current transmission fluid levels and add more fluid if that is indeed the problem.

More serious problems, such as when the electrical components within the transmission need to be adjusted, require that you go to a transmission repair specialist. While you might be able to diagnose your transmission problem yourself, you will ultimately want to rely on a specialist like one from Karry's Automotive Service Center who can correct the problem before it gets worse.