Transmission problems can happen at any time. If you want to stay off the side of the road with a broken down vehicle, you need to stay on top of your vehicle’s transmission. Checking the owner’s manual to see how often it should be serviced is crucial to keep it running longer and at optimal conditions. One of the most common problems you could run into with your transmission is it overheating. This is usually signaled when you smell an unpleasant odor coming from your hood. If this happens, you need to stop immediately to avoid further issues with the transmission. If you do experience a transmission problem, you need to know how to react fast. Here are some tips on how to handle it.
As soon as you notice a strange smell coming from your hood, you need to pull over to the side of the road. Once you have done this safely, you should then check under the hood. You want to be careful because it is likely that the parts are hot and could burn you.
Find the dipstick for the transmission fluid and check to see if the level is at an adequate level. There should be a line on the dipstick signifying where the transmission fluid should be at. If you see that the fluid is lower than it should be, this means you may have a leak somewhere. Try adding some more transmission fluid in. You want to figure out how big the leak is.
You can usually see the fluid coming out from under the vehicle. If it is just a few drops, then you obviously have a small leak and would probably be okay driving to the mechanic shop. If the leak is rather large, then you will need to have it towed. Driving the vehicle with little to no transmission fluid would only make the problem worse. You could end up damaging the transmission to the point of no repair.
If you place more fluid in the transmission and see that it is still overheating, then your cooling system may have problems. This can be damaging not only to your transmission but to your engine as well. A transmission specialist is the best person to take it to. They will be able to diagnose the problem and get it working properly. Not all mechanics have extensive knowledge about transmissions. Some will only work on automatic transmissions and not manual one. You need to do your research to figure out who the best person to take it to is.
You will need to keep an eye on your transmission fluid regularly. If your car is under a lot of pressure, this is a time when you should check the fluid. If the transmission fluid is not bright red and is brown instead, then it either has some debris in it or the chemicals in the fluid are decomposing. You need to have this looked at.