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You rely on your vehicle to help you make it through your day. Whether you use your gas-sipping car to commute to work each day, your four-wheel drive truck to haul your boat to your favorite lake for fishing and relaxation or your sports car to take a drive to enjoy the beautiful scenery, you want to keep it in top running order so that it is ready to go when you are. Just like the human body, your vehicle has major systems that keep it running smoothly. Without the proper care, one of these systems could fail, leaving you stranded on the side of the road when you least expect it.

 

Intricately Related Vehicle Systems

 

Also like your body, the various systems within your vehicle work closely together to ensure that it runs smoothly. Your transmission, for example, works to propel your vehicle where you direct it to go. When it does not work correctly, you will find that you need to find the name and contact information of a trusted mechanic as quickly as possible so that you can get back on the road.

 

Warning Signs

 

While it can be devastating to your vehicle when the transmission goes out – your vehicle will not move if the transmission malfunctions – there are warning signs that something is amiss. If you know what these signs are, and if you act quickly, there is the chance that you might be able to head off expensive repairs and a transmission that does not work at all. Typically, when you are operating your vehicle, you can expect to be able to do so without it making very many noises. The following sounds can indicate that your transmission is on the verge of malfunctioning and prompt action should be taken.

 

  • Grinding: Unless you are teaching your newly-minted teen driver how to navigate the roads while driving a vehicle with a manual transmission – or if you have a moment of forgetfulness and manage to grind the gears as you manually shift – grinding should not be a noise that is emitted from your vehicle when you are trying to engage the transmission. Grinding indicates that the gears are not syncing as they should be and should be a sign that you need to investigate further.
  • Clunking: If you hear clunking when you are trying to shift your vehicle from one gear to another, it should not be ignored. While there are other parts of your vehicle that can be responsible for making this type of noise, it is worth taking the time to check out the source as soon as possible.
  • Whining or buzzing: These sounds are also indicative of a problem with your transmission if you hear them while you are engaging the gearshift to go forward or backward.

 

While you might associate unusual sounds with your transmission as you shift it from gear to gear, even if your car is in neutral and not moving, it should not be overly loud. If it is, a trip to the mechanic is in order.