When the automatic transmission in your car slips, it can leave you stranded for good, and you may need a full overhaul of the transmission.
Read the 5 signs that represent possible transmission slipping in an automatic vehicle. If you can address these early on, it could save you money and downtime before a breakdown.
What Is Transmission Slipping?
Transmission slipping has nothing to do with your vehicle slipping. If your vehicle is slipping on ice or cold, or wet roads, that is likely your tires or your anti-lock brakes (ABS), and not your transmission slipping. “Transmission slipping” is when your transmission slips out of gear. That is, it changes from one gear to another without you shifting gears.
This commonly happens right after you shift gears, and usually, it slips into neutral. For example, you may reverse out of your driveway, shift into drive, and a second or two later, your transmission slips into neutral. In this case, the slip isn’t anything but an annoyance.
But you can imagine cases where a transmission slip would cause real safety concerns. This is another reason you should make a point to take it into a transmission shop for an inspection as soon as you can after a slip.
What to Look For
If you noticed your transmission has started slipping, there are some things you can look for before you take it in for an inspection. By looking at other areas of your automatic transmission and vehicle, you might be able to get a better idea of what might be making your automatic transmission slip. A few things to look for include:
- Is your check engine light on?
- Does your automatic transmission upshift and then drop back to a lower gear?
- Does your automatic transmission refuse to upshift?
- Does your automatic transmission drop to a lower gear that causing the engine to rev at a high RPM?
- When you put your foot on the gas, does the RPM of the engine increase, but the vehicle speed stays the same?
- Does your automatic transmission fail to engage reverse?
- Do you smell any burning or strange odour?
- Do you hear odd noises when you shift?
- Do you feel hard or rough shifts?
- Do you see any red oil on your driveway?
All of the above are common co-occurrences of automatic transmission slipping. If you noticed some of these issues but not others, this can give a hint as to what is causing interest in problems.
Slipping Automatic Transmission Symptoms
Here are five of the most common symptoms of transmission slip. Just like the rest of my posts, recognizing the trouble before the real damage occurs will save you a lot of money in repairs or replacements.
#1 Leaking Transmission Fluid.
Transmission slipping usually happens when the vehicle’s transmission is low on fluid due to a transmission fluid leak. There are a variety of leaks, including a punctured pan, damaged pan gasket, burst lines, broken seal, or even cracks in the torque converter.
If you continue to drive the vehicle while ignoring the leak, it will cause complete internal failure of the entire transmission system. So it is important that you properly detect the leak if it is significant and make an attempt to seal it.
For minor leaks, you could hold off on repairs as long as you keep a close watch on the level of the transmission fluid and top it off when necessary.
#2 Unusual Smells.
If you smell burning from the engine or, in some instances, even under the car, this signifies either that the transmission has overheated or the transmission fluid has leaked onto the exhaust and the exhaust is burning the fluid.
Transmission fluid does a lot of the heavy lifting for the system, just like engine oil; the transmission fluid constantly lubricates the transmission system to help with overheating.
If the transmission fluid has any leaks, that means that any drippage may have a chance of landing on a very hot engine or exhaust vents. Fluid burning caused by extreme heat is usually a good reason for symptoms to happen, with the transmission slipping.
#3 Check Engine Light.
The check engine light serves as a car owner’s tool to recognize many symptoms of a defect, including a problem with the transmission system.
That being said, if you have any other repugnant symptoms above coupled with a constant reminder of that red “check engine light”, it is a good idea to have the transmission system diagnosed by a certified mechanic.
Having a mechanic with a special diagnostic tool can decipher many reasons for the check engine light to be signaling, the mechanic can determine what the actual cause(s) are, including if the issue is related to the transmission or something else entirely.
#4 Rough Shifts.
While driving the vehicle, you may experience the feeling of the gear not shifting smoothly or ‘normally’. It feels as if it just has rough upshifts or rough downshifts.
On certain occasions while shifting, you may hear or feel a “thud” or “clunk.” If you notice an increased effort to accelerate, you will likely recognize the symptoms of automatic transmission slipping.
#5 Delayed Shifts.
Delayed shift engagements are another symptom of the vehicle taking a few extra seconds to engage the ‘drive’ position to allow for acceleration or movement in the forward direction.
When you shift the vehicle from Park (P) to Drive (D) there is a long dead spot when it appears to rev the gas pedal, but does not allow for forward movement or acceleration.
I would advise that many of the above symptoms should be handled by an appropriate professional mechanic. Any sort of automatic transmission repair should only be attempted by a professional mechanic, so the only possible wear is through factors related to the timing of parts replacement.
If it is necessary to rebuild the automatic transmission system, ask about warranty for parts as well.
What Are the Causes of Slipping Transmission?
Many potential underlying problems can cause transmission failure and slipping. Below are the most likely causes of transmission problems in your car.
Transmission Fluid Problems.
There are many ways that transmission fluid can cause your vehicle problems.
To start, your vehicle might be low on transmission fluid. Since transmission fluid is in a closed system, your automobile should not have low fluid levels unless an underlying transmission issue exists. Low fluid levels are a big indicator that your vehicle probably has a transmission leak.
Another possibility is that your vehicle’s transmission fluid is burned. A burnt transmission fluid happens when the motor and/or transmission fluid overheats, in which case it is very likely your vehicle needs a transmission fluid flush and replacement.
Transmission Bands.
Worn-down or broken transmission bands can also cause a slipping transmission. Transmission bands hold the gears together in an automatic transmission. If it’s not the bands properly connecting these gears, they will have to be replaced as well.
Worn Gears.
The gears in your vehicle will wear down with normal driving, and they eventually won’t be able to connect properly, which can result in a slipping transmission.
In very rare cases, you could receive malfunctioning gears in your transmission due to faulty construction.
Clutch Problem.
Both automatic transmission vehicles and manual transmission vehicles use a clutch. In both transmissions, a worn-down clutch can cause slipping, particularly with a focus on automatic transmission vehicle, which again relies on clean transmission fluid.
Torque Converter Issues.
The torque converter is a component of the car transmission that converts energy from the engine to torque. The torque converter can wear down as well, and operates in a similar fashion to the clutch in both automatic and manual transmissions.
The torque converter is another component of your vehicle that operates with transmission fluid, and again, if problems arise with your transmission fluid, such as it being burned or low, it can develop problems. Torque converter issues can arise in many symptoms, but one of the biggest is a slipping transmission.
Solenoid.
The solenoid is an electric and hydraulic valve that controls the flow of fluid through the transmission. If the solenoid is defective, it can allow the wrong amount of transmission fluid to flow and therefore create transmission problems (and slip) as well.
Mistakes in Software.
As well as anything with software, there is always a possibility for errors in programming, and errors in a car’s programming could lead to a multitude of faults and problems, one specifically being a slipping transmission.
Possible Fixes for Transmission Slipping
There can be a variety of causes for a slipping transmission, and repairs and solutions can be just as varied. Some of the interventions include the following:
- Change the transmission fluid. Assuming a malfunctioning transmission is purely a fluid malfunction due to old or contaminated fluid, changing the fluid can usually fix the problem before the transmission is damaged beyond repair. Don’t forget to change or refill the fluid for most interventions.
- Fix a leak. Leaking transmission fluid can come from various parts of the transmission that have failed. Common parts that can fail include transmission oil cooler hoses, transmission pan gasket, output shaft seal, and input shaft seal.
- Replace bad solenoids. A solenoid that is leaking internally fluid pressure can typically be replaced.
- Replace a transmission pan gasket. Resealing the transmission pan gasket can often fix the leak from the pan.
- Rebuild the transmission assembly. If the transmission is built up with years of grime or gunk, rebuilding the assembly may be the only way to fix the slipping issue. This can be time-consuming and expensive; you’ll have to disassemble the entire assembly and clean and replace any moving or damaged parts.
- Replaces the transmission. If rebuilding the assembly does not sound appealing, or the amount of apprehension about how long the vehicle will be down, you can replace the entire transmission with a new or remanufactured transmission. Depending on the location of the shop and other factors, this might be more expensive than a rebuild, but it will get you back into a running vehicle in less time.
Preventive Actions to Decrease the Likelihood of Transmission Slipping
Routine maintenance for the average consumer is the best way to avoid slipping transmission issues from high-mileage driving. Aside from extremely high vehicle mileage and wear and tear being within normal range, avoiding slipping transmission problems is highly achievable.
You simply need to remain diligent on your transmission fluid/fluid filter (if applicable) according to the owner’s maintenance schedule for your vehicle.
And if you should need to top up the fluid in your transmission, make sure you check your specified fluid types for your vehicle in the owner’s manual and ONLY use the specified fluid for your transmission, as topping up fluids with the improper type could lead to major damage.