Transmissions are a vital component of any vehicle. They are what allow the power created by the engine to be transferred to the tires. Transmissions, like all parts of a car, will eventually wear out. It can be hard to know when one is about to completely kick the bucket because there is no easy way to actually look inside a transmission. Often, by the time people realize that their transmission is done for; they have gone on a long road trip to Mardi Gras or someplace, and wind up spending their entire trip looking for a place that does transmission repair in New Orleans. Transmissions function by a complex system of gears. These gears have “teeth” or grooves that interlock and transfer motion to the tires from the engine. As these gears get larger, more power is able to be dispersed at higher and higher speeds. The main source of transmission problems is due to the fact that these grooves or teeth will over time, wear out. Gears that are not able to interlock will cause a plethora of problems in a vehicle’s drivability.
If it is not the gears themselves than it may be the car’s clutch. The clutch is what disengages the transmission from the engine. Clutches can be either automatic or manual, and when malfunctioning can display a lot of the same symptoms that a failing transmission will. A professional mechanic will be required to identify whether a car’s issues are being caused by the clutch or transmission. If a car is jerking while it is being driven, particularly while either stopping or going, this can be a clear indication of an issue. This can be a sign of a transmission doing what is known as slipping. If the teeth on the gears are too worn, the vehicle will not be able to fully transfer the engine’s power. Some parts of the gear’s teeth may be more worn than others, causing a jerking or sputtering sensation. If this problem persists, the gears will wear down until they are not functional at all. A leaking transmission is also a major sign of a failing one. If a transmission has been working overdrive for far too long, this can wear down parts faster than anticipated. Fluid may leak from these parts whether the car is being operated or not. This leaking is caused by old gaskets that either wears down over time or are ruined due to an excessive amount of heat. If these symptoms are present, the owner of the vehicle should contact a transmission repair place as soon as possible. The longer any of these problems persist the more damage they will do. And, it is better to fix problems like these sooner, instead of trying to fix them when it is least expected.