Your Ford’s transmission is probably the hardest working component in your car. Its purpose is to convert the chaotic power of the engine into a manageable form to move your car. The gear system built into the transmission ensures that your wheels receive the right amount of power for the speed you desire. The constant demand placed on the transmission means that you may need a transmission repair. As your Ford dealer, we can repair it for you.
Slipping Gears
One of the signs of a transmission problem is slipping
gears. When your car is in gear, it should shift into another gear only if the
transmission computer shifts it or you shift it manually. If you have slipping
gears, the transmission can suddenly shift into another gear without warning.
This is a dangerous and stressful situation, especially if it occurs when
you’re accelerating or overtaking another vehicle.
In an automatic transmission, the gear will usually slip back into the previous
gear, while manual transmission will slip into neutral. The randomness of gear
slipping makes it dangerous to drive your car as you don’t have complete
control over it. We advise you to park your car and call our service department
ASAP. Our highly-trained technicians will examine your transmission and fix the
cause of the problem.
Leaking Fluid
Your transmission is an extremely hot place due to the
constant movement of hundreds of moving parts. Transmission fluid helps to
reduce the temperature by cooling the hot parts. It also provides a friction
barrier between gears and other components to prevent damage. Unlike engine
oil, transmission fluid isn’t consumed by your car. This means a low level of
fluid must be caused by a leak.
The three most common places transition fluid leaks are the transmission pan
gasket, the transmission cooler lines, and the transmission seals. None of
these places are easy to check at home. You can, however, test for a leak by
placing a large piece of cardboard underneath your car overnight. If the
cardboard has red splotches on it, you have a transmission leak. Our
technicians will find and fix the leak.
Burning fluid
The transmission fluid is bright red and sweet-smelling. As it flows through your transmission, it will accumulate clutch debris, dirt, and even rust particles. All of this junk is absorbed by the fluid, and this makes it slower and thicker. Thick, slow transmission fluid doesn’t work effectively, and it loses some of its heat resistance properties. We regularly change your transmission fluid according to your service schedule to prevent this.
If the transmission fluid isn’t changed, the old fluid can get very hot and start to burn. Burning transmission fluid isn’t sweet-smelling, it smells like burning rubber. If you smell this, it’s time to see us for a transmission flush and fluid replacement.
Most transmission problems can be resolved by prompt action. Call us at Crain Ford of Little Rock, and our experts will fix the problem for you.
Image via Ford.
