When driving at high speeds, your transmission needs to work hard to ensure stability. This is because when you get a lift in throttle pedal pressure, the car has to work harder to shift into another gear.
This can result in dragging or holding down the shift lever for a longer period of time before shifting. This is called modulation and it helps keep your gears changing at a steady rate.
When this happens, you are more comfortable riding the vehicle and spending your time looking through the controls rather than wanting to shift. You will feel more in control when this happens as well as it gives you a feeling of accomplishment if you do it right!
Modulation is something that cannot be missed or ignored.
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Soft shifts
When doing a routine check-up, my doctor noticed my shift pattern was very soft. She recommended that I get some hard shifts to help strengthen my shifts.
Hard shifts require more pressure on the pedal and are usually required when you want to change gears quickly. As humans, we have trouble going without a break at times, so having a soft shift was causing unnecessary stresses on the transmission.
My shift pattern didn’t really change until I got an automatic transmission car years later. When I first got it, it took me a few tries to get used to the shifter but once I did, it was super easy.
Hard shifts
Changing gears can be a bit nerve-wracking for an automatic transmission. When the driver releases the clutch, the transmission turns over and starts shifting. Once it is engaged, it cannot be turned off!
If the driver does not use their gearbox at its peak efficiency, then this can lead to wasted effort and money. The dealer can cost a lot of money to replace or repair.
There are some parts of town where Automatic Transmission die hards are needed quickly. These people have a monopoly on who has access to Automatic Transmissions and how much they cost!
Having an automatic transmission is nice when there is hard weather or terrain that requires climbing. It makes walking up stairs or going up flights of stairs smoother and less painful!
We would recommend using a speed gun to check the shifts forhardnesseverytime youtakeyourcar in for service. You do not need to do this during normal maintenance season, however.
Transmission damage
When a transmission is heavily damaged, the owner should consider using a torque converter. A torque converter works like a gear shift knob, it can be in either position (converter or non-converter) but it reduces the amount of power available to the transmission.
As mentioned before, automatic transmissions have a little bit more power when in sync. This is why some people use a synchronizer device to ensure the gears are in sync while towing!
An automatic transmission has two ways of working. The first is with a normal ring gear and one pinion, the second is with no pinion and no ring gear. When the first one has no ring or just an amateur grade synchromesh, there is no better safe than a torque converter.
Ask your auto repair shop before having your car towed
Towing an automatic transmission is a delicate process. If you have a manual transmission, then you do not have to worry about this! However, the process of having your car towed is different depending on the type.
When your car has an automatic transmission, the most prevalent issue is when the shift lever becomes loose or fails to shift into gear after being put in drive or reverse. This can happen while driving, or when someone tries to shift into a different gear but doesn’t move the console armrest up into drive or reverse.
As mentioned before, this issue can be dangerous if it happens while driving. When trying to get your auto towed in Alpharetta, Bartow, Cumming, Dacres, Douglas, East Point, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Lawrenceville–Buford International Airport area, and other nearby cities and towns,.make sure that someone knows what kind of auto you have and that it has an automatic transmission.
Ask the tow truck driver to put the truck in neutral
In case the truck needs to be put in park, ask the tow truck driver to put the vehicle in neutral. This prevents your car from moving when the truck pulls it out of gear.
This is what transmissions are designed to do. If your transmission were to work while being towed, it would require a carefulness in applying pressure on the shift lever to keep it operating.
So, when the truck pulls your car out of gear, make sure you give yourself a good feel for how long this will take before another vehicle can take its place.
This will help you know if you need to rush this process or if you can wait it out.
Check your battery
If your towing appliance has a display to show how much power it has left, check that display to see if the appliance has been topped off.
Most automatic transmission vehicles have a limited supply of power when turning in reverse. This is because when you shift into reverse, the car needs to rotate back into position before you can drive it.
When towing, you may be forced to move from gravel road to highway and back-up multiple times per trip. This can put a lot of pressure on the transmission which may need some extra power when shifting into any gear.
A low battery can happen quickly. When this happens, try turning the appliance on for a few seconds before checking the battery. If the problem is not gone, then the vehicle needs help.
Have your transmission checked before buying a used car
Automatic transmission honeymooning with a hard drive doesn’t happen often, and when it does, it’s spectacular. Automatic transmissions were designed for this type of operation: use the gears at an unnatural angle when changing directions, or if you put too much force with your vehicle in reverse, the car will shift into drive.
If your transmission has a manual mode, then definitely have it checked before buying a used car. Many new cars have a mode that forces the clutch to be released before a shift which can damage the automatic.
Many people do not know that there are two kinds of automatic transmissions. The first kind is called an ACC (automatic cylinder configuration) transmission. The second kind is called an RPO (referred to as manual override ratio) transmission.
Transmission repair can be expensive
When a transmission starts to go out, it can be hard to determine exactly when it needs to be repaired. Many transmission service companies will not replace a transmission until the engine is overhauled and refurbished as well.
This is due to the fact that they do not know when the shift valves start to wear down before then, and they do not know if it will be a good fit or not. It is also unknown if the new transmission will work with your engine or not.
When looking at transmissions, there are some signs that indicate why one might need to be replaced. The most common sign being that there is less power when shifting from forward to reverse. This is because the pressure on the gears must be higher than when turning in either directions.