Frequently Asked Questions About Car Transmissions

For being such an essential part of a vehicle, it’s kind of shocking how little people know about car transmissions. We don’t blame the public for this lack of knowledge, though. We believe that most car companies aren’t as transparent about this device as they should be, so we’re here today to fix that by answering your burning questions about car transmissions.

What Exactly Does the Transmission Do?

If you don’t already know, the transmission is where your car shifts gears to reach higher speeds. Since automatic transmissions do all this shifting work for you, they take up more space than manual ones, but both essentially do the same thing. Therefore, this car part is so vital to your vehicle, as without it, you won’t be able to shift whatsoever.

How Do Transmissions Work?

Manuals and automatics function quite differently, so we’ll cover them separately. Even though stick shifts are more difficult to drive, their mechanics are much more straightforward. The best way to describe it is to have you imagine a bike’s gear shift. They’re both quite similar, only a car doesn’t use a chain. Instead, when you shift a manual transmission, you use the stick to move the next gear into place before reconnecting them after using the clutch to disconnect it from the engine.

Since automatics do all of this on their own, the process is a bit more complex. Most of the time, it does this by using a planetary gear system. This allows the transmission to increase the torque without disconnecting any of the gears and replacing them with new ones.

How Long Do Transmissions Last?

Since this part is so crucial to your vehicle, most of them are built to last. Most of the time, transmissions will last anywhere from 150,000 to 200,000 miles. If you take good care of it, though, your transmission could last longer than the car itself.

What Can I Do To Extend Its Life?

The most direct way to extend your transmission’s life is not to push it to its limits. The more pressure you put on it, the more it will heat up and eventually break down. Changing your transmission fluid regularly is another thing you can do, but this is something that your local mechanic will do for you when you bring your car in for an oil change.

Outside of that, the only thing you can do is install a transmission cooler. These will better regulate the high temperatures of this part of your vehicle in order to help keep it within safe operating levels.

What’s the Purpose of Transmission Fluid?

Even though you don’t have to worry about changing out the transmission fluid yourself, it’s still good to understand its purpose. You need this liquid inside of your transmission because it keeps the gears and other interior parts lubricated. This will keep them from grinding together, which causes them to heat up and break down over time. If this fluid ever leaks out or becomes overly dirty, it will become much less effective.

How Often Should I Change the Fluid?

Even though a mechanic will check the transmission fluid for you, it’s ultimately your decision as to when you want to change it out. Most manufacturers say that you can use the same liquid for up to 100,000 miles, which is typically over half of the transmission’s lifespan. While there’s nothing wrong with that, if you really want this car part to last, you should change it every 30,000 to 40,000 miles.

Manuals can go as long as 60,000 miles without a change, but like with automatics, the sooner your switch it out, the better it will be for your transmission’s health.

Can I Repair a Malfunctioning Transmission?

Many people say that it’s better to outright replace a broken-down transmission rather than try to fix it, but that’s not always the case. Sure, replacements are more straightforward and take less time, but they don’t always save you money. A lot of the time, when a transmission malfunctions, only a section of it is actually broken. That means if you throw it out, there are a lot of good parts going to waste.

If you know how to work on a vehicle and can get your hands on some parts, there’s a good chance that you can get your transmission running like new. In many cases, you can even get it to run better than it ever did in the past.

What Are the Common Signs of a Transmission Problem?

In order to be able to repair the transmission, though, you’ll need to catch the signs of a problem as soon as possible. Some common ones to look out for are the check engine light, leaks underneath your transmission, and burning smells coming from your car. If you’re quick to notice these tell-tale signs, repairs will be much easier overall.

Can I Upgrade My Transmission?

But what about those of you who want to go above and beyond? Well, there are plenty of optional upgrades that you can make to your transmission to improve its operating power and efficiency. In fact, here at Transparts Warehouse, we have a whole selection of performance transmission parts for you to install on your vehicle. We’re here to help you get the most out of your current transmission.

Why Do Transmissions Cost So Much?

The last question that many people tend to wonder about transmissions is why they cost so much. Depending on the type you have, the cost of buying either a brand-new one or some spare parts can vary wildly, but in general, all aspects of a transmission can be quite costly. This isn’t for no reason, though.

After the engine block, the transmission is the largest part of a vehicle. That means it contains more pieces than most other parts. Plus, due to the complexity of shifting, especially when done automatically, there are thousands of electrical parts packed into each one. This all adds up pretty quickly when determining the price.

Despite that, we always do our best to ensure that our customers get a fair price on the transmission parts that they buy from us. Since you will be doing the work yourself, that will save you a lot of money, but we still do everything we can to ensure that you won’t get overcharged for our products.

Frequently Asked Questions About Car Transmissions