When you are a car owner, you’ve heard the word “transmission” thrown a lot. But, do you actually know what that means, or what the function of your transmission of your actually is? If you do not, that is perfectly okay, not many people do. We are here to inform you a little bit about the function of your transmission and when you should be seeking out a transmission repair.

Basic Functions of Your Transmission

To put it simply the transmission is responsible for sending power from your engine to your wheels, so you can actually accelerate and get somewhere. For those of you who drive a manual transmission vehicle, you will notice the numbers on the gearstick in your car.

Depending on how many gears your car has, you will see they number one through 5, maybe even 6, and obviously reverse. These numbers represent the gear that you are currently. When you accelerate from a full stop, you go into gear one. If you were to accelerate from a full stop, say into gear four or five, then your car would not go anywhere and your car will stall out. That is because each gear refers to the proportion of engine shaft speed to driveshaft speed.

So to make things easier to understand, the lower the gear, the higher the acceleration. You need more RPMs to say, accelerate from a full stop or go up a hill, but if you are going full speed on the highway, you can cruise in a higher gear and a lower RPM. If you were going 60 MPH and still stuck in 3rd gear, you would blow your engine out. An automatic transmission works in much the same way, but as the name states, automatically. There is no clutch and gearstick involved.

Signs You Need Repair

Often your vehicle will show telltale signs that it is in need of service, so pay attention when you feel something is not normal. First and probably the most noticeable is a problem shifting gears. Some of the symptoms could be jerking while shifting gears or your vehicle falling out of gear completely.

Other issues include grinding between gears, strange noises, leaks, and a burning smell coming from your transmission.

Conclusion

So now you know the basic functions of a vehicle transmission. Without it, you wouldn’t be going anywhere, and that is why it is very important to keep your transmission in proper working order. When you need the transmission of your vehicle serviced, make sure you bring it to a trusted auto repair shop, lest the problem become worse. We hope that you feel more informed about the importance of a properly functioning transmission.