Gearbox Repairs

Lack of Acceleration

Lack of acceleration or a slight delay in acceleration after changing gears is a common gearbox problem sign. At times while driving you will notice a slight delay in the acceleration of the car after shifting gears. A delay of less than second can occur in manual transmissions but this should be only occasionally.

This type of delay can be longer and often more frequent with automatic transmissions. However, if this occurs where your RPM increases after shifting gear but the cars speed hardly increases, this is an issue that is worth looking at.

The Cause and The Fix

This problem occurs due to a faulty clutch component which doesn't let it fully engage or disengage when it should.

The primary cause of this problem are either worn out plates, clutch springs or the master cylinder. It could also be caused due to the presence of air in the fluid channel which can be fixed with simple bleeding of the concerned channel. Otherwise the affected part will have to be replaced.

Fluid Found Under the Car

Like any other rotating mechanical component in the car your gearbox requires fluid for lubricating purposes. If you find liquid under your parked car, there is a good chance it is transmission fluid. It is easy to identify because gearbox fluid is a bright orange colour.

The Cause and The Fix

If it is gearbox or transmission fluid, it is vital you find the leak and top up immediately. Transmission fluid should always be in the ideal level for proper lubrication. If it isn't, it can cause severe damage to the fast rotating components of the transmission.

The common areas of this sort of leak is a damaged fluid pan or a broken seal. If this leak is found quickly then often just this part will need replacing without any other damage. HOWEVER IF THIS IS LEFT the gearbox components could incur damage which could lead to a hefty bill for replacement.

Car Shaking with a Grinding Noise During Gear Shifting

If your car is running properly it should not have any grinding or shaking while driving. If it has then there is a problem with something. If there is a grinding noise during changing gear and the car shakes then you have one of the common of gearbox problems.

The Cause and The Fix

If the grinding occurs after fully pressing the clutch pedal, then it is very likely this is due to worn out clutch plates. If it happens after you have taken your foot off the clutch pedal, the issue is more likely to be with the gear synchronizers. In either case the parts will have to be replaced quickly because the more grinding that happens the more the damage is happening to your gearbox.

Cars Gears Slipping

When changing gear, this should be an easy action and when you have found the gear it should stay in it. However you may face a problem of where you shift into a gear, go to step on the accelerator pedal and the car jerks and falls back into the previous gear. This is a common problem of the gear slipping.

The Cause and The Fix

Gears slipping can harm the gearbox but can also put you in a dangerous situation. A prime example would be where you go into gear and then go to accelerate to overtake and the gear slips back you can end up going slower than anticipated and the overtaking would need to be aborted and brought under proper power control.

The most common reason for gears slipping is a damaged shift fork. A damaged gear fork means it does not move properly to lock on to the correct gear which causes the transmission to automatically drop back. If it isn’t this a mechanic look at if the gear teeth are worn, failing that it could be due to low transmission fluid.

Car Gear stick is stuck

You may find at sometime the gearstick is stuck and will not move. In the case of automatic gearbox it will probably get stuck in one gear and will not budge even when trying to give it power through the accelerator.

The Cause and The Fix

Normally if a gearstick cannot move this is due to a dysfunctional clutch linkage. If the linkage is damaged or the clutch is simply worn out due to use, the load won’t shift and the gear will not slot properly.

If the same problem occurs in an automatic gearbox car it is normally due to a failure in its electronic system. This is because it's the electronic system thats responsible for the gear shifting timing is not making the gear shifts work correctly.

At the first signs of any of these please get it checked out. Please call us so we can get you booked in for a diagnosis.