What is a vehicle’s transmission system?

A vehicle’s transmission system transmits power from the vehicle’s engine through to the drive wheels which may be at the front, at the rear or all four of them.

There are four basic types of transmission and similar problems can occur with are most:

Manual

With a manual transmission, gears are selected by manually shifting a gear selector mechanism which disengages one gear and selects another. This type of transmission is connected to the engine via a clutch, which is disengaged by depressing the clutch pedal to enable gears to be changed.

Key components include: engine flywheel; clutch plate; clutch plate springs; clutch operating mechanism; constant mesh gearbox; associated driveshafts and constant velocity joints.

Semi-automatic

A semi-automatic transmission (also known as a clutchless manual transmission), does not change gears automatically but enables manual gear changes to be made without the need to use a clutch a pedal.

Commonly, semi-automatic systems use a collection of hydraulic actuators, sensors, pneumatics and Transmission Control Unit to transmit the power from the engine, through the gearbox to the drive wheels.

Automatic

An automatic transmission does not have traditional clutch and gearbox arrangement but instead uses a system of hydraulics (fluid) to transmit power. In modern vehicles, computers play a key part in monitoring speed and throttle position in order to determine when to change gear.

Key components: torque converter; mechanical planetary gearset; hydraulic pump; various valves and sensors; seals and gaskets; governor and modulator.

Some indicators of the common issues might be:

• Engine Management System light comes on
• Noisy or whining transmission
• Vehicle shakes or jerks
• Leaking or low transmission fluid
• Vehicle won’t go into gear
• There’s a burning smell
• Changing gear is difficult
• Clutch pedal heavy to press down

How important is this?

A vehicle’s transmission system is important for comfortable, safe and fuel-efficient ride. Particularly on older vehicles, the components of the transmission system whether manual or automatic, require careful attention to keep things operating in tip-top condition. The aim should be to carry out any repairs before the problem becomes much bigger and more expensive.

How Haden Birmingham can help

Depending on the type of problem you have with your vehicle’s transmission system, our technicians can carry out a comprehensive inspection to assess where exactly the problem lies.

Following the inspection, our technician will provide a report describing the cause of the issue, along with costs of any parts and labour hours required.