Learn a bit about what to do when the car has trouble shifting between gears

El Camino Transmission is conveniently located in West Dallas, but we know good transmission information can come from anywhere! (even competitors)

Here are some decent articles about what to do when the car has trouble shifting between gears, or say, getting into reverse.

Hard Shifting, Slipping, Or Jerking Transmissions
Explains the most likely causes for several different problems with a car’s transmission/gear box. We liked the short list of issues, ones we see here in our Dallas shop too.

• Interruption in acceleration
• Delay or failure to go into reverse
• Extremely high RPMs
• Check engine light on
• Burnt smells
• Difficulty shifting gears
• Shifting accompanied by strange sounds

Why Won’t My Car Shift Gears?
My old man used to get the Family Handyman and we like this article because it explains how your transmission works in the first place. Plus, like my old man would do, it starts with a simple fix you can try in case it’s just something like an Electric Sensor that’s off. “Moving the shifter slowly from Park to Low several times may help remove corrosion from the switch’s contacts and get you on your way.” Then giving advice we love, “Leave transmission electronic diagnostics to transmission specialists.”

CAR HAS STICKY GEARS – WHAT IS CAUSING THE PROBLEM & WHAT TO DO
When you look up these problems on Google there are a lot of lists. This is one of the better ones because it mirrors our problem solving process at El Camino before offering things you can do at home before bringing the vehicle into us. (we’ll still ask all the same questions though. It’s habit.)

How to Fix a Hard Shifting Automatic Transmission
This is a lead in to product sales and in this case the product, Blue Devil Transmission Sealer more on how to fix transmission issues. It’s a stop gap fix, but coupled with a quote from a shop like ours so you know how much the problem will cost to fix down the road, it’s workable. Just know that it’s not a miracle fluid. Transmissions sometimes break down.