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Inspecting the Transmission of a Used Car

July 9, 2010

When you are in the market for a used car, it is important to make sure any car you are interested in purchasing passes some inspections. One of the systems of the vehicle that is worthy of your inspection is the transmission. A vehicle will come equipped with either an automatic or a manual transmission. The type of transmission of the used car will determine what you need to look for when making your own assessment.

Automatic transmissions automatically switch gears. Problems with this sort of transmission actually occur quite often. When they do happen, the expense to the car owner can be quite staggering. A good reason to check it out before buying. Through inspections of the transmission should be done by a professional or a shop. However, you as the consumer can look for telltale signs of problems. Some cars with automatic transmissions with have a dipstick that you can used to check the transmission fluid. It should not have a burnt smell. IT should appear clean and transparent. IF it doesn’t, there could be a problem. Delayed engagement is another common problem you will want to check for. When you put the car in gear, you should feel it shift automatically, if it takes a moment of two to do so, there could be issues with the transmission.

With a manual transmission, you have to shift the gears of the car yourself. The car will have a stick to do this as well as a clutch. The clutch must be pressed in order to switch the gears. Test drive the car and shift the gears when doing so. The gears should shift smoothly. There should be no noise or jerking motions. The clutch should not slip. Slipping is when the engine increases in rpms but the vehicle’s speed remains constant. This can sometimes be easily observed if the used vehicle has a tachometer. Try shifting the vehicle into reverse. When you do this, you should not hear any grinding. If you notice any problems, you might want to pass up on the vehicle and find another to inspect.

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