The Challenges of Maintaining a Transmission: A DIY Guide to Troubleshooting and Repair

As anyone who's ever owned a car knows, transmissions can be a real challenge to deal with. When it comes to maintaining them, there are several things that can go wrong, from worn-out struts to faulty pumps. In this article, we'll explore some common issues that can arise in transmissions and provide some practical tips on how to diagnose and repair them.

One of the most common problems that car owners face is a transmission that won't move. This can be caused by a variety of factors, including a faulty pump or a buildup of pressure. If you notice that your transmission isn't moving, it's essential to take it in for diagnosis as soon as possible. A professional mechanic may need to split the case to investigate further. However, before taking it to the shop, there are some DIY steps you can take to try and resolve the issue.

For example, if you suspect that your transmission pump is not building up pressure, you can try using a product like Lucas Slip 'N Stop transmission additive. This can help clear out any debris or varnish that may be causing the problem. Simply remove one of the drain plugs on your fluid reservoir, pour in a quart of the additive, and wait for 250-300 miles to see if it makes a difference.

Another common issue that car owners face is worn-out struts. When the shock absorbers in your front struts wear out, they can cause the vehicle to bounce or vibrate excessively. This can make driving uncomfortable and even affect the handling of the vehicle. If you notice that your ride has become bumpy or that it's bouncing around, it may be a sign that your struts are worn out.

To diagnose this issue, try jacking up the vehicle and checking the struts for signs of wear. You can do this by looking inside the strut with a large hydraulic rod to see if there are any leaks or oil residue. If you find that one of your struts is leaking or showing signs of excessive wear, it's likely time to replace both front struts.

A recent development in the automotive world has been the proposal for electric cruise ships. The Norwegian Cruise Line claims that they will be launching an all-electric ship with solar panels and wind power that can propel massive vessels. However, when asked about how this would work, our skepticism grew. With energy demands as high as a million and a half gallons of diesel fuel per trip on the same vessel, it seems unlikely that solar panels and wind turbines could generate enough power to meet these needs.

The idea of using all-electric propulsion systems for large vessels is still largely in the realm of science fiction. While we can imagine a future where electric ships become the norm, there are significant technical hurdles to overcome before this becomes a reality. For now, it's essential to be cautious and not get too caught up in the hype surrounding these proposals.

In the meantime, car owners should focus on maintaining their existing vehicles rather than holding out for a futuristic solution. By following DIY tips and advice from professionals, you can help keep your transmission running smoothly and avoid costly repairs down the line. Remember to ring that bell whenever you miss another one of our repair videos!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enrev up your engines well if I was coming out with a tiny x30 SUV that they say is going to start at 35 000 and go zero to sixty in 3.4 seconds realize this Volvo schmalvo it's just another Chinese electric car with the name Volvo in front of the Chinese spot Volvo a long time ago right when they started pardon I was in the United States exactly what I said is going to happen they're going to be making electric cars and shine and send them over here so you can call it a Volvo right but it's really a Chinese electric car with the name Volvo wow now it's going to hit the streets they say in 2024 and then it can go fast by having extra electric motors on it I'd have a total of 422 horsepower with these two Motors like I said it's going to go 0 to 60 in 3.4 seconds well let's see you got a little SUV going that fast here's a recipe for disaster the soccer moms are going to be smashing into each other with that one now they say it gets 265 to 275 miles well this is going to get that if you're going zero to 60 in 2.5 seconds all the time electric motors at higher speeds are in a so you know the range is per usual it's probably a bold face lie of what it's actually going to get in the real world when you're running the AC that uses energy or running the heat in the winter when you're cold and they say you'll be able to charge them 10 to 80 percent in 26 and a half minutes granted you got to have a supercharger then this isn't a home job the home ones are still going to take seven eight hours right at a level two and a level one would take four days or something right this Volvo EV now it's going to be produced in the Zang child plant in China it's a Chinese guy and guess what that particular plant is operated by a galey that's Volvo's controlling shareholders so like I said it's going to save Volvo but this ain't a Volvo this is a geely it's a geely electric car but it'll say Volvo right then I'll find a way to use the name on their own products right I say you know if electric cars are going to get popular they're going to make them in China selling them over here you know it's just a fact that that's going to happen in 2024 this thing's going to be out so we'll see people buy them so they hauled up if anybody makes the electric cars that are going to actually pan out I can see the Chinese doing it and then calling them Volvos even though they're not even made by Volvo they're made by the parent company geely but since they own Volvo they put the Volvo name on whatever the heck they want Pete says I got a question about ceramic coating I went to the store and looked at McGuire ceramic coating it says you spray it on and rinse it off was it is it any good is it a wax thanks everybody and their brothers and sisters are trying to sell ceramic Coatings right there is no actual law about saying what a ceramic coating is Ceramics are extremely hard they can take heat right but you spray some on and rinse it off is it really going to stick on I don't think so actual ceramic things like the ceramic tiles they used to have in a space shuttle to stop heat when they went back into the Earth's atmosphere those are ceramic they really work right but they're a big piece and just spray a ceramic coating on the space shuttle and say oh well that'll keep it from burning up and re-entry no right most of these things are just a straight gimmick the ceramic coating some deals you'll say well Serena coat your car for 800 do you think it's really going to do anything you know I don't think it does as much as you spray and wipe it off I'm just down one thing the primer on the metal then there's different layers of color then there's clear coat and la la la who's to say the ceramic coating is even going to attach itself to the top of your car because the top of your car already has a clear coat and probably has wax on it so I would waste my money on that stuff I think most of them are a total scam Waterboy 69 says I got an 08 Ford Focus the transmission has lost reverse gear 2008 Focus automatic transmission 165 000 miles I drove it won't go backwards now sometimes they're going backwards when it's hot but when it's cold it won't what can I do help all right well realize those Ford Focus is at one of the worst automatic transmissions ever built now for certain models and years Ford had a class action suit that they lost and they have to either buy the car back or fix the transmission and you don't have to pay anything right the deal was like they have to pay between two thousand and twenty five thousand and every single person that I saw try to get money from Ford they want wanted to give them two thousand twenty five hundred of course they don't want to give any money and the lawsuit says they have to pay between two and twenty five thousand dollars of course charge is going to go to the low end you know it's scumbags corporations are right now if not drive it still runs then when it doesn't run anymore junk the stupid thing it's not worth fixing to fix those Transmissions it's going to cost anywhere between 25 to 5500 it's not worth now the focus is we're okay if they had a standard transmission at a customer with 250 on one with the standard manual transmission a clutch it's fine no problems at all right you have to put a clutch in it but those automatics are just garbage on those things they're absolute garbage so see if Ford will fix it if not drive it until it drops then never buy another Ford and get even with them Cash 85 21 says I got a Seventh Generation Celica and I have delayed transmission to 99 I change the oil transmission and filter but when I started up it takes five minutes or so for it to kick in there's no engine light on then once it gets going it goes okay you change the filter and fluid didn't make any difference right the thing is your transmission you didn't say the mods is probably wearing out even Toyota's wear out what's happening is this and I see it all the time when they finally get old and we're out just like your car's engine the transmission has an oil pump it pumps the fluid inside the transmission to build up pressure it isn't Splash lubrication like a manual transmission it's just gears and splashes yeah the automatics have an oil pump the oil pump has to build up pressure or it won't move yours won't move until it warms up for a while obviously that pump is starting to go out to fix that stuff you got to split the case you got to do everything take it all apart it's a very expensive job super expensive so what I'll tell you is go buy some of that Lucas slip stop transmission additive take whatever cord out of the fluid and put a quart of that stuff in give it 250 300 miles of driving and pray it gets better maybe there's Varnish in there it'll clear it out and it'll work because if that doesn't fix it you're going to need another transmission you're going to have to have that one rebuilt and that relatively complex in those seventh Generations not that many guys know how to rebuild those things correctly I'll tell you that but it means the pump isn't taking a while to build up pressure so try I slip stop maybe it'll clear it out you never know you change the filter and fluid that doesn't help and if the Lucas doesn't it just means your Transmissions going out now here's a trick a lot of guys will do say you start it and park right and you put it in drive and it won't move try this start it put it in dry but then put it in reverse and if it starts backing up back up a little way then put it forward and a lot of times that primes the pump and it works I've had people drive them years that way try that it might work RC bull says my 07 Toyota R says the right front bouncing on a three-hour trip the vibration started bouncing around I had to slow to 35 to stop the bounce what could cause okay well odds are you right front strut is worn out the struts have shock assemblies inside them and when they wear out instead of going harder to get up and down to absorb the shock that's why they call shock absorbers right it's not small like when you hit bumps it'll start bouncing you lose control of course Jack it up you never know you might have a ball joint tie rod that's coming off and when you jack it up you pull it and it'll wiggle the wheel but if you you do that and the wheel doesn't wiggle it means the struts worn and commonly that's the problem now it's an 07 Toyota I really would advise you if you change the right front strut I change the left front strut to make it even because if the right front strut is worn the thing's 17 years old now I would change both front struts myself so we'll drive evenly because if that one's worn the other one is soon to follow right you didn't see how many miles yeah but I'm sure it's reasonable amount of high mileage and the struts just do wear out eventually you can just look at them and if you look at the right front one put your hand inside with the big hydraulic Rod is and if it's all leaky and slimy with oil then it blew the seal and all the oil came out of it well check this out Norwegian Cruise Line says they're going to make a all-electric ship with mass that go up and down with solar panels and wind power right I question this now realize this electric powered cruise ship is due out in 2030. that's seven years from now a lot can happen between now and that but all I have to say is you're going to have solar panels and wind power is giant cruise ships I took a cruise ship from Houston to Yucatan and back right they used over a million and a half gallons of diesel fuel the power in on that one trip now they don't talk about gallons they tell you tons of fuel right it's a lot of energy I can't see all that energy coming from Little solar panels and some little weird sails that they have that collapse up and down right it's gone how they say include three giant retractable sales that also have solar panels on them right all I have to say is I wouldn't hold my breath on this one the energy it takes to propel these gigantic cruise ships every 50 feet that cruise ship went and used up a gallon of diesel fuel right no way they're going to get batteries and solar power and wind to work for that right and of course they're saying don't worry this is going to happen 20 30. They're all playing to the politicians of oh zero emissions Crews cruise ships are gigantic energy Hogs they'll continue to be giant energy Hogs and some magic Electric solar panel and wind isn't going to do what they say it's going to do boy I can't wait till 20 30 and see what happens with that so if you never want to miss another one of my new cuts repair videos remember to ring that Bell\n"