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All your transmission problems are over!

Your transmission is a remarkable contraption. Somehow it can shift your car from gear to gear, knowing how fast you need to go and how quickly you need to get there. What goes on inside is a mystery to most. Unless your thirst for automotive knowledge borders on compulsive, you can leave it a mystery. The basics will be enough to have an intelligent (which translates to “not about to be ripped off”) conversation with your mechanic.

Basic Parts of a Transmission

While there are many, many little parts inside, your transmission is essentially made up of a few key parts of systems.

Bell Housing: This is the cone shaped metal case that you can see when you peek underneath your car. If you have a front-wheel-drive car, it is stuck on the side of the engine under the hood. If your car is rear-wheel-drive, the transmission will be mounted underneath the car behind the engine.

Gears: Even though you are not shifting them, an automatic transmission has gears. They are broken into main gears and planetary gears. You need all of these to be able to drive.

Fluid: Transmission fluid is very important to an automatic transmission. All of the magic happens in the fluid. Most cars come with red transmission fluid, good to know if you are looking for a leak.

Filter: All of that fluid has to be clean for your car to shift gears at the right time. To keep things fresh, your transmission has a filter to catch any gunk.

Now that you know a little about what is happening in there, you can try to figure out why your transmission is acting up, or at least understand what your mechanic is talking about while he tries to make your bill into his new fishing boat.

Transmission problems fall into two very similar categories:

1.     Won’t go.

2.     Won’t go smoothly

These two groups of problems are caused by the same faults in your transmission, so whichever your car is doing, the following applies.

Is your fluid level correct?

It is important to check your transmission fluid at least twice a year. Not only can a low fluid level cause your car to shift poorly, it can eventually lead to transmission damage, and a costly repair. If your car seems to be losing fluid on a regular basis, you may have a leak.

Is your transmission leaking?

Checking for leaks is not as trying as it may seem. The transmission is a closed system, so there are only a few places that can spring a leak. Unless it has been changed to a non-dyed fluid, your car will have red transmission fluid. Here are a few places to check for leaks:

  • At the filler tube base.
  • At the drain hole underneath the transmission.
  • Between the transmission and the engine.
  • At the selector shaft - the rod that connects your gear shift to the transmission.
  • Speed sensor-mounting point. Either this will be your cable screwing into the transmission housing or an electronic sensor bolted to the housing.
  • The radiator. If your car has a transmission cooler, it is possible that a leak will cause transmission fluid to leak into the radiator fluid. They do not mix well, so you will see it floating around in there.

Is your filter clogged?

Your transmission’s filer is vital to its performance. If you have not replaced your filter in a while (or ever for a lot of us), be sure to do this before you start talking about rebuilds or replacements.

Most transmission problems cannot be fixed by the average do-it-yourselfer. There are just too many specialized tools and pieces of equipment you will need, and buying this expensive gear just to screw up your first three tries at fixing the thing just doesn’t make too much sense.

Now that you are in front of the firing squad, it is time to drop some knowledge on your fix-it person. Tell him what the car is doing. Then tell him what you found out when you inspected the transmission. If there is a leak, let him know where and how much is leaking.

Time for a rebuild?

When your transmission gets tired enough, you will have to have it rebuilt. It is true. For some makes and models of car, it is true a little too often, but that is unimportant. The important thing is checking any other possible causes to your problem before you take the transmission apart, which is very expensive. That is why I am here to help. On Repairfinders.com, you will find an affordable mechanic who won’t overcharge you, and who will do the best work possible. If you have not replaced your filter yet, do it! This fixes a nice percentage of transmission problems. If your filter is good, and nothing simple is out of adjustment, be prepared to drop some serious dough on the rebuild. The good news is that most shops warrantee transmissions rebuild for a nice amount of time, and on Repairfinders, it so easy to find a hardworking professional, because every business listed is hardworking, honest, reliable, and professional!

posted by repairfinder on Oct 17, 2008 10:21 PM | 0 comments
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The wonderful world of Locksmiths!

Ya’ll never believe what happened to me today. I was in such a rush to get over to a job I was doing today, I left my keys sitting on my table at home. I was so upset with myself for being so careless with my keys, but then I said ya know what Jackie boy? You are human, so I called myself a locksmith to handle this little problem of mine. Now that I am happily back at home, I was thinking I think today would be a great day to talk about Locksmiths and all that. Make yourself cozy, I got a bit to say today.


Locksmithing began as the science and art of making and defeating locks. A lock is a mechanism that secures buildings, rooms, cabinets, objects, or other storage facilities. A key is often used to open a lock. Means of opening a lock often include what you know (a combination), what you have (a key or keycard) or what you are (biometrics). A “smith” of any type is one who shapes metal pieces, often using a forge or mould, into useful objects or to be part of a more complex structure. Locksmithing, as its name implies, is the assembly and designing of locks and their respective keys.

 

Fitting of keys to replace lost keys to automobiles and homes and the changing of keys for homes and businesses to maintain security are still an important part of locksmithing, locksmiths today are primarily involved in the installation of higher quality locksets and the design, implementation and management of keying and key control systems. Most locksmiths also do electronic lock servicing, such as making keys for transponder-equipped vehicles and the implementation and application of access control systems protecting individuals and assets for many large institutions. In terms of physical security, a locksmith’s work frequently involves making a determination of the level of risk to an individual or institution and then recommending and implementing appropriate combinations of equipment and policies to create “security layers” which exceed the reasonable gain to an intruder or attacker. The more complex security layers are implemented, the more requirements for additional skill, knowledge and tools to defeat them all. However, because each layer comes at an expense to the customer, the application of appropriate levels without exceeding reasonable costs to the customer is often very important and requires a skilled and knowledgeable locksmith to determine.


Locksmiths may be commercial (working out of a storefront), mobile (working out of a vehicle), institutional (employed by an institution) or investigational (forensic locksmiths) or may specialize in one aspect of the skill, such as an automotive lock specialist, a master key system specialist or a safe technician. Many (not all) are also security consultants, but not every security consultant has the skills and knowledge of a locksmith. Locksmiths are frequently certified in specific skill areas or to a level of skill within the trade. This is separate from certificates of completion of training courses. In determining skill levels, certifications from manufacturers or locksmith associations are usually more valid criteria than certificates of completion. Some locksmiths decide to call themselves “Master Locksmiths” whether they are fully trained or not, and some training certificates appear quite authoritative. It may be noted, however, that in some countries a particular level of qualification or membership of an organization is required before one can adopt the term Master Locksmith.

In the general case, a lock will not keep out a determined intruder with unlimited resources, skills, knowledge and time. However, even a minimal lock can delay a typical intruder for a time, and the disturbance generated in circumventing a high-quality lock, for example by breaking windows or doors, can deter many attackers, causing them to direct their attacks against weaker targets. When combined with secure containers, or document destruction systems, or electronic access or alarm systems, locks can provide much higher levels of security. Some locksmiths possess these skills, and others form business relationships with companies or individuals with these specialties. If you ever find yourself in a situation similar to mine, do not hesitate to go to repairfinders.com where you can quickly find dozens of locksmiths in your area. Not only are they hardworking individuals, but they are honest and reliable. What more could you ask for? In addition, never forget that repairfinders.com has all of your repair needs.

posted by repairfinder on Sep 12, 2008 9:26 PM | 0 comments
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