Replacing an automatic transmission, can be more expensive than replacing the entire car. However, long before the transmission problems have reached the point of no return, it will show you signs that it is in trouble. If you are aware of what these signs are, and what they could signify, then you have a chance at catching the transmission problems before it is too late to do anything except replace the transmission, or the car. Repairing potential issues, is much less inexpensive then replacing because of the issues.

Pay Attention to the Hints from Your Car. When people get sick, we understand that our bodies are trying to tell us that something is wrong. And so we either go to the doctor, or to the drug store to get medicine for ourselves. If our noses start running, or we start coughing or sneezing, if we start to feel sluggish, or run down, we know that we are sick. By the time we start running a fever, we realize that we really need to see a doctor. The same thought process could and should be applied to our cars. The examples listed below, are the hints that we are given by our car when it is trying to tell us that it needs to see a car doctor, the mechanic.

Tell Tale Hints Of Transmission Trouble. Take a look underneath your car, if you see any wet spots or stains on the ground, then something is leaking. Any sort of leak is a sign that something not good is going on, but if the stain is red in color, then the leak is most likely coming from your transmission. If it is only a few drops, then you have some time before you should have it checked, it is not urgent right now, but it could become a major problem.

Even if you have not noticed a leak under the car, if you do notice that your fluid levels have dropped, then by all means, check them. The transmission fluid should be a translucent red color, if it has a cloudy or muddy color, or has a burnt smell to it, that means that the fluid needs to be changed.

If you feel vibrations when you are shifting gears, or if the car seems to stutter and drag through a gear shift, this is a clear sign of trouble. The problem could be something minor, like you are low on fluid, or it could be more serious, like damaged transmission cables.

Your transmission should be able to run smoothly and in relative silence. Any sort of whiny or grinding noise that seems to be coming from under the floorboards, is a severe cause for concern. This could indicate that there is a problem with the gears, or with the valves.

An overheating transmission is the worst hint that you can encounter, because at this point, it means that your car has already shown you all the other hints, and you either missed them completely, or did not know what they meant. Overheating is a clear sign of quite a few potential problems. From a solenoid that is damaged, to a restriction in the oil cooler. The only option left to you by the time this occurs, is to take your car in to be serviced.