Transmission Problem Checklist

Is it the transmission or the engine?

When you come to a stop does your car stall? While driving down the highway do you feel a shudder? Have you ever tried to pass another car and felt like someone abruptly applied the brakes? You wouldn't be alone if you blamed the transmission for causing these problems. In fact, these problems may be due to something else.

Late model cars use a computer to control the engine. Many cars use the same computer or another computer which shares the same information,
to control the fuel injection, ignition and transmission.

As you drive the car, you are constantly changing the demands on the powertrain (i.e. acceleration, cruising,passing, coasting and idling). The computer recognizes this by monitoring various sensors. To improve fuel
economy, the computer will (under the right conditions) engage a clutch inside the torque converter.

The torque converter is a device located between the engine and transmission. It is filled with hydraulic oil (automatic transmission fluid). The
hydraulic oil coupled with the design of the torque converter allows the engine to run slowly at an idle (like being disconnected) with the vehicle stopped. At higher engine speed, torque is transferred through the hydraulic oil to the transmission.

Without special equipment and experience, no one can tell if a shudder is caused by something slipping insidethe transmission, the torque converter, a weak spark, a dirty fuel injector or a loose electrical connection.
Your Automatic Transmission Rebuilders Association (ATRA) transmission specialist is a highly qualified professional and can best determine what, if anything your transmission needs.