Overheating transmission is never a good thing. Too much heat can easily kill your gearbox or at least significantly reduce its lifespan.
Here are the signs that your transmission is overheating:
- The car jerks when the transmission is shifting gears (especially between the 1st and the 2nd gears).
- The transmission is slipping. You can notice the tachometer needle going up and the engine revving up before the higher gear is engaged.
- It starts smelling like something is burnt in the car. It means that the clutch plates are wearing out extensively.
- You may also see warning lights and messages saying that the transmission is overheated.
For example, Ford vehicles have this function and will tell you “Transmission hot, wait 5 minutes” or something like that. I’ve posted the article about this – you may read it here.
How can you understand that it’s exactly the transmission?
You may know that many of the symptoms listed above can be experienced in your car under many different circumstances. And sometimes, they are not connected with the transmission. The simple example – how do you understand that your transmission is overheating or maybe the lack of gearbox fluid is causing the problems?
The answer is as simple as that: there are basically no ways to understand that without proper inspection.
I know just one thing you may do:
- Get a good OBD2 scanner that can read the data from all the control modules in your car.
- Insert the scanner and make sure you can see all the readings online and monitor their changes.
- Find the transmission fluid temperature section in the settings of the scanner’s software.
- Start driving and see if the temperature goes out of the limits when the car is warmed up.
This trick will work with cars that have the transmission fluid temperature sensor. Unfortunately, many don’t have this sensor, so this method will not work. I used it to check the temperature of the automatic transmission in the Chevy Cruze 1.4 Turbo and it appeared that the jerking transmission was the consequence of overheating.
Also, check the normal transmission fluid temperature in the driver’s manual for your car. The optimal temperature for the majority of transmission models lies between 180 and 220 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spotting the overheating transmission without the scanner
Transmission can overheat because of many reasons like low fluid level, bad quality of fluid, problems with the torque converter or valve body, insufficient cooling, or poor operation conditions. These are just some of the most common reasons why the gearbox may suddenly overheat.
And if you suspect overheating, you should be able to spot it and do something before one of the most expensive units in your car fatally fails.
Here’s what you need to pay attention to:
- When do the problems start showing themselves? If you feel jerking right after you start driving in the morning, this is most likely not because of the overheating.
- What’s the fluid level? Actually, whenever you have any issues with the transmission, you should check the fluid level. It may be the key to solving the problem.
- If you stop the car and let it sit for 30 minutes, will the problem disappear? If your car starts driving without any slipping or jerking after it cools down, the initial problem may be overheating.
- Do you get any warning lights or error messages? In the majority of modern vehicles, slipping transmissions will throw codes. And they are possible to read with just some simple scanners.
Using these simple factors, you may easily determine if the problems you experience are connected to the overheated transmission. Now, before you find a way to solve the problem, there is one thing you should obviously know: how to avoid killing the transmission, in this situation?
What to do if the transmission is overheating?
So, if you confirm that the most possible reason for the problems with your car is transmission overheating, there are several things you should do.
Here they are:
- avoid driving the car in the slow city traffic when the transmission is freaking out;
- also, avoid towing something or driving with high payload, in this case;
- stop the vehicle safely on the roadside and let it sit with the engine off for 20-30 minutes;
- after all the units are cooled, you can try to continue driving;
- pay attention to all changes in the way your vehicle behaves;
- once you experience any minor signs of the overheating transmission, immediately stop your car in a safe place;
- if the symptoms are there even after cooling down, you may want to call a tow truck.
Never keep driving if the transmission is not OK. If you ignore the problems, things may go the wrong way and you may end the day with a fatally broken transmission that will need replacement. Unfortunately, this is going to cost you a fortune, no matter what type of transmission is installed in your vehicle.
When you are in a safe place, you should think about your visit to the dealer or to the independent shop. Without this, the problem won’t disappear and you will still experience all the symptoms the next time you drive the car.
Are there any DIY fixes for overheating transmissions?
If your transmission is constantly overheating, it means something is wrong with it. The fluid may be bad or low, or maybe you are driving your car aggressively. Anyway, the root reason for this problem needs to be found and dealt with. Without this, solving the overheating problem is impossible.
I had experience with installing an external cooler for the Chevy Cruze automatic transmission. It had all the needed piping and I only needed to buy a couple of hoses and the radiator. But I wouldn’t say this is a DIY thing anyone can do.
If you experience a problem with transmission overheating, avoid DIY fixes. Find a good mechanic who can diagnose your car using professional scanners and find the reason for the problem. This is the only thing that will help you avoid problems in the future.
If you have something to add to this topic, please write in the comments below!