Automatic Transmission Problem

sanjjaya · September 25, 2007

I have a hyundai accent 2000 model automatic transmission vehicle and recently it started a problem, when I engaged the leaver from "P" to "D" the car has a small jerk, some ppl say it is a begining of a problem any opinions for this

gunat · September 25, 2007

Thats a hard problem to analyze, but a majority of 'jerky' autoboxes are due to poor maintenence. Usually a ATF change takes care of this, but sometimes a gearbox can be so hacked it needs to be overhauled/replaced.

A couple of other questions:

1. When was your last tune up? Make sure your idle is at an acceptable range. High Idle=jerk

2. Do you step on the brake properly when changing from P to D or N to D?

If you get all these rudimentary maintenence task taken care of and still have a problem, suggest you see a professional mechanic to sort it out.

good luck

sanjjaya · September 25, 2007

gunat said:
Thats a hard problem to analyze, but a majority of 'jerky' autoboxes are due to poor maintenence. Usually a ATF change takes care of this, but sometimes a gearbox can be so hacked it needs to be overhauled/replaced.
A couple of other questions:

1. When was your last tune up? Make sure your idle is at an acceptable range. High Idle=jerk

2. Do you step on the brake properly when changing from P to D or N to D?

If you get all these rudimentary maintenence task taken care of and still have a problem, suggest you see a professional mechanic to sort it out.

good luck

Thank you gunat

Idel is between 1000 - 1500 is this too much?? but the problem is not there when i change from P to R or N to R

Nozozo · September 25, 2007

hope this will also be helpful in addition to the previous post.

had a similar prob in one of my friends car. Open your hood, start and let somebody to shift P to D while pressing the brake, inspect is there any excessive movement (swing) in your engine. My frnd sorted out it by replacing engine mounts. not sure it may not be in your case.

check weather you get the same jerk when you push brakes to a stop and release. if so, may be something to do with your gearbox.

Velocity · September 25, 2007

Newbie Question Here.

When i am in slow moving Traffic or If its a Colour Light Red, even if its for a Few Seconds I always change from D to N.

But i know many people just keep it on the D while braking for a quite long time,

Does my Habit Save the Gear Box Life Time ?

Just a question to the experts.

miniace · September 25, 2007

Velocity said:
Newbie Question Here.
When i am in slow moving Traffic or If its a Colour Light Red, even if its for a Few Seconds I always change from D to N.

But i know many people just keep it on the D while braking for a quite long time,

Does my Habit Save the Gear Box Life Time ?

Just a question to the experts.

Quick answer!

Thats the correct practice recommended by manufacturers too.You relieve lot of mechanical stress.

Nilantha · September 25, 2007

sanjjaya said:
Thank you gunat
Idel is between 1000 - 1500 is this too much?? but the problem is not there when i change from P to R or N to R

i think your RPM bit more. Maximum 1000 with AC.

sanjjaya · September 25, 2007

miniace said:
Quick answer!
Thats the correct practice recommended by manufacturers too.You relieve lot of mechanical stress.

Does this have a longevity of the Transmission?? I'm a newbie too

miniace · September 25, 2007

sanjjaya said:
Does this have a longevity of the Transmission?? I'm a newbie too

It is not necessary to put the car into Park or Neutral every time you stop at a junction or traffic light. However, if you are stopping for more than say 5 minutes, you should put the car into neutral or Park where appropriate. Note that each time you shift gears, you are making the entire transmission move and will wear it out faster consequently. Therefore, try to avoid shifting gears unless necessary as the cost of replacing the transmission is quite considerable.- quote

MINIACE

GearHead · September 25, 2007

miniace said:
It is not necessary to put the car into Park or Neutral every time you stop at a junction or traffic light. However, if you are stopping for more than say 5 minutes, you should put the car into neutral or Park where appropriate. Note that each time you shift gears, you are making the entire transmission move and will wear it out faster consequently. Therefore, try to avoid shifting gears unless necessary as the cost of replacing the transmission is quite considerable.- quote
MINIACE

agree with miniace.and to add some more i advice you not to put the gearbox to 'P' position while in traffic jams or while you are stopped for the lights. just put it the neutral and pull the hand brakes.Here in SL you'll never know who might come and hit the back of your car.this could damage the gearbox provided that the crash was enough to send to significant load to the vehicle causing the wheels to spin while in the gearbox is in 'Park' position.

miniace · September 26, 2007

GearHead said:
agree with miniace.and to add some more i advice you not to put the gearbox to 'P' position while in traffic jams or while you are stopped for the lights. just put it the neutral and pull the hand brakes.Here in SL you'll never know who might come and hit the back of your car.this could damage the gearbox provided that the crash was enough to send to significant load to the vehicle causing the wheels to spin while in the gearbox is in 'Park' position.

Agree! Good point you got!

sanjjaya · September 26, 2007

miniace said:
It is not necessary to put the car into Park or Neutral every time you stop at a junction or traffic light. However, if you are stopping for more than say 5 minutes, you should put the car into neutral or Park where appropriate. Note that each time you shift gears, you are making the entire transmission move and will wear it out faster consequently. Therefore, try to avoid shifting gears unless necessary as the cost of replacing the transmission is quite considerable.- quote
MINIACE

So the final and the best practice is to put it to "N" if you stuck in a traffic jam for more than 3 or more minutes

am I correct?

lakshank · September 26, 2007

Absolutely !

I have few more things for your information.. let us know what other symptoms u have machan

check the transmission fluid level and condition. With the engine idling, transmission in "Park" (some cars may have different procedure, refer to owner's manual) remove the automatic transmission dipstick and wipe it out with the clean cloth. Then insert it back and pull out again. Check the fluid level, low level may indicate a transmission leak. Look at the fluid very closely. It helps to drip the fluid on a white paper to be able to see fluid condition. The fluid on the paper should be clean and transparent, without any metal filings or black flakes. New fluid usually comes red. Over the time and use it become more brownish, but it shouldn't be black.

Try to smell the fluid. It should not have a burnt smell.

All this may seem to be difficult for you, but when you check few similar cars, you'll be able to see the difference.

If you discover that transmission fluid is too dirty or black, or smells burnt, that tells a lot of things.

Keep in mind, however, that some modern cars simply don't have the transmission dipstick and require special procedure performed in a garage to check the fluid level.

One of the indications of a transmission problem is delayed engagement, when there is a long delay between the moment you shift the shifter into "D" or "R" and the moment the transmission kicks in.

It's easier to note delayed engagement after a car was sitting for a while: With the transmission in "P" start the engine, and wait until the engine rpm has reduced to normal level (650 - 850 rpm).

With your foot holding down the brake pedal, shift to the "D" position. Almost immediately the transmission should engage - it feels like the car wants to creep forward. This should happen very smoothly, without a strong jerk or clunk.

Shift to "N", and the transmission should disengage. Now, still holding the brakes, shift to the "R" position. Again, the transmission kicks in almost immediately - you will feel the car wants to creep backward. This also should be very smooth, without a jerk or clunk.

Now, still holding the brake pedal down, try to shift from D to R and back. There should be no strong jerk or clunk.

If there is a notable long delay (more than 1 seconds) between the moment you shift and the moment the transmission kicks in, such a transmission might be either too worn or has some problem.

With the shifter in "D" position drive gently, with smooth and gradual acceleration. Until the vehicle reaches a speed of 30ish mph (50-60 km/h) or you should feel the gears shifting at least twice (from first to second, and from second to third gear).

All shifts should be done very smoothly, without jerks or slipping.

You should be able to feel when the transmission shifts by the slight change in the engine tone or change in engine rpm. If the transmission is extremely worn it may shift with quite a strong jerk, shudder or a delay (especially from first to second gear).

Driving at a speed of 25-30 mph (40-50 km/h) if you press down the accelerator pedal for a few seconds, you should feel downshifting to the lower gear, if the automatic transmission works properly.

Also check your overdrive.

While driving at 60-70 km/h or 35-45 mph on a level road, without using the accelerator, switch overdrive ON. You should feel an upshifting to the next speed. Switch it to "OFF," and you should feel a downshifting.

Another thing that may indicate the transmission problem is the slipping. When the transmission is excessively worn it may slip - which means you press the accelerator, the engine rpm increases but the speed remains the same.

Keep in mind often the transmission may work well when it's cold but when it's warmed up it starts giving troubles or visa versa. Normally there should be no shudder, no noises or any kind of strong jerks at any speed and at any engine temperatures while any shifting.

Edited September 26, 2007 by lakshank

sanjjaya · September 27, 2007

lakshank said:
Absolutely !
I have few more things for your information.. let us know what other symptoms u have machan

Only the jerk is there shifts smoothly from one gear to another when running and the other thing is jerk is only on "D" not "R"

can you guess an estimate to overhaul repair the auto gear

harshansenadhir · September 27, 2007

miniace said:
It is not necessary to put the car into Park or Neutral every time you stop at a junction or traffic light. However, if you are stopping for more than say 5 minutes, you should put the car into neutral or Park where appropriate. Note that each time you shift gears, you are making the entire transmission move and will wear it out faster consequently. Therefore, try to avoid shifting gears unless necessary as the cost of replacing the transmission is quite considerable.- quote
MINIACE

shifting between D and N is recommended but not to Parking position (P) and all manufacturers allow or the design allows you to freely shift between D and N without pressing the gear changing knob.