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How To Know If Your Car’s Transmission Is Beyond Repair? Blown Transmission Symptoms

The Value of Transmission Replacement

This is how to know if your car's transmission is beyond repair:

⚠️ If It's Broken, Don't Fix It - Get Paid Cash for Your Vehicle ⚠️


  1. Weird noises
  2. Strange smells
  3. Troubles shifting
  4. Transmission slipping

The transmission is a core component in any vehicle. It's responsible for transferring the energy from the engine to the wheels. With a working transmission, your vehicle is not useful, and keeping an eye on this transmission is extremely important.

Since the transmission is not designed to last forever, there might be a point where you have to replace or fix it. Determining symptoms indicating severe transmission problems is essential for every driver, and one way to do that is by monitoring for the symptoms of a blown transmission.

This article highlights the four most common symptoms of a blown transmission to help you answer the question, “How do you know if your car's transmission is beyond repair?”

How do you know if your car's transmission is beyond repair?

There are simple transmission problems that you might be able to wait on, but there are severe issues that you cannot delay a single second. Understanding the main symptoms of a blown transmission is extremely important to help you avoid getting stranded in nowhere.


The following list summarizes the four most common extremely important symptoms indicating a failing transmission that should help you answer the question, “How do you know if your car's transmission is beyond repair?”

1-    Weird noises

The first and most common symptom indicating that your transmission might be blown out is when you hear strange noises whenever you try to engage any of the gears. For example, if you notice some whining, clunking, or grinding noises, there might be an issue with the transmission.

Depending on the type of noise, the problem can be different. In other words, while you must address the problem immediately, regardless of the type of noise, you must monitor it to help your mechanic identify and pinpoint the faulty component with your transmission.

For example, any noises coming from that transmission could range from simple problems, such as low fluids in your transmission, to severe issues related to worn-out or completely damaged gears.

Your mechanic would be the best person to help you narrow down the potential culprits within your transmission and help you identify which component needs to be replaced. In some instances, your mechanic might even require replacing the entire transmission, which needs a little thought before spending the money on that.

2-    Strange smells

The second thing you'll experience when you have a transmission problem is strange smells. Regardless of what this smell is and whether it's related to the transmission or not, you should not ignore any weird smells because they're typically related to internal problems that might be minor. Still, in many situations, it, could be extremely significant.

Usually, a problem with the transmission associated with the weird smell could be related to issues with the fluid. In other words, you might smell something burning or a simple sweet smell; in some instances, it could be like a tart smell.

All those smells should be important signs you should consider and never ignore because otherwise, the problem could evolve and get to the point where your transmission requires complete replacement.

odd car smells

3-    Troubles shifting

Shifting your transmission can be a common problem in any transmission. Sometimes, the problem might be very minor, indicating early signs of transmission failure, but if it becomes a consistent issue, it might indicate that your transmission is blown out.

For example, if you realize that you cannot switch gears or your computer in the vehicle complains about issues whenever you switch gears, it could be an internal problem. Sometimes, it might be related to a worn clutch, but it could be related to a warranted down gear or broken bands in other vehicles.

Detecting the problem with shifting might be more obvious if you're driving a vehicle with a manual transmission. This is because you'll decide when to switch the gears and realize how hard it is to switch between gears if that's the problem.

4-    Transmission slipping

Finally, a blown-out transmission or a significant problem with your transmission might be associated with Flipping gears. For example, if you can switch between gears successfully, it doesn't mean there's no problem with your transmission.

That's why you have to monitor the vehicle behavior continuously and check if any instances indicate that your transmission gears do not stay in the same location, which can indicate that you must check on your transmission.

How to Know If Your Car's Transmission Is Failing

Is my transmission OK?

Many people get stressed about the transmission condition and focus on the common symptoms to think the issue is related to the transmission. In other words, if you need help switching gears, it doesn't necessarily mean the transmission needs a complete replacement. It could be a simple issue that you need to fix.

That's why you shouldn't be too worried about the transmission if you have a vehicle that doesn't have any problems with switching gears or slipping gears or sometimes all the symptoms we indicated before.

However, if you still suspect your transmission needs to be in better shape, you can always have your mechanic look and confirm the condition. Your mechanic might be able to identify future problems that are not obvious to you and might be addressed immediately without waiting for a long time.

Car Stuck In First Gear Automatic Transmission

Does my transmission need to be rebuilt?

If your transmission has completely failed and you've experienced the symptoms we indicated before, like the consistent issues with slipping gears and difficulty switching gears, the transgene must most likely be replaced.

The signing between you replacing the transmission completely by rebuilding it or installing a new one is a process and requires detailed thinking. Could you talk with your mechanic and see if it's even worth rebuilding the transmission? It's also important to consider repair costs and the pros and cons of rebuilding versus installing a new transmission.

How To Know If Your Car's Transmission Is Beyond Repair

Can it be mistaken for transmission problems?

As we  highlighted before, many people think that any simple problem with the transmission might indicate a severe problem. However, there are many situations where the problem could be linked to a completely different component within your car.

For example, a simple problem with your speed sensor could indicate your transmission malfunctioning. However, all that's happening is that the sensor cannot transmit the speed to the transmission.

A problem with another sensor, like the temperature sensor, might also indicate that your vehicle is not working properly and could be a transmission problem. For instance, some people complained that because of a problem with the temperature sensor, the vehicle thought that the engine was overheating or very cold, putting the Transmission into limp mode.

Another common problem that many people might underestimate is when they have a low fluid level. This shows that the transmission is not working properly, and it could indicate severe trouble in the transmission component when it simply needs topping off the transmission fluid.

Finally, problems with the fuel system might also be translated into other issues. People might think there is a significant problem in the transactions, while others might think it's related to the engine. Therefore, your mechanic would be the best person to confirm the faulty component before you spend a penny.

The mechanic decided that your vehicle needs a complete transmission replacement; it might be worth confirming with another mechanic and seeing if the problem exists because sometimes it could be just a way for them to make money from your car.

How To Know If Your Car's Transmission Is Beyond Repair

Final Thoughts

The transmission problem is not a rare situation because it's the nature of your vehicle, and once the transmission reaches the end of its lifetime, it's not a surprise to deal with severe damage.

Identifying early signs of a completely damaged transmission can help you reduce potential repair costs. In some instances, it might help you extend this car's lifetime without needing to replace the transmission.

Unfortunately, that's not always the case. If you realize that the transmission problem is continuous and your vehicle is shutting down in some situations, it could be the perfect time to sell this car because repairing it might not be worth it.

If you realize your transmission is beyond repair, you can always contact Cash Cars Buyer at 773-791-4363. Our team of experts will help you by buying your car regardless of its type and condition and regardless of the problem with the transmission.

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