Auto service is critical, and without it, you can lose your car or put yourself in danger. Hi, my name is Pete, and after ignoring my brakes for too long, I was in an accident. I made it my goal to learn everything I could about the importance of car service. Regardless of how much or how little you know about cars, I hope that these blogs can help you. I plan to focus on a range of topics related to auto service and possibly some other ideas as well. This is my first blog, and I hope that you enjoy it. When I'm not writing, I work in a coffee shop during the day and part-time for a telemarketing company in the evenings. I enjoy cooking and spending time with my family.
If you have been driving a car or truck equipped with a manual gearbox for some time, you'll be very familiar with the clutch. This is the mechanism that allows you to disconnect the engine from the transmission so that you can change gears. However, you are now at the wheel of an automatic vehicle and seem to be having some transmission problems of your own. Somebody has told you that this could be a faulty "torque converter," but what is that?
Converter in Action
In simple terms, the torque converter is just a fancy name for a clutch. This component, which is found within the gearbox casing, helps to disconnect the engine from the gearbox at certain times and, crucially, when your car is at a standstill. It is also responsible for delivering the right amount of lubrication to certain parts of the system, depending on how much power the engine is delivering and how hard the vehicle needs to work.
An automatic gearbox is quite a feat of engineering and is designed to work well under strain for long periods of time. Nevertheless, it will wear out from time to time, and the torque converter, in particular, is susceptible.
Tell-Tale Signs
When this part starts to play up, you may notice a number of issues. The car may appear to vibrate or even shake when you're driving at a certain speed, or you may try to accelerate, but the vehicle will struggle to do so. Alternatively, you may find that the car will move forward but that the engine is working far harder in that specific situation than it should, or you may find that the vehicle begins to overheat due to poor fluid pressure levels.
Closer Look
Of course, it can be difficult to pinpoint the issue, but you may be able to get more information by carrying out a test at home. With the vehicle in a safe position on a level road (and with nothing in front of it), start the engine. Push the throttle pedal down several times to accelerate the engine, depress the foot brake and shift the lever into 'drive'. If you can feel the car trying to push forward against the pressure on the brake pedal and that feeling is accompanied by some unusual noise, then it is likely that the torque converter is not doing its job properly.
Next Move
To find out more, you will need to take your car in to a mechanic for their advice. After all, this type of repair is complex and is not something that you can typically do at home.
For more information on transmission repairs, contact a mechanic.
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