Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Stack Exchange
Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [automatic-transmission]

Questions regarding automatic gearboxes, and associated parts such as torque converters

Automatic Transmission

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Is there a way to put Prius with dead battery into neutral?

I own a 2010 Prius. It has a dead battery, front facing forward in my garage. I do not have long enough jumper cables. I’ve searched the Internet. Did Toyota really create a car that cannot be put into neutral if the battery is dead? I need to move…
Agile Scout
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4 answers

What's the Purpose of Park on an Automatic Transmission?

When one wants to park a manual transmission (MTX) vehicle, one puts it in neutral, and engages the emergency / parking brake. With an ATX vehicle, the practice I've learned is to put it in Park, and engage the parking brake. But if I need to…
Robert S. Barnes
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Why doesn't anyone ever repair an automatic transmission?

I am old enough to have had about four transmission failures spaced over about 40 years and at no time did any mechanic ever offer to “fix” it; the only diagnosis has been a complete rebuild. This is not what happens to any other part of the car.…
glw
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9 answers

What's the point of the D3 gear in an automatic transmission?

My Honda Civic has a D gear and a D3, which apparently prevents it from going into 4th. Why would I want to do this? What is it good for? Does it make my fuel efficiency better or worse? Does it make the transmission's job easier or wear it out…
endolith
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Does a Car Keep Moving If Neither Accelerator, Nor Brake Is Pressed?

I am not sure if if this is the right forum to ask this, but even my driving instructor cannot give me a clear answer, hence the question. Learning driving on a toyota vios, automatic transmission. The interrelated questions I have are Does the…
Della
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3 answers

How do the latest automatic transmissions match the efficiencies of manual gearboxes?

Most people know that for old or even somewhat old cars, manual transmissions are more efficient. Recently automatic cars have become almost as efficient or even as efficient as manuals. I was recently reading an article by Road & Track magazine…
user180969
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2 answers

Why doesn't the engine stall out when you come to a stop with an automatic transmission?

When you come to a stop with a manual transmission you have to push the clutch in or take it out of gear to keep the engine from stalling out. What keeps the engine from stalling in an automatic transmission. Even when I rev the engine while holding…
Drise
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7 answers

Does putting an automatic car into neutral at stop lights significantly harm the transmission?

I drive a 2013 Mazda 3, in case that makes any difference to the answer. There seems to be a few discussions on the web which indicate that putting an automatic car into neutral does not significantly improve fuel economy. However, I developed this…
merlin2011
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11 answers

Use of Neutral Gear in Automatic Transmission

I am new to driving A/T cars and I am trying to understand the use of Neutral(N) gear. Should I shift my gear from D to N when my car comes to a complete halt on a red light or somewhere else? As per my understanding, putting brakes on while waiting…
Piyush Kansal
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Why is towing a manual transmission car, in neutral, with the drive wheels on the ground, considered safe?

It is clear that cars with automatic transmissions cannot be towed with any drive wheels on the ground, engine off, in neutral, because the torque converter powers the lubrication pump for the transmission. Why is it considered safe for a manual…
Narcotixs
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Are manual transmission cars disappearing?

You don't have to be an expert to notice that over time, the percentage of manual transmission cars has lowered. Automatic cars are not only more popular, but more comfortable, easier to use and actually better in fuel efficiency. I've searched the…
Gabe12
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3 answers

shifting stops when critically low on gas

I have a 1999 Dodge Dakota. It is a V6, 3.9 Liter, auto transmission. I have a weird problem that no one has been able to answer for me. HOW I CAME TO REALIZE THE PROBLEM: One day I was driving home and had to stop at a stop light. The light…
Linger
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4 answers

Push start a car with automatic transmission

Is it possible to push start a car with automatic transmission? Use case: Let's say the battery is dead or you have a bad starter. I know this can be done on manual cars by putting the car in to gear after the car starts moving. Can you do the same…
rana
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What is a governor and what is it used for?

I was watching a classic car restoration program on YouTube in which they were working on a '50s Cadillac with an automatic transmission. The mechanic in the video diagnosed a transmission glitch as a problem with the "governor" that was sticking…
Zaid
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Any truth to the "myth" about changing transmission fluid in older vehicles?

I have had people give me anecdotal stories (friend of a friend type thing) about changing the transmission fluid in vehicles with 150,000+ miles, especially those that haven't had regular transmission maintenance. The usual story is something…
Ogre Psalm33
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