At Midway Excel Tire & Auto Centres our professionals will maintain and repair your transmission.

There are two different kinds of transmissions one is automatic and the other manual. The main differences are that an automatic transmission car has no clutch pedal and there is no gearshift in the automatic car. Once you put the car into drive the rest is automatic.

The automatic transmission, plus its torque converter and the manual, with its clutch, both accomplish the same job, but they do it in totally different ways.

In the automatic transmission the electric solenoid controls the shifting of gears to make more effective use of the engines torque, which allows the engine to keep operating at an appropriate speed. The main difference between a manual and automatic transmission is that the manual transmission locks and unlocks different sets of gears to the output shaft to achieve the various gear ratios, while in an automatic transmission, the same set of gears produces all of the different gear ratios. The planetary gear set is the device the makes this possible in an automatic transmission. The gears only lock and unlock when they are working properly.

Transmissions, whether manual or automatic require transmission fluid that is pumped through it via a pump and oil transferring valve. The torque converter converts the fluid to force and pressure, which shifts from one gear to the next. Transmissions also have filters that prevent dirt and impurities transfering back through the transmission fluid.

Recommended maintenance: Manufacturers recommend specific fluid and service intervals. Ideal conditions are to change the transmission fluid every 48,000 kms.

Warning Signs*

• Vehicle engages slowly into gear
• Vehicle does not shift
• Vehicle engine revs in between shifting gears
• Transmission engagement is jerky
• Vehicle shifts at too high of RPM
• When the fluid level gets low, the plates inside the transmission heat up and cause wear. They become worn and the space between them increases. Heat also causes the seals to become dried and damaged. Transmission service is then required.

*These warning signs are only possible symptoms of the problem. Please come in and ask our service technicians for a professional diagnosis.

What our service includes:

• Flush the transmission with a high quality transmission machine***
• Change the fluids
• Change the pan gasket and filter assembly, if neccesary
• Check the transmission for leaks and worn linkage
• Check for worn or torn transmission mounts
• Road test

*** Transmission Fluid Flush

• The fluid works as a lubricant and detergent
• In normal usage, harmful sludge and varnish deposits graduaaly contaminate the fluid
• The contaminants can eventually cause leaking of seals and/or o-rings and rough or hard shifting
• Contaminants restrict the lubricant properties resulting in increased friction wear and eventual failure
• The flush removes the contaminants, restoring the fluid to its original lubrication and detergent quality

What you should know about your vehicles drive train.



Most of us do not think about the vehicles drive train until it's too late and there is a problem. Strange noises, leaking or shifting problems, which can mean big repair jobs. Vehicles are either front or rear wheel drive. Front wheel drive incorporates engine, transmission and driving axle in one compact unit. Rear drive delivers front engine power to the rear wheels through a transmission shaft.

Drive Train: all power transmitting parts between the engine and the wheels that include the clutch, torque converter, transmission, transaxle, Ujoints, CV joints, drive shaft, differential and axles.

Clutch or Torque Converter: Clutch in a manual transmission or torque converter in an automatic transmission allows smooth transfer of power from the engine to the transmission

Transaxle: The combined transmission and driving axles in a compact unit, which saves weight and space inside the passenger compartment of your vehicle.

CV (Constant Velocity) Joints: Deliver power to the wheels, twisting and flexing like a wrist joint as the steering wheels turn and the suspension moves over bumps. These are packed with grease and covered with rubber "boots".

Transmission: for either front or rear drive, this is the gear shifting mechanism that matches engine speed to road speed and load.

Universal Joints: Located on a rear drive vehicle located between the transmission and the rear axle, they allows the axle to move with the irregularities on the road.

Drive Shaft: This is the tubular component that connects the transmission to the rear axle.

Differential: This is the round housing at the center of the rear axle that directs power to the driving wheels. Through gearing mechanism, permits the wheels to turn at different speeds.

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