Whether you’re backing up or speeding ahead, your vehicle’s driveline is helping you get to your destination.
Every once in a while, driveline service is needed to keep you and your car on the road.
What is the driveline?
The driveline is responsible for moving a car forward or backward. How does it work? Well, there are different setups among vehicles.
If you have a rear-wheel drive, the engine sends power to the transmission. The transmission gives the rotation to the driveshaft, which goes back to the rear differential. This causes the wheels to spin in whichever direction.
For front-wheel drive cars, power is transferred from the engine to the transmission and spins the axles.
On rear-wheel drive vehicles with all-wheel drive capabilities, to send the power or rotation to the front wheels, it needs to go through a transfer case and another drive shaft.
Front-wheel drive cars with all-wheel drive capabilities have a similar concept. Power goes from the engine to the transmission. The transfer case is either built into the transmission to go to the rear wheels or the transfer case is a separate unit that goes to the rear wheels.
Driveline problems we look for
We don’t look for one particular driveline problem when working on vehicles.
Usually when a customer mentions a symptom, we can isolate it to a certain driveline component. Here are some examples:
Transmission: When it comes to the transmission, you could have slipping, shuddering, or hard shifts. Problems with switching gears and a grinding noise can be signs of a bad transmission.
Transfer case: If power isn’t getting to the rear drive shaft or front drive shaft, there may be a problem with the transfer case. Drivers might also notice a vibration or feel like their car is shaking when this part is bad.
Rear differentials and front differentials: The first thing you’re going to notice before it goes bad is noise, because those are rotating elements. You have bearings and gears that all flow together and are lubricated by fluid.
Driveline service and signs that it’s needed
Aside from a catastrophic failure, one of the most common driveline problems that drivers will notice is a roaring noise. It may sound like the tires are loud.
Vibration is another possible symptom. When driving at a certain speed and throttle position (or load), it might feel like you’re driving over a rumble strip.
To ensure that the driveline continues working as designed, make sure that it receives needed maintenance overtime. You can take care of your driveline by regularly exchanging fluids on the transmission, transfer case and differentials. Sometimes, u joints may be serviced.
Our shop offers driveline service. This includes engine repairs, engine replacement, external transmission repairs, transmission replacement, and differential replacement. We also replace u joints, carrier bearings, and axle bearings.
Transmission fluid exchanges, transfer case fluid exchanges, and differential fluid exchanges are some maintenance services our technicians perform.
So, if you think something is wrong with your driveline or it’s been a while since these components have been serviced, feel free to reach out to us.
HomeTowne Auto Repair & Tire is an authorized Michelin and BFGoodrich tire dealer located in Woodbridge, Virginia. Automotive repair services are performed on all makes and models, including oil changes, brakes, alignments, inspections, and computer engine diagnostics.