errantember (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
errantember) wrote2009-12-25 12:52 am
errantember) wrote2009-12-25 12:52 am
Entry tags:
Travel Fail
I was headed to D/FW to see my Mom for Christmas, but after I left the Metro in the cold for about 30 minutes on a stop just past Georgetown, the transmission started making a soft but clearly wrong grindy noise whenever I would let out the clutch.
I suspected it might be low on transmission grease, but I didn't have a tool kit with me, so I couldn't pull the plug to check. Instead of risking further travel through the snow and into the cold darkness, I elected to head back to Austin to spend the night. The fact that the noise disappeared after a certain amount of driving supports my idea, because if there wasn't enough fluid and it got cold, instead of coating the transmission as the parts slid through the lower level of grease, the grease would be like cold butter and wouldn't get distributed properly until it warmed up. I'll check the level in the morning and add more. If the problem goes away, I'll probably still try taking the Metro to D/FW, but if that doesn't work I'll just take the CR-V instead and pay twice as much in gas.
I suspected it might be low on transmission grease, but I didn't have a tool kit with me, so I couldn't pull the plug to check. Instead of risking further travel through the snow and into the cold darkness, I elected to head back to Austin to spend the night. The fact that the noise disappeared after a certain amount of driving supports my idea, because if there wasn't enough fluid and it got cold, instead of coating the transmission as the parts slid through the lower level of grease, the grease would be like cold butter and wouldn't get distributed properly until it warmed up. I'll check the level in the morning and add more. If the problem goes away, I'll probably still try taking the Metro to D/FW, but if that doesn't work I'll just take the CR-V instead and pay twice as much in gas.