Whether you’re a motorhead or simply rely on your vehicle to get you around town, it’s crucial to know a bit about how your ride works. While you by no means need to be a licensed technician, having a general knowledge of the pieces that keep your car, truck or SUV moving forward helps you to better understand some of the common problems you might encounter while you’re on the move. One vital piece you should try to understand is the transmission control module, a part of your vehicle that it simply cannot operate without.
What A Transmission Control Module Is
As you might expect, your vehicle’s transmission control module works alongside both the engine and the transmission to keep you and your passengers moving forward. When you’re moving forward, this is the part that’s responsible for calculating the right time and place to change the current gear in order to make your driving experience the best it can possibly be.
Aside from this primary responsibility, this control module may also send OBD2 codes to your car’s computer if it happens to detect any malfunction or other issues with your car’s transmission. These codes appear in the form of the check engine light on your dash, effectively alerting you that something may not be quite right under the hood.
Why It’s Important
Because it provides a vital link between your transmission system and your engine, the control module is obviously a vital part of your driving experience. Without a properly working module, your car would be unable to change gears when needed, which could ultimately lead to not only a subpar driving experience but also serious mechanical issues that require expensive repairs. These timely changes also help to improve the overall efficiency of your vehicle, so you’re able to get a better mile out of each gallon of fuel you add to your tank.
These parts are also designed to improve the shift quality of your transmission system. This means shifting between gears is a smoother, easier process that is easier on the gears. Your gears won’t experience as much wear and tear, keeping your transmission in better shape for longer.
Furthermore, the part’s ability to send codes to the car’s computer serves as an excellent way to identify transmission problems before something goes really wrong under the hood. This, too, can help to prevent serious damage and expensive, time-intensive repairs in your future.
Manual vs. Automatic
Needless to say, this part functions just a bit differently in manual transmissions than with automatic transmissions as it’s responsible for timing gear changes. In fact, this part is entirely obsolete in manual transmissions. In a manual, drivers are expected to switch their vehicle’s gears as needed by hand, making the detecting powers of the control module completely unnecessary. Therefore, if you’re a proud driver of a manual, this is probably a part you don’t need to worry about.
Signs of a Failing Transmission Control Module
These parts are built to last, but over time your transmission control module might possibly succumb to a combination of heat fluctuation, overuse, and other day-to-day forces. This could leave the part in poor condition and prevent it from performing its duties reliably. Some of the most common signs of a bad transmission or control module include:
- Stalling between gear changes
- Failure to change gears
- Transmission not downshifting when you’re at a stop
- The car is stuck in neutral
- Transmission not upshifting when you accelerate
Any of these issues could be considered dangerous as well as inconvenient and could have some serious consequences for your engine over time. Therefore, if you’ve experienced any of these problems, it’s always a good idea to have a certified technician check out your transmission control module to ensure things get running smoothly again.
Getting Repairs
As is the case with most vehicle repairs, you should always follow the “better safe than sorry” rule when you believe you’re experiencing issues with this part. It’s typically never a good idea to just wait and see if the issue clears up, as your engine or transmission system could be suffering and sustaining damage in the meantime. Reach out to your technicians in order to get things checked out right away, so you can get back on the road confidently in no time.
