Kane Dan
Vehicles are fitted with different types of transmissions, which determine the way the gears of the vehicle shift for constant change in the speed of that particular vehicle.
As a car owner, you need to be aware of what type of transmission your vehicle is fitted with-this is quite obvious.
You will need to know not only for the driving process but also to be in a position to handle any complications concerned with the vehicle’s transmission system.
The main types of vehicle transmission being automatic and manual vehicle transmissions.
There are many ways you can use to know the transmission of the vehicle that you own, some of them include:
- Using The Year/Make/Model Tool To Check The Type Of Transmission
- Referring To The Owner’s Manual Of The Vehicle
- Checking The White Card That Is On The Door On The Side Of The Driver
- Checking Beneath The Hood/ Or Even On The Transmission Oil Pan
- Looking Up The 17-Digit Vehicle Identification Number
Knowing the brand, model, and the year of the vehicle may not be the only facts you need to be aware of.
You will also need to know what transmission the vehicle is running on, as this is quite important for you as the owner of the vehicle.
As indicated above, there are many ways that you can use to know the type of transmission your vehicle has, all of which should return the same results.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
How To Find Out What Transmission Your Car Has
As indicated above, it is important that you, as the car owner, are aware of the type of transmission the vehicle is running on.
The main way is through using a tool that will require you to enter the year, make, and model of the vehicle, but this might not be enough, and there are other ways of getting this done.
Some of them even include just knowing the size of the engine or even the limit of the speeds of the vehicle.
An expert or professionals situated in an auto spare shop will be needed to guide you as the means discussed below will simply provide you with a set of numbers that need to be analyzed so that the transmission type of the vehicle is realized.
Through the following means, you should be able to know and affirm the transmission that your vehicle has.
1. Using The Year/Make/Model Tool To Check The Type Of Transmission
There is a tool that only requires that you enter specific details about your vehicle, and it will tell the transmission of the vehicle-the year, make, and model of the vehicle.
This is a simple tool that should be able to give you the results that you are looking for.
This might be a straightforward way of knowing the transmission type of your vehicle, maybe just most of them.
On the other hand, at times, the tool may not be that effective in providing you with the details that you need to correct an issue with the vehicle’s transmission.
2. Referring To The Owner’s Manual Of The Vehicle
For a new vehicle, it must come with an owner’s manual, which you should get in the vehicle’s glove compartment.
The owner’s manual contains important details and information that would be ideal for you to know about as far as the vehicle is concerned.
The vehicle’s transmission will also be clearly indicated as well as other useful pieces of information.
Some of the details included here include the brand of transmission fluid to use and direction for changing the fluid and the filter. It also contains information concerning other aspects of the vehicle.
For a second-hand vehicle, it may not come with an owner’s manual-but there are other ways you can know the vehicle’s transmission details.
3. Checking The White Card That Is On The Door On The Side Of The Driver
You could check the transmission of the vehicle from the door that is on the driver’s side of the vehicle.
You could get the details on the inner edge of the door, and it appears as a tag that contains a list of details concerning the vehicle.
The list contains the year, origin (country of manufacture), engine type, and also will indicate the transmission of the vehicle.
4. Checking Beneath The Hood/ Or Even On The Transmission Oil Pan
Another obvious and direct way that you can use to get to know the transmission of the vehicle is checking on the components of the transmission of the vehicle.
For this, you might have to get your hands dirty and get beneath the vehicle.
You will have to look keenly for the numbers of the various parts of the transmission-there are numbers that will be on the transmission itself or even on the pan for some vehicle types.
You should note down the numbers then take them to your local auto shop, who should be able to tell the transmission of that particular vehicle.
They will do this by looking it up and cross-referring it to get to know which transmission that component is associated with.
5. Looking Up The 17-Digit Vehicle Identification Number
Each individual vehicle has a special identification number called the vehicle identification number (VIN).
The number has 17 characters and is a sort of code that represents details concerning the vehicle.
You could copy the number exactly as you find it on the metal dash plaque, which you should spot through the windshield from the outside of the vehicle.
A copy of it should also be found on the door tag of the vehicle-the driver’s door.
Each of the 17 characters of the vehicle identification number (VIN) represents a detail that describes the vehicle.
Some of the information that could be derived from the numbers is the engine installed in the factory, type of transmission, and the country in which the vehicle was manufactured.
You could always use the site DecodThis.com or your local auto shop to get the meaning of each of the characters.
The 17 digits of the vehicle identification number are grouped into categories where each category provides different types of information.
Decoding them will help you know which is your vehicle’s transmission type.
In most, if not all cases, the vehicle’s transmission type should be within the 4th and the 8th digit of the Vehicle Identification Number.
Other information that you may decipher from the Vehicle Identification Number includes the year of manufacture of the vehicle, the company that manufactures the vehicle, and its country of origin.
The 9th digit is also a number that validates the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) of that vehicle and might be used by computers to tell if there is an issue with the vehicle.
Through the above means, you will be able to know the type of transmission that your vehicle has. You could opt to use just a few, maybe three, and the result obtained will be more or less the same.
You should use the most accommodating that is also much simple and direct for you to discover your vehicle transmission type.
4 Types Of Transmission (What’s Yours?)
Basically, there are two types of transmission types for vehicles; the manual and the automatic transmission.
The manual transmission is characterized by changing the gears manually by stepping on the clutch and using the gear to shift from one gear to another.
On the other hand, the automatic transmission is the one which requires you to simply put the car on the drive, and it will change gears on its own as you drive.
Therefore, if your vehicle has only two pedals, one accelerator pedal, and the brake pedal-no clutch, then it is an automatic transmission vehicle.
1: Automatic Transmission
The automatic transmission is the most common and probably the most popular type of vehicle transmission fitted in vehicles in the modern-day.
This is because they provide drivers with a simple driving experience, unlike the traditional transmission type-which is manual transmission.
With this transmission, the vehicle does not have a clutch pedal instead has only two-pedal, the accelerator and the brake pedal.
For a vehicle that has an automatic transmission, a torque converter is used to shift through the gears in an automatic manner.
An electronic system by the vehicle’s computer is used to manage the way the vehicle shifts from one gear to another.
You should be able to know that yours is an automatic transmission vehicle if, for one, it does not have a clutch pedal and if all you need to do is set the vehicle to drive and it will gradually shift from the lowest gears and forward as you continue to accelerate the vehicle.
2: Manual Transmission
This was a common vehicle transmission for vehicles that were manufactured many years ago.
While they provide a sort of interesting driving experience because of the high rate at which you will be engaged for driving, many people are finding the automatic transmission vehicle much efficient.
Therefore, fewer vehicles have the manual transmission type installed on them.
Some vehicles may still have the manual transmission type, and you should be able to notice this form the setup of the interior of the vehicle.
For one, the vehicle will have three pedals-the, the accelerator, the brake, and the clutch.
The clutch is used when you are shifting from one gear to another.
It is used when you are manually shifting the gear selector mechanism that is beside you-this works to disengage one gear and engage the other.
Unlike the automatic transmission type, this is much involving and requires some time learning how to shift gears before you are able to comfortably do it.
However, the benefit of the automatic transmission is that maintaining them is not as costly as in the case of the automatic transmission system.
3: Semi-Automatic Transmission
This is a fusion of both the manual and the automatic transmission types and offers the driver a whole new experience when you drive such a vehicle.
It is inclined to be much similar to the manual transmission as a gear selector is used when shifting between different gears.
The only difference between the semi-automatic transmission and manual transmission is that you don’t have to step on the clutch pedal when doing so.
4: Continuously Variable Transmission
This type of transmission does not use gears like the others on this list and is a unique one.
The constant change in the speed of the vehicle is accomplished by a metal or rubber belt that operates running above pulleys, which work to vary the effective diameter.
As one pulley increases that diameter, the other works to decrease it and hence change in the speed at which the vehicle is running.
FAQs
Q1. What Transmission Does Dodge Use?
The Dodge Ram, which is also known as the Ram truck, has been using the Aisin AW (Aisin-Warner) transmission for more than 10 years.
This is an automatic transmission that has been used for this vehicle model for more than a century.
This was preferred against the alternative Aisin, which is a manual transmission that was adopted for use from the early 1980s.
Q2. How Do I Identify My GM Transmission?
For the Chevrolet vehicles, they can either be automatic or manual.
You could check if it is an automatic transmission by checking on the size of the transmission pan or by looking up the identification number.
This can be checked through the following simple procedure:
- Park the vehicle at a flat area, like your garage.
- Using a car jack, slightly lift the side at which the driver sits in the vehicle.
- Get beneath the vehicle, whilst on your back.
- Find the vehicle’s transmission that is usually located at the rear end of the vehicle’s engine.
- Check the appearance of the pan and compare it with the diagrams of similar components of the different transmission types.
- You should be able to see the GM transmission Identification and decoding, respectively.
- You could also find the serial number that is usually stamped on the transmission and note it down.
- You can then compare the serial number with that of the different transmission types that you are sure of.
- In this way, you should be able to realize the type of transmission of your vehicle.
I hope this video also helps:
Q3. Where Is The Transmission Model Number Located?
Checking for the transmission number is a way that you can know the type of transmission that is unique for your vehicle.
This is a much more direct way that you can use to get to know the transmission of the vehicle when compared with the other alternative ways of going about it.
It entails checking on the components of the transmission of the vehicle. You will have to get your overall as it entails laying on the ground and creeping to check the transmission model number.
On the transmission pan, we will have to look keenly for the transmission model number of the various parts of the transmission-there are numbers that will be on the transmission itself or even on the pan for some vehicle types.
The next part is to note down the numbers then take them to your local auto shop, who should be able to tell the transmission of that particular vehicle.
They will do this by looking it up and cross-referring it to get to know which transmission that component is associated with.
Q4. Does VIN Number Tell Me About My Transmission?
Yes, the Vehicle identification number reveals information about the transmission of the vehicle.
The Vehicle identification number is a 17-digit number where each of them has a unique meaning that is associated with the vehicle.
The transmission of the vehicle is usually in between the fourth and the ninth digits-you would get to know the type of transmission of the vehicle.
Q5. What Do The Numbers On Transmission Mean?
For automatic transmission vehicles, they have a transmission shifter that is labeled with some numbers and letters.
The definition of the numbers and letters are as below:
- D – Means all the forward gears.
- L – Represents the lower gears and you should be able to drive the vehicle through specific speeds.
- S – Sport setting.
- 3 – Might allow the vehicle to shift through from gear 1, 2 and 3 but not 4-four would be locked out and accessible only if you place the shifter on D (Drive).
What Does The 17th Digit Of A VIN Mean?
From the 12th to the 17th digit of the Vehicle Identification Number, you could derive a special production serial number that is assigned for the vehicle at the assembly line.
What Does The 10th Digit Of A VIN Mean?
From the 10th through to the last digit number, the 17th digit, the VIN contains the Vehicle Identifier Section (VIS).
The 10th number would be decoded so that you get to know the year of the vehicle, and this is only possible for vehicles manufactured after 1981.
The 11th digit also explains the manufacturing plant from which the vehicle was assembled.
What Does The 9th Digit Of A VIN Mean?
In this case, the 9th digit will describe the check digit that is unique for the vehicle. This is usually used to single out fraud in the assigning of the VIN to a vehicle.
The number at this spot varies and is usually from a mathematical formula provided by the department of transportation in America.
The number at this spot of the VIN is used to validate the VIN of your vehicle and is used by computers to detect any fishy business as far as your vehicle is concerned.
What Does The 8th Digit Of A VIN Mean?
From the 4th to the 8th digit of the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) usually include the Vehicle Description Section (VDS).
Therefore, the 8th digit might either indicate the model of the vehicle, its particular body type, the restraint system on the vehicle, the transmission details and also the code of the engine of the vehicle.
What Does The 6th Digit Of A VIN Mean?
As stated earlier, each digit in the VIN has a specific meaning. It is a method used by manufacturers to code information represented at each point.
From the 6th digit of the VIN, you’ll get the actual serial number of that specific vehicle. The serial numbers are usually coded according to the production sequence of the cars in the assembly line.
It is important to note that the 6th digit in the VIN of a Toyota car represents the series of that particular vehicle when it was assembled.
What Does The 5th Digit Of A VIN Mean?
From the fourth to the ninth digit, the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) provides information on the descriptor of the vehicle.
For this field, manufacturers have their own way of coding the information represented at each point. For instance, for Toyota, the 5th digit is usually used to describe the engine of the vehicle.
What Does The 3rd Digit Of A VIN Mean?
The first three numbers of the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) describe the manufacturer of the vehicle-country, company and the type of the vehicle or the manufacturing division respectively.
The 3rd digit, as indicated above, represents the type of the vehicle, or the manufacturing division-an example would be the character “1,” which might mean Volkswagen commercial vehicle or “2” for Volkswagen commercial truck depending on the first two characters.
Conclusion
For the modern vehicle, the transmission is quite complicated than the way it was close to ten years ago.
In fact, while back then, there might have been only four types of transmission, today, there are more than 200 types of transmission that may be fitted into a vehicle-and manufacturer are developing the habit of changing the transmission type of their vehicle each year.
You will need to be aware of the vehicle’s transmission type for the purpose of service and repair work of the vehicle.
Sources:
1. Mister Transmission – https://www.mistertransmission.com/how-do-i-know-what-transmission-i-have/
2. Transmission Repair Cost Guide – https://www.transmissionrepaircostguide.com/what-transmission-do-i-have/
