The gear synchroniser is a key component of your car's manual transmission system. However, because your transmission undergoes a lot of wear and tear as you drive your car, it is also a component which is at risk of failure. If your transmission fails, you won't be going anywhere fast. Below is a guide to everything you need to know about the gear synchroniser.
The gear synchroniser
The gear synchroniser is located within your vehicle's transmission system. When you move the gear shift stick to select a new gear, the synchroniser ensures that the gear you are driving in and the gear you are about to change into are spinning at the same speed. When the gear synchroniser is working well, the changing of gears will be extremely smooth. However, when the gear synchroniser malfunctions, it can cause one gear to spin more slowly that the other. When there is a difference in speed between the gears, this could make it extremely difficult to operate the vehicle.
The warning signs
There are three common signs that your gear synchroniser isn't working correctly. These are:
- A strange scratching or grinding sound during gear changes. You may notice this noise is loudest when changing down through the gears rather than up to higher gears, particularly between second and first.
- A delay between moving the gear shift stick and the gear being selected. Your car should change gear the instant that you move the gear stick into a new position. However, if your gears are running at different speeds, you may notice that your car stays in neutral for a few seconds before the new gear is selected.
- Your transmission slips into neutral. If you select a gear but your transmission slips into neutral, you should have your car serviced immediately. While it may be possible to slow down and force the gear to select, this is an unsafe way of driving.
Driving with a faulty transmission is distracting to the driver. It also places you at risk of losing control of your car at high speed or becoming stranded at stop lights if you cannot select first gear when the traffic signal turns green. If you notice any of these problems or suspect that your transmission is not performing as it should, you need to take your vehicle into an auto repair shop to have the problem diagnosed by a fully qualified auto mechanic.
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