Symptoms of a Faulty or Faulty Downshift Solenoid
Common signs that this automatic transmission component is failing include erratic or late shifting and the Check Engine light coming on.
Modern automatic transmissions are complex mechanisms made up of several components that work together to shift a vehicle's gears. They operate using hydraulic pressure to shift gears and use electronic solenoids to regulate transmission fluid pressure to control shift points. One of these electronic solenoids are low gear solenoids.
The downshift solenoid controls the shifting of the transmission from upshift to downshift, such as when the vehicle is decelerating to a complete stop. When the solenoid fails or has any problem, it can cause the vehicle to shift into gear problems. Usually, a failing or failing low gear solenoid causes several symptoms that can alert the driver to a problem that needs to be fixed.
1. Unstable switching
One of the first symptoms of a bad or faulty downshift solenoid is erratic shifting. If the downshift solenoid has any problems, it can cause the vehicle to behave erratically when downshifting. A bad or faulty solenoid can cause the vehicle to experience harsh or erratic shifting when slowing down or coming to a stop.
2. Late switching
Another common symptom of a downshift solenoid problem is the vehicle downshifting late. If the downshift solenoid is faulty or has problems, the vehicle may experience a delayed downshift when decelerating. The transmission may remain engaged in a higher gear for an extended period of time when it needs to downshift. This will cause the engine to over-rev and may place additional unnecessary stress on the engine and transmission.
3. Check Engine light comes on.
A lit Check Engine light is another sign of a failing or failing low gear solenoid. If the computer detects a problem with the low gear solenoid circuit or function, it will illuminate the Check Engine light to alert the driver to the problem. A lit Check Engine light can also be caused by a variety of other issues, so it's highly recommended that you scan your computer for trouble codes to be sure of what the problem might be.
Downshift solenoids are an essential component of the transmission and without them, the car will not be able to change gears properly, sometimes even to the point where the car becomes uncontrollable. For this reason, if you suspect that your low gear solenoid may have a problem, have your vehicle checked by a professional technician such as AvtoTachki to determine if your vehicle needs a low gear solenoid replacement.
