Signs And Symptoms Of Bad Shifter Cable

Transmission shifter cable is an integral part of the transmission system requires to change the gear. The cable is used to connect the shifter handle with the transmission for effectively changing the gear. Most of the old and the latest car models come with transmission shifter cable. The cars with manual transmission have two shifter cable whereas the automatic transmission has a single shifter cable. Regardless of the transmission system, the shifter cable offers the same functionality to the cars. With time or continuous usage, the cable either gets damage or serve inefficiently. Here are some symptoms that you can notice to know whether your car’s shifter cable is working fine or not.

Why do shifter cables fail?

There are a number of reasons for the shifter cable to get damaged and it requires the replacement. In a manual transmission, frequently moving the shifter handle for changing the gears cause the cable to stretch. The most common reason for the replacement of the shifter cable is getting stretched. Besides, under more pressure, these cables also tend to break and moving the shifter handle faster also cause the cable to experience wear damage. Sometimes, the long usage of the shifter cables also makes it efficient for the transmission. 

Signs Of Bad Shifter Cable

There multiple symptoms that you can spot for the bad shifter cable. If you notice your car’s gear system is not showing the gear correctly, then it is a bad sign. With stretched shifter cable the transmission system isn’t able to show the gear indications properly. You see the gear indicator showing parking gear instead of the initial gears while riding. Besides, it will be difficult to engage the car in first gear if your shifter cable is stretched. 

The faulty shifter cable is a bit tricky to diagnose in the manual transmission. If you feel it is difficult to seat any gear while riding, it means that your horizontal cable is stretched. You will also notice a grinding noise while releasing the clutch. Mostly, in this case, the shifting cable is stretched far enough, and you need to replace it.

If your vertical cable is stretched, then you will experience similar symptoms, but it will only happen when the shifter isn’t the forward or backward position of the neutral. In this case, the third and fourth gear will normally shift without any problem as the side movements will not be affected by this issue. If either of the cables is broken, then the handle shifter will not return to the neutral position if it is in gear. In these cases, you need to go for transmission shifter cable replacement as soon as possible. 
 
Author’s Bio- The writer is vivid blogger and this article is about the signs and symptoms to spot the bade transmission shifter cable in your car.