When to Change Your Car's Transmission Fluid

!±8± When to Change Your Car's Transmission Fluid

Your owner's manual may claim that you don't need to change the fluid in your automatic transmission. However, this is one area in which it pays to err on the conservative side. If you understand what happens to the fluid as it courses through your transmission, you'll appreciate why changing it can prolong the assembly's life. Given that the cost of overhauling or replacing a tranny can rise to ,500 or more, it's worth taking the time to check the level and quality of the fluid.

This article will explain why the ATF needs to be changed periodically, despite what your owner's manual may suggest. You'll learn how to check the fluid, and identify signs that indicate it has degraded past the point of serving its purpose. We'll also explain how to purchase the right type of ATF for your vehicle.

Why The Fluid Needs To Be Replaced

While you're on the road, your transmission generates friction among its moving parts. The torque converter, gears, clutches, bands, and other pieces, are in near-constant motion. The friction they cause generates a substantial amount of heat. This heat is the reason ATF degrades over tens of thousands of miles.

Most ATFs can tolerate temperatures up to 195 degrees Fahrenheit without suffering significant degradation. Under normal driving conditions, the temperature surrounding your tranny should stay well below this marker. As long as it does, the ATF can last 50,000 or more miles without needing to be replaced.

The problem is, most of us drive in conditions - even if only occasionally - that cause the temperature around the assembly to rise higher. For example, we might drive up inclines, at fast speeds, or while towing heavy loads. This can cause the temperature to rise to 250 degrees Fahrenheit, or higher. When this happens, the ATF undergoes oxidation. It breaks down, and loses its ability to lubricate the individual parts inside your transmission. At that point, if you neglect to change it, the assembly will eventually suffer damage.

This is the reason many technicians recommend replacing the fluid every 25,000 to 30,000 miles. If you regularly tow heavy loads, or drive in extreme conditions, change the ATF on an annual basis.

How To Check The Fluid

Most people are accustomed to checking their oil level with their engines turned off. When you check the transmission fluid, let your engine idle while the gear selector is in "Park."

You'll find the dipstick located near the oil dipstick. Have a paper towel handy. Withdraw the dipstick, and wipe it clean. Then, insert it back into its housing, and withdraw it again. You'll see two lines on the bottom end. One will be marked "Full"; the other will be marked "Add." If the level is at "Add" or below, put more ATF in the reservoir.

Take the opportunity to check the color and consistency of the fluid. Even though this can be done by looking at the dipstick, both qualities are easier to determine by placing a few drops on a clean surface. If the ATF has a reddish tint, and runs easily (similar to table syrup), it's in good condition. If the fluid has a brownish tint, and muddy consistency, it needs to be replaced.

Choosing The Right Fluid For Your Transmission

There are dozens of ATFs you can purchase. However, your car's transmission is designed to use a specific type. For example, Type CJ should be used in certain kinds of Ford transmissions; Chrysler 7176 is designed for that particular automaker's front-wheel drive vehicles; and Mercon V should be used in most Ford models built after 2000.

The important thing to keep in mind is that the wrong fluid can set the stage for premature wear and damage in your transmission. Look in your owner's manual to find the appropriate ATF for your vehicle. Stick closely to that type.

Don't neglect to periodically check the fluid in your automatic transmission, and change it if necessary. It is one of the least expensive ways to ensure the assembly lasts as long as possible.

When to Change Your Car's Transmission Fluid

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Valvoline VV353 Automatic Transmission Fluid DEXRONIII /MERCON, Pack of Twelve 1 Quart Bottles

!±8±Valvoline VV353 Automatic Transmission Fluid DEXRONIII /MERCON, Pack of Twelve 1 Quart Bottles

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Mercedes 126 Repair - Transmission Service

!±8± Mercedes 126 Repair - Transmission Service

The transmission in the Mercedes 126 is a very robust design, as one would expect. In its day, it was one of the best units available, which led Porsche to use it in the legendary 928. But as with all other systems on these cars, we should not let the reputation for longevity stop us from performing frequent services.

As a general rule of thumb, transmission fluid should be changed every 30,000 miles. Unlike modern cars, where the trend is to do away with service access ports altogether, these Mercedes transmissions allow us to drain not just the pan but also the torque converter. In other words, we can remove almost the entire fluid charge without resorting to such gimmicks as power flushes.

Whereas engine oil should be changed hot, transmission fluid is best changed when merely warm to protect the mechanic from a very real risk of scalding. The steps are as follows:

Drive the front of the car on to ramps or support on jack stands.
Make sure that the torque converter drain plug is accessible. Unless you have been very lucky, you will usually need to blip the engine on the starter to get the plug to come into view through the access hole. It can be "walked" the rest of the way with a large, flat-head screwdriver. It may also be necessary to remove the cross-member between the two front subframes ("dogbones"). The six retaining bolts have 17mm hex heads are are torqued to 45Nm.
Loosen the transmission pan drain plug with a 5mm hex socket, then allow the pan to drain into a suitable container. If possible, collect all the used fluid in one container and then measure it; this will help us dispense the right quantity when we refill.
When the pan has stopped draining, loosen the plug on the torque converter (same size as on the pan) and allow the torque converter to drain out. There is much more fluid here than in the pan.
When the two main flows have ceased, loosen the six bolts retaining the pan (13mm heads) and carefully remove the pan. Don't spill the remaining fluid all over yourself! Resist the temptation to wipe the innards with a shop towel: we don't want any pieces of lint in here.
Remove and replace the transmission filter, retained by Phillips-head screws.
Thoroughly clean out the pan with a lint-free cloth and replace the rubber gasket, ensuring a proper fit all the way around. Reinstall the pan, torquing the bolts gradually and evenly up to 10Nm. (The manual says 8Nm; a little more is fine. But please don't go overboard: these pans can be warped and they're not cheap.)
Replace both drain plugs, using new copper crush seals. Factory spec. is 14Nm, or about 10lbs/ft. Tight with a 3/8 drive works fine. If you removed the cross-member, replace it, being careful not to cross-thread the bolts.
(Optional) Crack open the trans cooler lines at the radiator (17mm wrench) and drain the small amount of fluid from this area. Replace the lines if their condition is dubious; they are not expensive. Retighten all connections.
Using a fine-mesh filter, add four quarts of fresh Dexron-Mercon transmission fluid (ATF) through the dipstick tube. If you can afford it, use synthetic fluid: it helps keep temperatures down by reducing internal friction, and heat is the number one enemy of automatic transmissions.
Start the engine and slowly add another three quarts.
Back the car off the ramps, run it through all the gears, pausing for a couple of seconds between each gear, then check the fluid level. You do not want to be over the minimum mark at this stage. Transmission fluid expands greatly when hot; the reference marks on the dipstick are calibrated for hot fluid. So it is o.k. to be half-an-inch or so below that mark while the fluid is cold.
Drive the car for about 20 minutes (yes, at least that much) to warm the fluid thoroughly. Transmission fluid takes longer to warm up than the engine oil or coolant and requires the friction of actual driving to get up to temperature. Check the fluid again on level ground. Make sure you don't leave any lint on the dipstick before replacing it in the tube. Any level between the marks is fine, but under no circumstances do we want to exceed the maximum level. If you need to add fluid, do so in very small increments and check again.

If you used synthetic fluid, you may notice that the shifts have become noticeably firmer. Compensate, if needed, by adjusting the modulator valve on the driver's side of the transmission. Turn the little key counter-clockwise until the shift quality is to your liking. Bear in mind that too much slip is bad for the internal clutches.

Mercedes 126 Repair - Transmission Service

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ATF you feel comfortable with the label specified by the manufacturer

!±8± ATF you feel comfortable with the label specified by the manufacturer

The world of the ATF is certainly more interesting, is not it? Always ask why? Toyota T-4 does not seem or feel all that different, but this is what is needed for Toyota products. Daimler Chrysler ATF 4 must-have for more than four U.S. dollars you're saying? Ford "Mercon SP is very different from the GM" Dextron H "or? Well, yes and no. But it does make a difference.

The new ATF are changing for a variety of reasons, one to make more money and keep money at home, which isa reason. But remember to change are automatic. Many new automatic transmission will be a 10% increase in efficiency, but with a different strategy. The new automatic transmission, in many cases, lock, and shift to high speed, rather than with the method of sliding. This liquid requires a more durable shutter with non-slip properties. It must also be improved formulas oxidation and high torque capacity. Now we see OEM ATF on the road. Just when you thought you hadanother way to benefit from all the money you want to zap you and because of the cost of increased storage of different brands. Another reason is to get customers to their dealers for higher profits in their activities at the dealership, the dealer and the manufacturer may be more money for more equipment and supplies and for those who can get the OEM fluid.

This strategy is based on oil, said to improve lubrication, oil change intervals and increase the customer to workbelieve they have to do all maintenance at the dealership. Dealers want to do a check-up compulsory mileage, so that bays in their volumes, which represent a rule, 50% or more of their total sales increase. Even with all the right to repair laws:

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They're still fighting the marketing and reasonable explanation. Back to the ATF if you make your heart ATF services, have a strategy and know that your data and especiallyYour mark is not excessive, and with all these different containers ATF and quantity that can not use you get loads. Take a selection of the last 6 months and see where you're the type of services they do and the number of each make of car in the system before being wild pig. If you are selling, ATF must be met in a clip good as new cars and manufacturers will remain subject to certain liquids. Being neck and neck.

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