Caring For Your Transmission

Naturally, you care for your transmission in your car or truck and how long it will last. You always want to make sure that you have transportation from point A to point B. Many people cringe when they even hear the word. But transmissions, whether automatic or manual, are pretty simple and straight-forward to maintain. Armed with the right information, you can keep your vehicle on the road and out of the transmission shop for a long time to come.

Your first sign of transmission problems will usually be from the fluid. Transmission fluid is red in color. Any color other than red will indicate that the unit needs servicing or that a problem is starting. You can drop the pan and change the transmission fluid yourself, but if you don't have the transmission system flushed you are leaving behind a large amount of fluid in the torque converter and cooling lines. If you're the do it yourself type, there are ways to flush your transmission system at home and this doesn't require expensive equipment. The information on how to do this is freely available on the internet. When you refill your transmission fluid, it's always critical that you use the right type of fluid and fill the fluid to the right level.

Make sure that you check the level of your transmission fluid occasionally. A loss of fluid would indicate a leak that needs to be repaired. This could be as simple as a seal on the pan needing replacement. Without checking your fluid level often, your transmission may not be getting the correct amount of lubrication to critical parts.

If you plan to tow anything, such as a trailer or boat, and your car or truck is not equipped with a transmission cooler, have one installed. Heat is the number one reason that transmission fluid breaks down quickly. A transmission cooler will help to keep your fluid cooler under towing conditions.

Caring for your transmission from day to day will prevent your vehicle from sitting at a repair shop in the near future. For more information on transmission maintenance & transmission repair tips, visit the author's do it yourself website. Topics include building and repairing with many how to articles for the DIY crowd.