Most vehicle owners know that they need to stay abreast of routine maintenance such as oil and tire rotation in order to keep their journey ready to drive. You should also keep an eye on your automatic transmission though, which you know, the thing about the gears you shift into drive, reverse, and park several times a day. A smooth hum from your transmission can pay off because it’s one of the most expensive components of your car to repair or replace.
Fortunately, checking the health of your transmission is not as difficult, time-consuming, or costly as you might think. Here is how.
Just as your engine uses oil to lubricate and cool its internal parts, automatic transmissions use specially formulated transmission fluid for the same purpose. Conventional automatic transmissions, dual-clutch automatic transmissions, and continuously variable transmissions each use a certain type of transmission oil.
If you are not sure which fluid is used in your transmission, read the owner’s manual. You can usually find the requirements for the transmission fluid in the section with the technical data.
You don’t have to be a mechanic to get an inside look at the condition of your vehicle’s transmission. A simple visual inspection is sufficient. You need to check the level and condition of your transmission fluid.
Turn on your car, leave it in a park, and let the engine run for a few minutes to warm up. Transmission fluid expands in heat and in order to receive accurate results, it must be under normal operating conditions. If the fluid is checked when the engine is cold, you may get false results indicating the fluid is low.
The decision on whether to check transmission fluid hot or cold depends on the type of vehicle you are using. Most mechanics recommend checking the transmission fluid when both hot and cold. This helps you to cross-check on the levels of the fluid when both hot or cold. The reason why you should check when hot or cold is that the fluid expands when heated.
When you have been running your vehicle for a long time and then check the fluid level when hot, it may appear to be high, while in the real sense, it is low. If you have to check it when hot, then you do not do that after driving for a long period. This is because the fluid continues to expand the hotter it gets.
Therefore, you check it when it is normal hot as if you have been traveling for around 10 miles or a little longer during the winter season.
First, locate the transmission’s dipstick, located under the bonnet, in the engine compartment. Be sure to locate the transmission dipstick and not the engine oil dipstick. The transmission dipstick is usually located further back in the engine compartment, facing the firewall (bulkhead on the front of the cab). The transmission dipstick is usually marked with a specific color or a transmission symbol.
Note: If you cannot find the dipstick, don’t be alarmed. Many modern vehicles use a life-sealed transmission that never needs to be checked or replaced, so they don’t have a dipstick. (For information about the specific maintenance schedule for your model and how to check that it has a dipstick for the transmission, see the owner’s manual.)
If your vehicle has a sealed transmission, you can slam the hood and drive. However, if your vehicle has an oil dipstick, here’s what to do next:
With the engine warmed up, leave the car idling in a park on a level surface. Pull out the dipstick, wipe it clean, replace it slowly, and then pull it back out. Check the fluid level, how high the fluid comes up on the dipstick, against the “full” and “low” or “fill” marks on the dipstick.
To check your automatic transmission fluid, follow these steps:
The color of the transmission fluid can tell you a lot about the health of your car’s transmission.
Now place the dipstick on a white surface, such as a paper towel to analyze the color of the liquid. The condition of your transmission fluid, and to some extent the transmission itself, is indicated by the color of the fluid. If your fluid is healthy, it should be reddish-pink in color. When the time comes to replace it, it’s brownish-red. If the liquid is dark brown or black, it is entirely possible that you are replacing more than just your liquid.
Dark liquid with a burnt odor is bad news. In the worst-case scenario, you may also find fine metal filings in the liquid. Both symptoms indicate possible damage to the internal components of your transmission.
This is usually due to the fact that the recommended maintenance interval for replacing the transmission fluid is not observed. However, it is not impossible for transmission, like any other component of the vehicle, to experience a premature mechanical problem.
If your fluids are low, it doesn’t necessarily mean you are headed for disaster, but it most likely means that there is a leak somewhere in the system. Refilling the transmission and checking it daily to see how quickly the level is dropping can be a great way to assess the severity of a potential leak.
Also, try to visually check your transmission by looking for leaks under the car. Does the car leave reddish fluid stains on the floor after parking? If the fluid is black, it’s engine oil. If it’s water, it’s likely condensation from the air conditioner.
If you experience loss of transmission fluid, or if you find that your transmission is using an abnormal amount of fluid, contact a mechanic as soon as possible. We recommend that you go to a reputable car dealer who will sell and service your vehicle as the first stop.
The service department has the most experience with your make and model and may have seen this problem before. If you have the luxury of leaving the car until it can be inspected, do so.
Contrary to the statements of some internet mechanics, exchanging the transmission fluid does not destroy the aging transmission of an older vehicle. If a transmission suddenly has problems after replacing the fluid, it is usually because an internal problem has already occurred, such as a problem with the transmission. such as a worn clutch pack. If your transmission is healthy, a fresh fluid change will only help longevity.
FYI, if your transmission fluid is low and needs topping up, it is usually through the same tube that the dipstick fits. Adding liquid (which is available at auto parts stores) requires a funnel with a narrow and most likely long funnel spout.
Like any machine, a transmission must be properly maintained in order for it to function as intended by the manufacturer. As they say, take care of your transmission, and it will take care of you.
Transmission fluid expands in heat and in order to receive accurate results, it must be under normal operating conditions. If the fluid is checked when the engine is cold, you may get false results indicating the fluid is low. Allow the engine to continue running while you check the level.
In the meantime, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the tell-tale signs that you may be low on transmission fluid.
Most mechanics recommend checking the transmission fluid when both hot and cold. This helps you to cross-check the levels of the fluid when both hot and cold. The reason why you should check when hot or cold is that the fluid expands when heated.
With the engine warmed up, leave the car idling in a park on a level surface. Pull out the dipstick, wipe it clean, replace it slowly, and then pull it back out. Check the fluid level how high the fluid comes up on the dipstick against the “full” and “low” or “fill” marks on the dipstick.
The valve has a rubber diaphragm in it, and if it cracks with age, the engine can draw trans fluid into the intake and burn it with the fuel/air mixture. If the trans won’t shift properly and the fluid level is low with no evidence of a leak, the modulator valve is the first thing to suspect.
Driving your car through a low transmission fluid level is dangerous to you and the vehicle. Failure to top up the fluid is a hazard that might cause extreme damage to the transmission, the engine, and essential components that keep the car running.
You can add more by inserting a funnel into the tube the dipstick was withdrawn from and pouring a small amount of automatic transmission fluid into the pipe. Check the level each time you add a little until the level is right between the two lines.
Whether you have a manual or automatic transmission, transmission fluid is essential for smooth shifting. It’ll also extend its life by protecting the internal components from wear. Unlike motor oil, you usually don’t have to worry about how to add transmission fluid unless your car has a leak.
Set the parking brake and start the engine. Let it run for about 5 minutes so that it can warm up. Some car manufacturers will recommend you turn the engine off before checking the transmission fluid, but most don’t recommend this.
If you overfill it, the transmission will experience hard shifting and slippage. Another consequence of overfilling your transmission is that it will cause the fluid to lose its lubricating properties. It could also lead to the entire system blowing up and not functioning.
Can I drive a vehicle without any transmission fluid? If you check your transmission fluid level and it’s below low, then you’re fine to drive for up to 10 miles as long as you drive slowly.
If you’re going to be checking the transmission fluid level at home, it’s a good idea to warm up the car before you do so. If the car is checked while the engine is cold, it might give an inaccurate reading when you use the dipstick. After driving for about 10 minutes, park on an even surface and leave it running.
In an automatic vehicle, the transmission fluid provides a coupling between the engine’s output and the gears in your transmission. If there is no fluid, there is no hold, the gears cannot spin and therefore the car won’t be able to move.
A malfunctioning sensor, low tire pressure, low transmission fluid and so much more will cause the light to come on. But some reasons the check engine light comes on are much more common.
Your car’s engine should be running when you add fluid to the transmission, but you should have the transmission in park and the handbrake activated for safety. Check the owner’s manual for instructions on selecting the correct transmission fluid for your vehicle.
Manual transmissions generally need transmission fluid changes more frequently than automatic transmissions. The average recommended interval for manual transmissions is around 30,000 to 60,000 miles. For automatic transmissions, the recommended interval is around 60,000 to 100,000 miles.
If you drive manual, most manufacturers will recommend changing your transmission fluid every 30,000 to 60,000 miles. If you have automatic, you can typically boost that range up to 60,000 to 100,000 miles. There’s no harm in changing your fluid early.
Mercedes, BMW, Audi, and some Ford, Cadillac, Lincoln, Chevrolet, Chrysler, and Mazda models, plus others, have eliminated the dipsticks from their vehicles and other manufacturers are going in the same direction with the oil dipstick.
Let it run for a few minutes to get the juices flowing. If you are checking a Honda, you will need to turn off the engine after it has warmed up, at which point you will have 60-90 seconds to check the fluid. For most other vehicles your car needs to keep running.
Pull the dipstick out again and check the fluid level. If the engine is cool, it should be at the upper end of the “COLD” mark. If the engine is hot, the level should be at the upper end of the “HOT” mark. If it’s lower, you should add some amount of automatic transmission fluid.
Ideally, your engine should run somewhere between 195 degrees and 220 degrees. Simply put, the needle should rest somewhere near the center of the gauge when driving. If your engine is running hotter, that could be a clue that too much transmission fluid is reducing lubrication within the crankshaft.
