Transmission Fluid Need To Be Flushed Or Changed?
Things such as trouble going into gear, hard shifts or thumps between gears, slipping or jumping gears, delay in acceleration, and strange noises such as whining or grinding are all signs it’s time to change the transmission fluid.
In most cases, getting a transmission flush at Keller-Alliance Auto Repairs every 30,000 miles, or every two years or so is sufficient. However, there may be times when you need to get a transmission flush sooner, in order to help protect your car’s transmission. There are some common signs that you need to perform a transmission flush on your car or truck.
The transmission consists of about 800 parts, including gears, bell housing, and filters.
Transmission fluid is used in automatic transmission cars as a lubricant that keeps the transmission from overheating and helps power the transmission by creating pressure and torque. Transmission fluid can become dirty, contaminated and worn out. The transmission will not work correctly and ultimately overheat and break down if the fluid is not maintained properly. This is why it’s important to have our team of experts at Keller-Alliance Auto Repairs do a proper Transmission Fluid Flush.
Problems Shifting Gears
Regardless if you drive an automatic or manual, your car requires clean transmission fluid that flows easily throughout your car’s transmission. A transmission that contains too much dirt or sludge will cause sluggish response in the transmission which will result in your vehicle changing gears too quickly or too late while driving. In manual transmission vehicles, you may find it very hard to change gears at all.
Transmission Grinding or Strange Noises
A vehicle transmission that is contaminated with dirt, grease and sludge can display symptoms very similar to inadequate levels of transmission fluid. When driving your vehicle, if you notice your transmission grinding or making strange sounds, you should stop the vehicle and check the transmission fluid level while the engine is still running. Insure that the transmission fluid color is bright red and not brown or black because of grime or sludge. If the fluid level of the transmission is acceptable, your vehicle probably needs a transmission flush.
Slipping Gears
A dirty transmission may cause a lack of hydraulic power, much the same as not having enough transmission fluid will cause. In order to stay in the appropriate gear, the transmission must develop enough pressure. When a transmission is too dirty, contaminants may interfere with the flow of transmission fluid that helps with this. If you’re transmission has no other problems, and the fluid level of the transmission is full (or close to it), the problem is probably restricted fluid flow due to a buildup of dirt and contaminants that need to be flushed out.
Surging of the Vehicle
When your vehicle’s transmission is polluted with a lot of dirt and contaminants, and needs a transmission flush, you may notice unexplainable surging of your vehicle. Because your car’s dirty transmission does not allow for adequate transmission fluid flow, your vehicle may tend to jump or surge forward and fall backwards for no good reason. This is caused by inconsistent flow of clean transmission fluid that is needed to ensure smooth operation of the gears and other moving parts inside the transmission bell housing.
Delay in Vehicle Movement
Another sign that your vehicle may have contaminated transmission fluid is when the vehicle stalls for one or two seconds before moving after having been put in gear. If there are no other problems with the transmission, a transmission flush may help.
You should be aware that if the vehicle is displaying these symptoms, your dirty transmission may have already caused bigger problems.
Transmission fluid color is a good indicator of wear and tear.
Though color is a good visual way to estimate the age and condition of the transmission fluid, it is not necessarily an indicator of a terrible problem. The color of your transmission fluid is a good place to start when it comes to diagnosing issues, but it does not always give you an accurate measure of its condition. image of transmission fluid color chart If in doubt, the best thing to do is have a professional transmission technician check the transmission, run a diagnosis, and go from there. You might discover there is nothing major wrong, and all you need is a fluid change, or a transmission flush
What’s a transmission fluid flush?
A transmission flush uses pressurized force to send fresh oil and cleaning solvents through the system and remove all of the old fluid and contaminants. New oil is then pumped into the transmission.
A transmission flush acts as a complete cleansing of all the old fluid, but if your transmission fluid has already been contaminated for some time, or the transmission has been running hot and experiencing problems, this procedure might not do much good.
Keller-Alliance Auto Repairs Experts Can Help
If you are aware of problems, and have had your transmission serviced recently, a flush could help you get the most out of your transmission – consult a professional transmission mechanic. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, understand the process, and use your best judgement when deciding on how to maintain your transmission. Bring your vehicle into Keller-Alliance Auto Repairs for a FREE courtesy vehicle check and to ask us any questions you might have about your transmission.
If your transmission is slipping, you might be tempted to try and fix it on your own. But if you are uncomfortable or inexperienced when it comes to working on your transmission, maybe you should seek out a professional with experience with your type of transmission, such as the experts at Keller-Alliance Auto Repairs. Your transmission is far too important to your car and too expensive for you to be messing around with it.
Bring your vehicle to a transmission specialist instead and have them take a look at it if you feel your transmission slipping, overheating, or shifting strangely. They’ll be able to diagnose the real problem with your vehicle and get it up and running again in no time. It may not even be your transmission since many external factors will also cause these types of problems.
Would you like to have your transmission inspected by someone who knows what they’re doing? Call us today or schedule your appointment online to have your transmission checked by our Keller-Alliance Auto Repairs expert mechanics.
