Are You Ruining Your Family Car's Transmission?

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Understanding Auto Service Tasks

Hello, my name is Davey Jerome. Welcome to my site about auto service. When I was a young boy, the first task I learned to perform on my dad’s truck was an oil change. I delighted in letting the old oil flow out into the drain pan and removing the old filter. Adding the new filter and oil seemed to rejuvenate that old truck and ready it for another day of work on the farm. I will use this site to explore the process of performing automotive services on your own. I hope you can use the information on my site to learn about this important task.

Are You Ruining Your Family Car's Transmission?

23 August 2018
 Categories: , Blog

With a growing family, the car is likely to be used frequently throughout the week. If you rely on the vehicle to get you to club meetings, sports practice and dentist appointments, the transmission needs to work. Many people take vehicle transmission for granted or don't know they can affect its functioning. In fact, you may be sabotaging it with these driving and maintenance actions.

Ignoring Leaks

In theory, you probably realize that leaks aren't great and will require a look from a professional. However, when you're busy and your mind is occupied by the kids in the backseat or your plans for the day, you may not even notice when leaks happen. Make it part of a routine to look at the ground as you pull out of the garage or into a road. Notice any wet spots; to look specifically for transmission fluid, blot the area with a rag or tissue to see if the liquid is reddish-brown. That's transmission fluid. If you note leaking regularly, transmission repair professionals need to examine the car. You should also be checking the fluid reservoir regularly to note fluid levels there too.

Not Permitting Warm-Ups

Whether you've heard that long warm up periods are unnecessary or are just eager to get somewhere quickly, the transmission suffers when you don't idle the engine for a bit. That's because the transmission's fluid needs time to circulate throughout the transmission and lubricate it properly. Without this step, the entire transmission is working far harder; this is more true when temperatures are low because fluid becomes more sluggish and needs more time to find it's way through the system. Wait an extra minute so the transmission fluid can enhance the performance of the family car's transmission.

Overheating Transmission

If your family camps a lot and you take the family car off-road or you frequently put extra weight on the transmission by hauling trailers, the engine and transmission can overheat. You may not even realize that's a problem, but overheating could almost certainly lead to the transmission's early failure. Get a secondary cooling system installed for just the transmission and related components or use a tiny fan.

By changing some of the things you're doing with regard to the family car, you won't be contributing to transmission failure. If vehicle trouble is still suspected, an auto transmission shop like AAA Commercial Transmission can rapidly analyze the situation and solve any related problem.