TRANSMISSION MAINTENANCE SERVICES TO REDUCE VEHICLE REPAIR COSTS

When you turn the key in the ignition and the car won’t start, it can often be difficult to determine the problem the exact problem because of the complexity of engines. But when the car starts and the transmission slips, it can only mean one thing – the transmission needs repairs. Some people drive around for months with annoying transmission problems until it gets bad enough to cause a serious safety issue.

Waiting for a serious vehicle problem is not a good course of action. A small problem can turn into an expensive problem. Fortunately, the transmission is like the car engine – give it some regular attention and you can avoid most problems. Yet it’s not unusual for people to perform routine maintenance on the engine or air conditioner and then proceed to ignore the transmission.

Extend Transmission Life

The kinds of transmission maintenance services which can extend the life of your transmission are not complicated…if you know what you are doing and have the right tools. A trained technician can satisfy both requirements and add the convenience of doing regular maintenance on your car wherever you would like it done.

For businesses, maintaining the transmissions in fleet vehicles is even more important. Business vehicles are driven many miles in a variety of circumstances including up and down hills and in congested traffic requiring a lot of speed changes. Fleet vehicles are also driven by a variety of people and each person has a different driving style. Proper maintenance of the transmissions in the fleet vehicles can keep your cars and vans on the road where they are making the company money.

Regular transmission services may include the following:

* Check transmission fluid levels

* Change fluid and filter per maintenance schedule

* Change fluid in torque converter

* Check transmission sensors

* Check modulator valves

* Clean transmission using specialty cleaning fluid

A transmission should be flushed every 15,000 to 20,000 miles. If you don’t put many miles on the vehicle the rule of thumb is to flush the transmission every 2 years minimum.


Visit Trevino Transmissions (www.trevinotrans.com) for Transmission Repair in El Paso Texas.

TEN WAYS TO PROLONG THE LIFE OF YOUR TRANSMISSION

The automatic transmission brings the power from the engine to the drive wheels through a series of gear sets and friction devices (known as "Clutches and Bands"). It has a brain (called the "Valve Body") which responds to electrical and hydraulic signals that tell the transmission when and how to shift. It has a heart (known as the "Pump") which provides the hydraulic pressure necessary to provide lubrication and apply the appropriate friction devices. Although it may sound simple it is the most complex component in any automobile. It may have as many as 1,000 parts, each having to function perfectly with the others in order to work properly.

Why Maintain Your Transmission?

Anything that has nearly 1,000 parts is likely to be expensive to repair. So investing periodically in replacement of the fluid and filter along with a thorough inspection can only serve to prolong the transmission's life and might save you thousands of dollars in the long run.

TEN WAYS TO PROLONG THE LIFE OF YOUR TRANSMISSION

1. Check transmission fluid regularly and properly. (See Owner's Manual for Details)

2. Check transmission fluid after running hot. Stop and go traffic, hilly terrain, hot weather, or towing can build up excess transmission heat causing fluid to be lost, damaged, or both. Check it no later than your next stop for gasoline.

3. Install an external cooler in high stress conditions. Towing a trailer, hauling heavy loads, or being stuck in traffic often creates excessive transmission heat. An external cooler can help to prolong the life of your transmission by reducing heat and friction.

4. Change transmission fluid more often in high stress conditions. Transmission fluid cools, cleans, and lubricates the internal transmission parts while providing the hydraulic pressure to make all of the components work together. When the fluid loses its ability to perform those tasks efficiently trouble can't be far away. Any of the conditions in items 2 & 3 above will shorten the effective life of transmission fluid. In those cases, change the fluid a minimum of twice a year (unless otherwise specified in the owners manual).

5. Check any malfunctions promptly. Repair bills tend to rise in proportion to mileage driven after the first signs of trouble. The longer you drive with a malfunctioning transmission, the more damage you may cause, and the more money it may cost you.

6. Have the transmission linkage and other adjustments checked periodically. Especially after the vehicle has been in an accident or has had any major engine work performed.

7. Keep your engine properly tuned. A poor running engine can, at times, display symptoms similar to a transmission problem.

8. Have other drive train components that may affect transmission function checked regularly. Drive shafts and their universal joints, drive axles and their constant velocity joints, engine flywheels or flex plates, computer system and sensors, radiator and cooling lines to the transmission, engine and transmission mountings can cause problems.

9. Have your vehicle's cooling system checked twice a year for leaks, proper coolant level and strength. Antifreeze can deteriorate over time causing it to become ineffective creating overheating or freeze-up conditions.

10. Take your vehicle for a complete physical check up at least once a year. This should include all safety components such as lights, brakes and steering. Remember that a poor running engine or certain transmission problems can be a safety hazard.



Visit Trevino Transmissions (www.trevinotrans.com) for Transmission Repair in El Paso Texas.

FLUID LEVEL & LEAKS

(from www.aa1car.com)

One of the most common complaints with automatics is fluid leaks. Fluid can leak out of the driveshaft seals, the input shaft seal, the transmission pan gasket, the torque converter or the ATF cooler and line connections. If the fluid level gets low, the transmission may be slow to engage when it is shifted into drive. Gear shifts may be sloppy or delayed, or the transmission may slip between shifts. If the fluid level is really low, the transmission may cause the vehicle to not go at all.

On most vehicles, the fluid level should be checked when the fluid is hot with the engine idling, the parking brake set and the transmission in Park. If fluid is needed, add only enough ATF to bring the level up to the full mark. Do not overfill because doing so can cause the fluid to become aerated, which may affect transmission operation.

If the dipstick reads low, the transmission is probably leaking. So look underneath to see where the fluid is going. If there are no visible leaks, check the radiator for ATF in the coolant. The ATF cooler inside the radiator may be leaking and cross-contaminating the fluids.

You should also check the condition of the fluid. Some discoloration and darkening is normal as the fluid ages, but if the ATF is brown or has a burnt smell, it is badly oxidized and needs to be changed. Varnish on the dipstick is another indication of worn out fluid.

You can also do a "blotter test" to check for worn fluid. Place a few drops of ATF on a paper towel and wait 30 seconds. If the spot is widely dispersed and red or light brown in color, the fluid is in satisfactory condition. But if the spot does not spread out and is dark in color, the ATF is oxidized and should be changed.

Many transmission experts say most transmission problems can be prevented by changing the ATF and filter regularly for preventive maintenance. How often depends on how the vehicle is driven. For some vehicles, this might be every 30,000 miles or two years.

The harder the transmission works, the hotter the fluid runs. The life of the fluid drops quickly once its temperature gets up above about 200 degres F. Installing an aftermarket auxiliary ATF cooler that is parallel to the OEM ATF cooler is recommended to keep fluid temperatures down on vehicles that are used for towing or are driven hard.

ATF also becomes contaminated with normal wear particles from the clutch plates, bushings and gears. The filter will trap most of this debris before it can cause problems. But many older Asian transmissions only have a plastic or metal screen that does little to protect the transmission against internal contaminants and nothing to keep the fluid clean. On these vehicles, changing the fluid is the only way to get rid of these contaminants.

When adding or replacing ATF, use the type specified by the vehicle manufacturer. GM, Ford, Chrysler, Honda, Mercedes and others all have their own specs for ATF. There is no such thing as a "universal" ATF that works in all transmissions. Some fluids meet a variety of specifications, but cannot meet them all because of the different friction additives that are required.

Ford has three automatic transmission fluid specifications: Type F (a non-friction modified formula for most 1964-81 transmissions), Mercon (a friction modified ATF similar to Dexron II for 1988-97 transmissions), and Mercon V (Fords latest friction-modified formula, introduced in 1997).

General Motors has two specifications: Dexron II and III. Both are friction modified formulas and Dexron III can be used in the older GM transmissions that originally required Dexron II.

Chrysler has a number of different ATFs: MS-7176D (also known as ATF+2) is Chryslers version of a friction-modified ATF that is similar to Dexron II. But Chryslers fluid is more slippery than GMs, so Chrysler recommends using only ATF that meets their specs in Chrysler transmissions. In other words, do not use Dexron or Mercon in a Chrysler transmission.

Chrysler MS-7176E (also known as ATF+3) was introduced in 1998 and supersedes ATF+2. It should only be used in 1998 and newer Chrysler transmissions, but can also be used in earlier Chrysler transmissions.

Chrysler ATF+4 is for 2000-01 model year applications, and their newest fluid ATF+5 is for 2002 and newer models.

Visit Trevino Transmissions (www.trevinotrans.com) for Transmission Repair in El Paso Texas.