solving electrical issues in vehicles

Tips to Increase the Lifespan of Your Transmission Fluid

by Cherly Fowler

A vehicle's transmission fluid provides lubrication to the moving parts inside its transmission. What this means is that your vehicle's transmission is shielded from the brutal effects of friction for as long as it has good-quality transmission fluid. An easy way to guarantee there is good-quality fluid inside your transmission is to take measures that reduce the fluid's exposure to factors that increase the rate at which it wears out. Here are tips that will come in handy in helping you do so.

Add an external filter

The presence of dirt particles in the transmission fluid usually reduces the ability of the fluid to prevent friction. This is because the fluid makes the fluid less slippery. This then has the effect of increasing the rate at which the moving parts of the transmission wear out. The easiest way to keep this from happening is to trap the particles before they have a chance to get into the transmission system. Transmission filters are great at doing this.

While the presence of a filter in the transmission can be effective at keeping the fluid dirt-free, this is sometimes not enough. The filter can wear out prematurely. The dirt that it has already trapped can also reduce the filter's effectiveness when it comes to preserving the quality of the fluid. In such cases, having an additional layer of protection can come in handy.

Adding an external filter to the cooler line will give the transmission fluid an added layer of protection. This will reduce the rate of contamination. It will also reduce the rate at which the existing transmission filter clogs. All this will go a long way toward ensuring that your vehicle has a healthy transmission system.

Keep an eye on your vehicle's cooling system

Heat destroys transmission fluid and reduces its lubricating effectiveness, causing it to leave the transmission system at the mercy of friction-caused wear and tear. Making sure that your vehicle's cooling system is functioning as effectively as it should is an easy way of reducing the rate at which the fluid wears out.

To prevent transmission fluid from overheating, you have to do regular checks of your cooling system's drive belts, radiator cap, coolant levels, cooling fan blades, and thermostat. The presence of worn fan blades, rusted radiator caps, and defective thermostats usually makes for an inefficient cooling system. Any worn-out, rusted, or defective parts will have to be replaced if you want to protect your transmission fluid from overheating. An external transmission cooler can also provide additional cooling to the transmission fluid. Adding transmission cooler to your transmission system is something that you should also consider.

For more information about transmission repair, talk to your mechanic or a transmission specialist near you. 

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