Transmission Flush

Posts Tagged ‘Tips’

You spend thousands of dollars on buying the vehicle, but now you are just flushing that hard earned money by being careless. If you feel that you have been doing your part for your car by taking it for servicing twice a month, then let me put a check there. This is not enough… a few tips would definitely help in a smoother drive and longer lifeline of the car. Follow these tips that include some Do’s & Dont’s…

1. The Right Start Obviously it is something very common but most of us never give it a thought. Turning on the car accessories before the car starts, wears down the engine. While starting the car, just turn off different accessories like music system, climate control, air conditioner or climate controller, etc. Increase the lifeline of the car – Don’t Put Pressure On The Engine.

2. ‘Warm Up’ – But The Right Way During Winters, you must be revving the engine to warm up the car. You never cracked your brain to the thought that when you rev the engine, the oil has not reached the system thus forcing the engine to work without any kind of lubrication. Rather than warming up your car, you are just heating it. So next time, you intend to warm up your darling vehicle, do it the right way – Let It Sit Idle For Around 60 Seconds.

3. Use The Emergency Brake It is always advisable to use these emergency brakes that are commonly known as hand brakes or parking brakes. These would help in keeping the vehicle motionless without putting the pressure on the parking pawl and consequently on the transmission system. Why trouble the transmission of the car, when you can do without it easily. Therefore remember – Always Use Parking Brakes.

4. Let The Car Stop Completely & Then Drive This is what we always do and that is right from the parking we shift to drive before the car stops moving backward. I hope you would be honest to admit it. This will ruin your vehicle. Remember to let the car stop from going backward before you start driving. If you don’t obey this, you are risking the gears, drive shafts and the entire transmission of the car. Avoid a worn out transmission – Let the car stop before shifting to drive.

5. Listen to Your Car’s Needs Paying immediate attention can reduce the aggravating problem. I am not suggesting you to be tensed about the driving – rather just be alert to any unusual sound of the car.

A small check yourself would help you identify the cause easily.

Engine failure in cars can happen for a variety of different reasons. The most common reason why an engine would fail is due to lack of routine care. There are components that not only wear down and have to be replaced on a regular basis, fluid levels that have to be checked routinely. Vehicles that aren’t maintained properly can cause an engine to fail for a number of reasons.

One reason you should do a routine check is there are many filtering mechanisms on a vehicles engine. These regulate the purity of things like gasoline, air into the carburetor and engine oil. Without changing these regularly they will clog up, making your engine work harder than it has to maintain the same performance. You also have to regularly clean the radiator for both the engine and the transmission.

You have to check fluid levels often. There are many different engine components that require lubrication, coolants and fluids all to maintain a cars performance. More recently made vehicles also have added features like air conditioning units, electronic components, and other things that require even a greater more complex regime. Just checking and maintaining a car’s fluid levels either. Build up occurs over time, in the motor, gas tank, radiator, and any other place where deposits will collect. If these systems are not flushed out at least once a year, deposit will build up, making the engine run hotter, and wear out faster.

If a vehicle isn’t maintained properly, here just a few of the possible scenarios that can cause engine failure. Too high of a temperature in the motor causes the metal to expand, creating less and less ability for internal components to move. What happens simply is that if your engine gets hot enough for something to stick, like a piston, or a valve, your engine doesn’t just stop; the force will cause it to keep going. Something has to give, the side of the motor block, the head, and a number of different ways, depending on where the failure was.

Another way an engine can fail through heat is that when the metal expands, the integrity of the metal itself can be compromised, causing the head to crack or warp. The instant result of this is a sudden loss of engine pressure. Without engine pressure you could have your foot on the gas pedal and only go five miles and hour. You may get lucky on occasion, and only blow a head gasket, or an engine plug. Gaskets and plugs are designed to blow if there is too much heat and pressure, but that doesn’t mean that you have done irreparable damage Aluminum heads are especially prone to cracking and warping because they expand a lot faster than as iron cast one.

What can you do to prevent this from happening? While not all engine failure is caused by neglect, you have got to do regular checks, monthly routines, and periodic flushes. This means things like changing spark plugs, wires, and other electrical components on a regular basis. Change and replace filters and motor oil at least according to the minimum requirements by the manufacturer, or more often depending on usage. Flush out fuel systems, brake lines, coolant systems at least once a year. Check your vehicles motor often, maybe at the same time fluid levels are monitored, to see if there are any leaks in hoses, loose belts, or anything else that is out of place. Also make sure that these belts and hoses are still in good working condition, and replace if necessary. Always change out worn belts and hoses all at the same time. If one belt looks worn and needs to be replaced, chances are the other belts may be as well – don’t let looks deceive you.

There are many people out there that are unable to do this all themselves. Whether being hurt in an accident, or an older person, or even if someone that isn’t mechanically inclined, it still needs to get done. There are several different vehicle services available and many you could find locally. Some offer specialized services, like engine coolant, oil and lubrication specialists. These businesses will check and replace fluids, change filters, as well as many others. Usually they aren’t a repair shop so they don’t replace hoses belts and the like, but they do check these sometimes as well, and can tell you if something does need replacement.

There are other car specialists that do engine, coolant and heating system flushes, as well as transmissions. Generally, vehicle repair shops are equipped to handle engine and performance issues. They can replace spark plugs, belts, as well as a number of other things.

Perhaps the most common reason car owners have in bringing their cars to automotive mechanics in Tampa is for auto AC repair. In hot weather, we immediately notice it when the auto AC malfunctions. A responsible mechanic will take the opportunity to suggest a full diagnostic auto service inspection of the vehicle during this session. He will check the vehicle’s engine, brakes and transmission, among others.

According to our Tampa mechanic, they find that although the engine and the brakes are usually well taken care of, maintenance of the transmission system is often neglected by Tampa car owners. Since car transmission repair is quite expensive, it would be wise to observe proper transmission maintenance instead. Here are some of the transmission maintenance tips from our Tampa mechanic.

Regularly check the color and level of the transmission fluid. It should be red. Once it turns brown or emits any burnt smell, it needs to be changed immediately. If the transmission fluid does not exhibit any change in color or odor, change the transmission fluid and filter based on the maintenance schedule. As a rule, flush the transmission every 15,000 to 20,000 miles, or every two years at the maximum.

Use only the brand of transmission fluid recommended by the car manufacturer. If you have to switch brands for any reason, never mix different brands of transmission fluid.

Regularly check transmission sensors and modulator valves; clean the transmission using specialty cleaning fluid; and change the fluid in the torque converter.

Observe proper driving habits to prevent damage to the car transmission system. If you are driving in reverse, come to a full stop before shifting to drive. Do not ever shift the vehicle from reverse to drive while the car is moving.

Only shift from park to drive while in normal idle speed, never on a higher speed.

Before putting the car into park, step on the brake pedal first and apply the emergency brake. This protects the car transmission system by putting the stress on the emergency brake.

Use the car overdrive properly if your vehicle has it. This is the highest gear in the transmission. It is the fourth gear in a four speed automatic transmission and the fifth gear in a five speed manual transmission with overdrive. Turn off the overdrive when driving in mountainous terrain or when you the vehicle is carrying or towing a heavy load. Failure to do so will cause the transmission to repeatedly upshift and downshift, leading to possible damage.

Carrying or towing heavy loads should actually be avoided. This is dangerous for the transmission system since it builds up heat that can burn out the components of the transmission. Other common causes of dangerous overheating include racing, hot weather traffic with repeated stop-and-go driving, and attempting to get a car unstuck from snow or mud by repeatedly putting it in drive and reverse. An auxiliary transmission cooler mounted on the car radiator can be used to cool the transmission fluid if these situations are unavoidable in your lifestyle.

Although some of these maintenance procedures could be done by vehicles owners, it is best to have the transmission system checked regularly by professional mechanics. Not only are they more qualified to identify any current problems in your car but they could also spot any issues that could become potential problems in the future, alert the owner to them and apply the necessary preventive measures.

Proper maintenance of the transmission system will extend its life and the car’s life. It will also keep the vehicle’s driver and passengers, as well as other Tampa motorists and pedestrians, safe on the road.