Like your engine oil, maintaining your transmission fluid is equally as important, even more so for automatic transmissions. Manual gearboxes do not have oil pumps and the oil is stagnant and is just there for lubrication purposes. To maintain a manual transmission is a straightforward process - drain the old oil, pour in new oil and that's it.
For auto trannies, it's a little different. There are generally two types of auto slushboxes out there, CVT and those that run on a torque convertor. CVTs generally operate on two rollers and a belt and because of its design, it's vital to remember CVT oils are not the same as your average ATF (automatic transmission fluid). The viscosity is specifically designed for the components to run optimally.
Problems occur when the wrong oil is used which causes unnecessary wear and tear on the components causing the belt to slip. This is the very reason why Honda stopped using their CVT gearboxes in the City and why people are claiming "Old Honda City gearbox no good one!! Always spoil!".
People misunderstand and assume all oils are equal and pour in something non-CVT-compatible ultimately destroying the gearbox. Why do people do this? Because CVT specific fluids are more expensive. But replacing a gearbox is way more costly. Don't make this mistake just to skimp on a few bucks.
For auto trannies, it's a little different. There are generally two types of auto slushboxes out there, CVT and those that run on a torque convertor. CVTs generally operate on two rollers and a belt and because of its design, it's vital to remember CVT oils are not the same as your average ATF (automatic transmission fluid). The viscosity is specifically designed for the components to run optimally.
Problems occur when the wrong oil is used which causes unnecessary wear and tear on the components causing the belt to slip. This is the very reason why Honda stopped using their CVT gearboxes in the City and why people are claiming "Old Honda City gearbox no good one!! Always spoil!".
People misunderstand and assume all oils are equal and pour in something non-CVT-compatible ultimately destroying the gearbox. Why do people do this? Because CVT specific fluids are more expensive. But replacing a gearbox is way more costly. Don't make this mistake just to skimp on a few bucks.
Different gearboxes are designed with specific tolerances with different types of oils provided. SPIII, DEXRON III, Toyota Type III / IV, MERCON IV, CVT, etc all are different and far apart. So don't mix them.
Torque convertor gearboxes compared to CVT on the other hand generate a lot of heat because of the way the torque convertor deliver power to the wheels. Some comes with a built-in oil pump to circulate the oil through the stock ATF cooler to keep the torque convertor happy at all times.
I posted a DIY article earlier on how to install a bigger cooler for better cooling efficiency. Unfortunately because of the way torque converters are designed, they store a lot of oil inside them and whenever you do a simple 'drop-and-top' ATF oil change, you do not really remove all of the old oil effectively reducing the efficiency of the new oil.
I posted a DIY article earlier on how to install a bigger cooler for better cooling efficiency. Unfortunately because of the way torque converters are designed, they store a lot of oil inside them and whenever you do a simple 'drop-and-top' ATF oil change, you do not really remove all of the old oil effectively reducing the efficiency of the new oil.
That's where a flush comes in handy. There are ways of doing a ATF flush : with a machine, the slow and manual way of dropping-and-topping a couple of times with a few runs in between, and then there's this way : How to DIY flush your ATF.
In my DIY guide, I also showed how to change an ATF filter. Yes - gearboxes have filters too. In most cases the filter is a paper element that trap metal filings, sludge and whatever that might get caught in the gearbox. This needs to be changed as often as you change the ATF. Look at the picture on top, old filter vs new filter and the old filter was used for 60,000km only (visible dirt on the paper element). The only exception to this filter rule are manual transmission. I don't believe manuals use filters regardless of car make.
So in conclusion, find out what type of oil your car is supposed to use. Stick to the manufacturer recommended specs, change your oils at regular intervals, change the filter and you can't go wrong.
