Automatic Transmission Fluid

Here are some tips on why a regular transmission oil change is more important than you might think. The transmission is a heart of your engine, so maintaining it is of a big importance.

Hello everyone and welcome back to our short series on automotive tools and tips for the new weekend warrior to auto mechanics. These articles are written for the average Joe that would like to get his hands a little dirty with some basic automotive tips and repairs, so I try to avoid any big phrases or terms. Let’s get started on checking your car’s automatic transmission fluid.

Start your car with it in either park or neutral. Let it run until it reaches operating temperature. You should know how hot that is as the dash needle should reach the level it normally does while you are driving. If you turn the heat on, you should have warm air that comes through the vents. Typically operating temperature is between 180 and 215 degrees. During this entire process you won’t turn the car off until you are done. That’s very important as you will get a misreading if the car is shut off, not at operating temperature, or in another other gear other than neutral or park.

Once you have the car running at operating temperature, your next step should be to look for the transmission fluid dipstick. It normally has a red, yellow, or even orange handle. In front wheel drive cars, it will be on the side that the transmission is on – typically the driver’s side. In some Honda products, and in other rare exceptions it will be on the passenger side.

Once you have found the transmission dipstick, pull it out and wipe it down, then reinsert it and pull it out yet again. At this point, you will either find that you have enough transmission fluid or that you are low on fluid. If you are low on fluid, use a long taper funnel and add just enough fluid to reach the full line. It is very important that you do not overfill your transmission. Transmissions are very "Picky" about the type and amount of fluid they use – damage will result if you don’t address both concerns properly.

The last step is to touch your finger with the fluid and rub your fingers together. The fluid should almost be clear and smooth. If you feel little bits of material in the fluid or it smells burnt you will probably need to have your fluid changed. Now this comes with a warning – transmissions that don’t get regular fluid changes are very prone to failure.

If you have a transmission with the original fluid from when the car was new, and it now has more than 60,000 miles I would suggest taking it to the dealership to get their opinion on a fluid change. Transmissions can develop a varnish over time that get’s washed away by new fluid. In the case of older transmissions, the cleaning of this vanish can cause failure so proceed with caution to avoid major auto repairs later on.

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