Transmission fluid is a special lubricant designed to lubricate and protect the gears and clutches in an automatic transmission system, providing smooth shifting action while helping cool it and minimize friction between moving parts.

As it circulates, fluid may darken slightly over time; however, when its color becomes murky brown or black it’s time to change or flush the system.

Choose the Right Type of Fluid

Your transmission is essential in making your vehicle move by transforming engine power into rotational energy that turns wheels. Because this component plays such an integral part of how vehicles work, keeping it properly lubricated is absolutely critical to its lifespan and performance. How often it needs changing can have an immense effect on vehicle lifespan.

Your owner’s manual should provide information on the recommended transmission fluid for your specific model. Since manufacturers utilize various formulations of transmission fluid, using one that doesn’t suit can cause irreparable harm to your transmission. When purchasing new fluid, Cenex Maxtron MT offers superior performance while meeting OEM specs. They feature enhanced thermal stability for longer fluid life, viscosity stability and resistance against shearing, oxidation and friction.

Valvoline provides several products designed specifically to provide older vehicles that require Type F automatic transmission fluid with protection, including Kendall VersaTrans ATF and Ultra-Low Viscosity ATF (ULV). Both of these fluids offer high levels of protection in traditional stepped gear automatic transmissions as well as continuously variable transmissions.

Remove the Pan

Transmission fluid acts to protect and lubricate components in a transmission, helping them to function correctly while also keeping its temperature down. For optimal transmission performance it is crucial that you select and change out your fluid according to manufacturer recommendations for your car.

Color of transmission fluid can also provide an indicator that it needs replacing, with most manual transmissions using red fluid and most automatics having blue/green, purple or amber transmission fluid. If your fluid turns dark brown in color it’s time for replacement – don’t delay in draining and replenishing with fresh fluid!

If you neglect to drain and refill your transmission fluid at regular intervals, its internal gears could begin grinding together due to lack of lubrication resulting in expensive repairs or even complete transmission rebuilding.

To check your transmission fluid level, find and pull out the dipstick that is designated specifically for transmission fluid, which should be labeled differently than engine oil dipstick. Remove and wipe down this dipstick thoroughly before reinserting into transmission and starting engine.

If the dipstick reaches its FULL indicator line with transmission fluid, it’s time for a change. If it falls short of this mark, add fluid until it reaches that mark.

Check the Level

Dipsticks are the best way to monitor transmission fluid levels. Like an engine oil dipstick, only specific to transmission fluid. Before taking this measure, be sure your vehicle is cold and parked on level ground, as parking on hills could skew readings inaccurately.

Discover your transmission dipstick near where the oil pan resides, pull it out, wipe its tip clean with a cloth, then put it back down into its locked position for accurate readings. Your dipstick should have FULL and COLD indicator lines; pinkish-gray fluid between these lines should indicate fluid with no odor whatsoever.

If the fluid drops below this threshold, a professional service technician should come and drain and replace it immediately. Low automatic transmission fluid can lead to clutches burning out as well as hamper your ability to shift gears smoothly.

Checking transmission fluid regularly is vital, yet often tricky to do on your own. If in doubt, take your vehicle in for a quick inspection and maintenance check by an automotive specialist – this simple step could save costly repairs later!

Replace the Pan

If your transmission oil pan gasket has become defective, replacing it should be an easy and straightforward task. From preventative maintenance to emergency repairs, replacing this seal is straightforward and inexpensive compared to its counterparts in your engine or cooling systems. Although replacing transmission pan gaskets might seem more involved than head gasket replacements in an engine, replacing transmission pan gaskets is relatively cost-effective and straightforward process.

Start by checking your fluid levels. Locate the transmission dipstick (typically located below engine oil dipstick) and make sure it’s completely submerged with clean transmission fluid, up to the FULL indicator line. If necessary, add more according to your owner’s manual. Simply remove and clean off your dipstick before refilling with ATF of the appropriate type – be careful to only add ATF that meets manufacturer recommendations! Adding the wrong kind could cause irreparable harm to your transmission! Likewise, never check transmission fluid while driving as this will provide inaccurate readings. Before concluding your inspection of fluid quality, don’t assume light-colored fluid is safe to use because even light colors may burn and lose their lubricant qualities over time. Also beware any pink or milky fluid as this could indicate contamination by water or coolant; potentially signalling an indication of leakage somewhere.