Automatic Transmission Fluid – LIFE BLOOD!
ATF - Automatic Transmission Fluid is the Life Blood of your Transmission. As we have mentioned in previous articles some manufactures have advertised a life time fill for their transmissions. This means that you never have to change the fluid in the transmission. Unfortunately this also means that the whole transmission has to be replaced when it fails, around 80,000 miles instead. An important maintenance item is to change your transmission fluid every 30,000 miles. This will greatly extend the life of your transmission.
What is a Transmission Flush? It is a process that clears all of the old transmission fluid from the transmission of a vehicle and fills it with new fluid. It also removes all of the old fluid and debris from the converter, cooler, and cooler lines that are in support of the transmission.
In a simple drain and fill, a drain plug in the transmission is removed and the transmission fluid is drained out. This process does not thoroughly cleanse the system. The end result is that without a transmission fluid flush, there is still a fair amount of older fluid present. (About 45%). When this is the case, the older fluid will mingle with the new transmission fluid - diluting its effectiveness.
By employing a transmission flush, which includes a cleaner, all of the older fluid is removed and the whole system is cleaned. This means there is no residue to contaminate and weaken the new transmission fluid. The presence of fresh transmission fluid means less stress placed on the transmission itself, which in turn can prolong the life and enhance the performance of the transmission.
There is a myth that a transmission flush may blow out the seals on the transmission, this is actually not possible. The process of the flush does not rely on pressure to flush out the residue of the old fluid. Instead, the method relies on using the oil pump of the transmission to gently introduce the new fluid into the system. As the new fluid enters the system, it begins to push the residue of old fluid out of the system. This means that rather than applying pressure that could damage the transmission, simple displacement is used to rid the system of the old fluid.
One of the main killers of transmissions is old oil. It causes the rubber seals to get hard. These seals have to be soft to seal around multiple moving internal parts. There are as many as 100 rubber seals and seal rings in any given transmission. Keeping fresh ATF in the transmission helps keep them soft.
While a transmission flush does cost a little more than a simple drain and fill, the investment can mean a smoother operation and longer life for the transmission and minimize the chance of having to replace the transmission during the life of the vehicle.
