How To Check Transmission Fluid: What To Know
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Maintenance is one of those things that comes along with owning a car. Though some think of it as a pain, it’s the best form of elongating the life of your vehicle, meaning you can keep it a lot longer and enjoy the best performance. Part of the maintenance includes the transmission, which you can check by monitoring the transmission fluid.
If you’re not sure how to check transmission fluid, we’ll show you how in just a few simple steps. Before we get to that, we’ll start with a look at the transmission, its fluid, and why it’s important to the health of your car.
Why Check Your Fluid?
There are lots of fluids that work to power your car, some of which are more crucial than others. Your transmission is like the heart of your car, helping it switch gears and keep your engine roaring. The transmission needs fluids to function properly, keeping it cool and lubricated.
In order to keep functioning properly, your transmission needs fluid. Not only does it need fluid, but it needs the fluid at certain levels to ensure that it can do its job correctly and efficiently. That’s why checking the transmission fluid is important so that you can spot whether it has enough or whether it’s time to change it out.
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How to Check Transmission Fluid
Keeping your vehicle with the correct amount of transmission fluid is key to keeping it running smoothly. If you’ve never checked your transmission fluid or are just trying to brush up on how it’s done, follow these simple steps.
1. Find the Dipstick
The dipstick is the key tool in checking the fluid levels of your transmission. You can find it under the hood and in the engine compartment. Your car will have two dipsticks, one that goes into the engine and one that goes into the transmission. The transmission is always further back, so find the two circles sticking out near your engine and choose the one that’s further back.
These two sticks have distinctive markings, and in some cases, colors. Make a note of them so that it becomes a breeze to locate the transmission dipstick when you want to check your transmission fluid. It becomes easier over time, as you get used to checking it often.
2. Check the Level
To check the level of transmission fluid in your transmission, you want to start with your car turned on and in park. Let it warm up a bit, so the engine runs and things are up and running properly. Then, grab a towel and sit it close.
Pull the dipstick out, wipe it clean with the towel, and replace it slowly. Pull it back out and now see where the level of fluid falls. On the dipstick, you will find lines that read “full,” “low,” and “fill.” These are indicators of how the fluid is doing and know whether you need to replace it or not.
3. Check the Condition
Not only do you need to check the level of fluid, but you also need to check the condition of the fluid too. To check, grab a white paper towel and have it handy. Add some of the fluid to the paper towel by pulling it out and wiping some of it off with your paper towel. Then, take a look at the indicators and what they could mean for your fluid and/or transmission.
- Red or pink tinge = Healthy
- Brownish-red = Needs changing soon
- Dark brown or black = Needs changing now
In addition to a dark color, if your fluid has a burnt smell too, you need to replace your transmission fluid stat. You could also have some small metal pieces on the towel, which is also an indicator that you could have damage in your transmission, and you need to check out the situation quickly.
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Low Fluids? Here’s What It Might Mean
Apart from how to check transmission fluid, it’s also good to know what low fluid levels could mean. Though sometimes low levels could be a result of a leak that needs immediate attention, that’s not always the case, and here is what else could be going on.
1. Lack of maintenance
The number one reason for low fluids is lack of maintenance. A lot of times, drivers don’t check their transmission fluids, which could mean that the levels get low and need to be replenished. To avoid missing the need for more fluids, drivers should check their transmission fluids often, getting on a schedule to take a look every couple of weeks.
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2. It’s hot
With warmer temperatures, your transmission starts to work overtime. The strain can make it burn through fluids faster and cause them to dry out if the temperature gets really hot. If you live in an area that has high temps, make sure to check your transmission fluid often. If this is the case for you, you may want to have some backup fluid on hand so that you can add it when the levels are low.
3. There’s a leak
The most serious thing that you can run into is a leak in your transmission. If that happens, you’ll have to take it to a mechanic as soon as possible to get a replacement or patch up the leak. Either way, if you suspect a leak, don’t wait too long to avoid further damage to your engine and/or transmission.
Check Your Fluids, and Check Them Often
A lot of times, we don’t think about maintenance on our vehicles until it’s too late. The key to keeping your vehicle healthy is keeping it maintained, changing fluids, and replacing worn-out parts often. Now that you know how to check transmission fluid, you should get on a schedule and check it ever so often. The more you check it, the more you can avoid potential issues in the future, catching things long before they start to cause issues.
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