The recent day vehicles mostly offer you automatic transmissions, to ease out the process of shifting gears at different driving situations. The transmission that is a composite component of the powertrain is responsible for shifting the engine power to the respective wheels that the drivetrain is configured with. Hence it is paired with the engine to squeeze out the torque in combination with the horsepower that the engine generates. The transmission is run with the help of transmission fluid and so, it does have a filter similar to the system pf engine oil. But very less is talked about the maintenance of the transmission filter and here we will make an attempt to explain the reasons.
You must have come across many advertisements that reads “lifetime running transmission fluids” that never asks to be replaced, but is it the same with the transmission filter that takes care of the fluid inside these gearboxes? Let’s find out from the experts of the Burlington Hyundai service center.
The Role of a Transmission Filter
As your car keeps moving miles together, the heat generated under the hood sometimes results into chipping of metal shavings that start floating around within the transmission fluid. This increases as the vehicle gets older. To help keep all these parts do their jobs smoothly, the transmission filter is used to sift out all the metal particles within the fluid preventing them from causing disruption in the process of movement. The role of this transmission filter increases to a greater level in the vehicles in which the gearboxes don’t come as completely sealed and have breather vents, as dust and other foreign particles get an easy access to enter the transmission fluid and contaminate it.
When to Replace?
Unlike the engine compartment, there is no way you can check the transmission fluid cell to check if its filter has clogged up. So the only way left to us is keep replacing the filter in an even interval as recommended by your car manufacturer, mentioned in your owner’s manual.
If your car has an on-board computer, it can send you an alert, if the system finds anything wrong in the fluid.
Other Signs
There are two other signs that can let you know if the transmission filter needs to be changed. The first is the burnt smell that comes out from the transmission fluid, or if the fluid turns darker in color. The other indication is any unusual behavior your transmission that makes the gear changing difficult or a change in the performance, when driven in certain gears or if you hear unusual noises while gear shifts. If you experience any of these, consider a visit at your nearby repair center and check out if the transmission filter is in need of a replacement.
The Bottom Line
If you are wondering whether you can replace the transmission yourself, then the experts of the center of Hyundai service near Burlington will advise you in negative, as the transmission section is much more complex than the engine section and hence changing the filter yourself can cause some harm to the driving mechanisms of your car.
