Few parts come in for as much abuse over their lifetime as the components that make up your vehicle's transmission system. These units have to convert the energy and torque provided by the engine into power that can be utilised at a variety of different speeds and in so many adverse conditions. It's hardly surprising that the components will, from time to time, break down and leave you with a rather large repair bill. If you've recently had to fork out for some transmission repairs, what additional steps can you take to try and extend the life of your automatic transmission?
Getting Additional Assistance
Within the transmission is a complex array of gears, clutches, cogs and bearings, all of which sit within a constant pool of transmission fluid. This fluid is highly engineered and helps to prevent any foreign particles from grinding against these components and causing failure. While the transmission fluid itself is up to the purpose, you may also ask your friendly mechanic to recommend an additional lubricant, known as a friction modifier.
How Does the Modifier Work?
This is an unusual product as it performs two entirely different and theoretically incompatible functions. It will provide additional protection for the gears and bearings to shield them from unwanted friction, but it will also increase the amount of friction in certain circumstances.
One of the key components is called a torque converter and it has a number of different clutches that work in a hostile environment. For these particular products to work with the highest efficiency, the modifier needs to be able to increase the friction here, so that there is less potential damage to the plate when the vehicle changes gear.
Certain parts of the transmission system work at all times when the vehicle is moving, but others don't. Some of the clutches, for example, will be engaged when their related gears are spinning, but will be stationary when not. This is why it's important for the friction modifier to adjust the level of friction in relevant circumstances.
Working in Tandem
If you introduce a friction modifier, it will be one of several products that are working together to extend the life of the system. In addition to the main category of fluid, rust inhibitors are also in play that help to protect the internal components when the engine is switched off, or is operating at a low temperature. All of these products are designed to work together, to extend the life of your car.
Setting it Up
Check to see what type of transmission modifier is available for your vehicle and ask your mechanic to add it during your next service.
Share11 June 2018
I love to take my car down to the track on the weekend. Running a race car is an expensive exercise so I need to be smart about how I spend my limited car budget. I do some of my auto servicing myself, but I don't have the equipment to some of the more complex jobs. I have put a lot of time and energy into my car so it's quite a commitment to trust someone else with my car, even for a few days, so I've found a trustworthy car service centre with a lot of experience in high performance vehicles. This blog has some tips on finding car servicing for racing cars.