When the oil is changed in the manual / automatic gearbox

The gearbox is part of the transmission mechanism of a car, with the role of transmission of power from the engine to the wheels, in a variable and controlled way, changing transmission relationships using the gearbox. The gearbox can be manual or automatic, depending on the driveway. Statistically, cars equipped with manual changes are preferred in Europe and in North America those equipped with automatic transmission (probably due to the long distances between two locations, when the lack of clutch pedals adds to the driver).

The change plays a very important role and the defects are, most of the time, caused by poor maintenance or improper use.

When is the change of oil in the manual gearbox?

Some specialists say that the oil in the manual gearbox can be left there throughout the vehicle, since it came from the factory, without ever changing, since the normal operating temperature is 60-70 degrees and can reach a maximum of 80-90 degrees in extreme conditions and the oil is not. It is not to walk there very rarely, just to control the level. If it is below the level, the cause is a loss in the gaskets. When the oil has changed its properties and no longer guarantees lubrication correctly, when the span has been deposited, small pignons or iron pill chips, will contaminate the oil that becomes abrasive. In all situations it is mandatory to go to a control service. After any intervention within the gearbox it is necessary to replace the transmission oil.

Manufacturers mention the duration to which the oil is replaced in the gearboxFor each model, in the car book or in the guarantee book. Here are some examples, strictly information: Honda at 120,000 km or 8 years; BMW E39 at 35 – 40,000 km; Land Rover Sport at 48,000 km; Skoda at 90 – 100,000 km; Dacia Logan at 70 – 100,000 km. In the absence of these data it is advisable to change them between 50,000-80,000 km or 2-3 years of activity.

It is easier to identify which type of oil is suitable for your vehicle, since any distributor accesses the application of the computer and according to the engine or the car code of the car, it offers a brand similar to a price, of different qualities. Already from this moment, the oil manufacturer is the one that specifies the optimal duration in which the next exchange recommends, which you will notice in the car maintenance book.

However, there are clear symptoms that warn that the oil must be changed and must be taken into consideration with priority, because in this case prevention can extend the life of the box:

• Transmission oil stains under the car. It can be something accidental and not necessarily a change problem, but if the loss is repeated, check the level of the oil. It may have been lost due to hidden losses (for example to the planetarium). The partial or total lack of oil in the box can be more dangerous than if the oil has not been changed over time.
• The transmission oil has the appearance changed. It is usually a light red and with the touch is viscous, often, with a sweet smell. If it is dark, it has become opaque and subjected, it means that it has undergone changes that announce a technical failure.
• It looks like a burnt smell after a long operation, due to the powerful rubbing of overheated parts due to the lack of oil.
• When changing the gears, you can hear abnormal, metallic or clogged noise, shaking or intense, stronger when the lever is in the deadline.
• When changing the gears, you mate more difficult or the lever is alone in speed.

When is the change of oil on the automatic transmission?

To vehicles with automatic transmission the situation differs. The automatic transmission works on the basis of hydraulic circuits, using a liquid similar to the servant. This is a much more liquid oil than the manual box, because it is required at a higher temperature. In a constructive way, a pump pushes the pressure oil, warms up, so often automatic boxes need cooling radiators.

The name of the automatic boxes is improper. In reality we have automatic transmissions made in a constructive way in various ways:

• With sequential boxin which sequential passages change. The engineers have resorted to complicated mechanisms to change the speeds without the driver premising the clutch, wishing to reduce the passage time from a manual box, therefore instead of the clutch pedal a hydraulic, electrical or mechanical actuator, who, with the help of a fork, rises and distinguished the clutch, when it was a pedal. The change of steps is performed electronically, instantly.
• With double clutch, consisting of two manual speed boxes mounted in parallel. In the same accommodation we have two changes, each with its clutch: the first acts the odd steps and the second look like those. The great advantage of this configuration is that it allows the pre -selection of the gears, making their change extremely fast, without interrupting the power flow and without the sensation of the driver to change the speed, all ordered by a computer.
• With automatic transmission CVT (continuous variable transmission)Without noise wheels, but on the basis of a belt and four cones, to which the operational principle is similar to the bicycle chain, but instead of the pignons we have a cone and instead of the plates. The automatic automatic transmission has a main clutch, differently constructive by a normal and a secondary one, which allows the achievement of an infinite number of reports, between a minimum and maximum value of the transmission ratio.
• With hydrotransformer (couple converter)It is the classic automatic transmission, called e hydramatFrom the automatic changes produced by General Motors with the name of Hydra-Matic. And in these models the steps change electronically, without the intervention of the steering wheel.

The symptoms of the lack of oil on the automatic transmission are noted automatically. The driver is said to reduce the quality of the oil. When symptoms such as: oil is no longer of quality or it is the lack of oil in the gearbox, it is essential to present themselves to the urgency at the service, because the parts in it deteriorate soon. The continuous driving of the car with defective symptoms in the gearbox can lead to serious problems, which cannot be easily solved. If there are such warnings, it is mandatory to exchange oil, so that the lack does not affect the operation of the gearbox.

Periodic review of automatic transmissions

An important factor in maintaining the automatic box is the revision at the time interval specified by the automotive manufacturer in the maintenance manual of each vehicle. The maintenance of hydramatic boxes provides for the modification of consumer materials and revision in an authorized service for automatic boxes. Most modern automatic boxes are equipped with an oil filter, just like an engine. It is very often a sieve, which must be changed or clean from time to time, being metallic, but there are newer ones that have almost identical filters with those of the engine and that must be replaced with each oil exchange. The performance vehicles equipped with hydraulic transmissions that work at high speed have a US -free filters, which are replaced under the car, canceling the bottom of the box (the oil bath), then the filter and seals are modified and only then the new oil is inserted.

It is recommended to change the transmission oil in automatic boxes at each oil -engine change of oil or a maximum of km, different for each type of oil. The transmission oils are not all the same and, very important, they are not interchangeable with each other. Each transmission requires a certain type of transmission oil for optimal operation. The use of another type of oil can cause defects or cancel the guarantee. If not specified in the type of car manual oil of the car, you can call an online oil selector or a specialist, based on the motor code or the car wine code. Here are some examples, strictly information: Honda at 120,000 km or 8 years; Audi at 120,000 km; Peugeot at 120,000 km; Hyundai at 120,000 km and Ford also at 120,000 km.

In conclusion, the use of the correct transmission oil increases the duration of the transmission, mechanical or automatic, reduces the wear and extends the operational duration of the gearbox.