8 Tips on Prolonging Your Transmission Check transmission fluid regularly. Ask someone to help you if you don’t know how! Check transmission fluid after running hot. Stop and go traffic, hilly terrain through the mountains in Colorado, hot weather, or towing can build up excess transmission heat causing fluid to be lost, damaged, or both. If your driving an older car or truck, you should check this often. Install an external cooler in high stress conditions. Towing a trailer, hauling heavy loads, or being stuck in traffic often creates excessive transmission heat. An external cooler can help to prolong the life of your transmission by reducing heat and friction. Change transmission fluid more often in high stress conditions. Transmission fluid cools, cleans, and lubricates the internal transmission parts while providing the hydraulic pressure to make all of the components work together. Any of the conditions in items 2 & 3 above will shorten the effective life of transmission fluid. In those cases, change the fluid a minimum of twice a year (unless otherwise specified in the owners manual). Check any malfunctions promptly. Repair bills tend to rise in proportion to mileage driven after the first signs of trouble. The longer you drive with a malfunctioning transmission, the more damage you may cause, and the more money it may cost you. Have thetransmission linkage and other adjustments checked periodically. Especially after the vehicle has been in an accident or has had any major engine work performed. Keep your engine properly tuned. A poor running engine can, at times, display symptoms similar to a transmission problem. Have other drive train components that may affect transmission function checked regularly – drive shafts, universal joints, drive axles and their constant velocity joints, engine flywheels or flex plates, computer system and sensors, radiator and cooling lines to the transmission, engine and transmission mountings can cause problems. Call Kimmer Transmission & Gear 303-693-1400. BACK TO MAIN BLOG