Transmission is one of the most critical and expensive parts of a car, and a faulty transmission can make your whole driving experience difficult with gaps between shifts and metallic sounds. Therefore, it is essential to take good care of your transmission to keep it safe and enjoy the most out of it.
With some help from our side, you can clean your car’s transmission to make it operate as smoothly and effectively as possible. Here are eight steps on how to clean transmission.
1. Make the Pre-cleaning Preparations
To clean your car’s transmission, you first have to prepare it for cleaning. Drive it around and let the transmission do its thing. When the transmission work, the transmission fluids change their place and get heated up. Warm fluid is more easily removable. Moreover, warm transmission fluid can drain out faster.
Make sure not to make it too hot; drive a few miles and let it reach the ideal temperature, and then proceed to the next step.
2. Park Your Car in a Workspace
All the transmission parts are located at the bottom of the car, and you will have to lay under the car to reach them. Therefore, you can’t just park anywhere to clean it, and you need a proper workspace with all tools available to pull off this task.
Standing at the roadside is not a good idea as it will disturb traffic flow and annoy the other road users. If you don’t have access to a garage, use a personal location with a smooth marble surface.
As an emergency backup, park the automobile in the work area with the parking brake engaged.
3. Mount the Jacks
A tire-changing jack is present in every car, which is enough to help you with raising the vehicle for a clean transmission. Place the jack under a suitable vehicle location and lift it. Use the car’s owner manual to check the proper site for mounting the jack without damaging any suspension part.
4. Drain the Transmission Fluid
The next step is to drain out the transmission fluid. Check your car’s manual to confirm the transmission oil outlet screw. Different manufacturers place this outlet in various locations. Once you find the outlet screw, unscrew it using a spanner.
There are two things to keep in mind. Firstly, place an oil tray right under the oil to prevent spilling into your garage. Secondly, make sure to keep your hands and body parts safe from oil because you just drove the car and don’t know how hot the oil might be.
Once all the oil is drained, come out from beneath the car and check the fluid. If the oil is too dark in color or contains little bits or pieces of metal, then it’s time to change it. These minor metals indicate the wear and tear going on inside the transmission.
Also Know: How to Change Manual Transmission Fluid
5. Clean the Transmission Oil Pan
After detaching the oil pan, wash the exterior and the inside with brake cleaner. Automatic gearboxes are extremely sensitive to outside chemicals and dust, needing a thorough cleaning. You may remove gasket stuff attached to the gearbox oil pan with a sharp knife, and the same goes for the transmission’s contact point.
6. Remove the Transmission Filter
Many companies include a filter in their automatic transmissions to collect dirt; nevertheless, pollutants can build up over time, reducing the filter’s effectiveness. This filter may generally be found near the bottom of the valve’s body and has to be replaced. Once you have removed it, you can fit back the transmission pan.
7. Putting the Transmission Pan Back
Go slow while fixing back the transmission pan. To begin, lightly cover the borders of the transmission pan with your choice of high-tack glue. Then, align the gasket’s openings with the pan’s pores. Let the sealer dry for a few moments afterward. Fix back the transmission pan with attention by tightening the screws.
8. Winding Up
Remove your car off the lifts and store your equipment away. Then, raise the bonnet and carefully pour in the new transmission oil, taking care not to overfill or underfill. Add the correct amount of liquid using the dipstick as a reference.
Please turn on your ignition and let it sit idle for a few moments to allow the fresh fluids to flow fully.
Get To Know Better: Can A Bad Wheel Bearing Cause Transmission Problems?
FAQs
What can I use to clean out the transmission?
You can use multiple things to clean out the transmission, including Ultrasonic machines, Spray-on oven cleaner, and transmission flush.
Can you clean the inside of a transmission with a brake cleaner?
Yes, you can clean the inside of a transmission with a brake cleaner. Break cleaners are the same composition as transmission cleaners; therefore, they are interchangeable.
How do you clean automatic transmission parts?
You can use an automatic transmission cleaner to make the cleaning look like a piece of cake. Just make sure that the engine and transmission are at the ideal temperature as written on the automatic cleaner. Drain the transmission fluid then and add an auto transmission cleaner. Let the engine run for 10-15 minutes on idle and then drain off the cleanser.
It will remove all the dirt and remains of the dirty transmission oil.
Can I pressure wash a transmission?
It is indeed a good idea to pressure wash the exterior of your transmission. However, make sure to prevent the water from getting inside the transmission.
