With so many fluids to monitor in your vehicle—oil, coolant, brake fluid, power steering fluid, transmission fluid, and windshield washer fluid—maintaining them all can feel overwhelming. Among these, transmission fluid is often the most neglected, despite being absolutely essential to your car’s operation. Let’s explore why this fluid and regular transmission flushes should be prioritized in your vehicle maintenance schedule.
What is Transmission Fluid?
Your transmission relies on transmission fluid to lubricate the moving parts inside your transmission. This slippery liquid is optimized for the special requirements of your vehicle, such as valve operation, brake band friction, torque converter, and gear lubrication. How often you should change your transmission fluid, depends on the vehicle and how you drive and use your car, truck, or SUV.
Over time, transmission fluid degrades due to the intense heat generated within the transmission system. As it breaks down, the fluid loses its lubricating properties, forcing your transmission to work harder at higher temperatures—significantly increasing the risk of failure. Additionally, aging fluid can become contaminated with metal particles from worn transmission components, creating further complications. Without proper maintenance, deteriorated transmission fluid can substantially reduce your transmission’s lifespan.
What is a Transmission Flush?
Okay, now that we have reviewed what transmission fluid is, let’s review what a transmission flush is and why is it important.
A transmission flush is a procedure to remove old transmission fluid, sludge, and grime from a vehicle’s transmission and replace it with fresh fluid. A transmission flush helps maximize the lifespan and performance of your transmission. Many manufacturers recommend a transmission flush every 30,000 miles or two years.
Is a transmission flush the same as changing the transmission fluid?
No, these are different procedures with different results:
Transmission Fluid Change:
- Replaces only about 50% (or less) of your transmission fluid
- Relies on gravity to drain the fluid
- Does not remove all contaminants from the system
- Leaves old fluid in the torque converter and transmission cooler lines
Transmission Flush:
- Fills the system with new, clean fluid
- Replaces 100% of your transmission fluid
- Uses specialized equipment to force out all old fluid
- Removes grime and contaminants from the entire system
- Cleans the torque converter and cooler lines
Why is a transmission flush important?
Transmission flushes are preventative maintenance designed to avoid transmission problems and maintain optimal vehicle performance. The complete removal of old fluid and contaminants provides several benefits:
- Reduces debris and contaminants that accumulate over time
- Decreases wear and tear on the transmission and related components
- Extends the lifespan of your transmission
- Maintains optimal transmission performance
- Prevents costly transmission repairs or replacement
Given the complexity and expense of transmission systems, taking preventative measures through regular transmission flushes is a wise investment in your vehicle’s long-term health and performance of your transmission.
Phoenix Transmission Experts
Advanced Transmissions & Emissions are Phoenix transmission experts.
We aim to make transmission repair services more accessible and cheaper for our customers. Transmissions are expensive and vital components in any vehicle. A failing transmission is never a good thing. We have years of experience repairing transmissions at cheaper rates than you will find elsewhere.
Transmissions are complicated, but we understand them. Our expertise allows us to locate the source of the problem to make only the needed repairs. That’s how we save our customers so much money. Visit our Phoenix, AZ shop for transmission repair.
