A car can't function properly without its many types of fluids. For your vehicle to perform optimally, you'll need to make sure it has enough fuel, oils, lubricants, and even coolants. Heck, you'll also need to remember to fill up that little tank under your hood with windscreen washer fluid!
Sounds like a lot, right? Well, if your car's got an automatic transmission, you'll need to add automatic transmission fluid to that list, too!
What Is Automatic Transmission Fluid?
If you look closely at your mechanic's bills, you might see something listed down there as 'ATF'. This represents the fluid that's used specifically in vehicles with automatic transmissions.
This fluid is different from all the others because it was designed especially for the unique needs of a car's automatic transmission. That means that the fluid is perfect for keeping the valves working smoothly, reducing friction at the brake band, and lubricating all the gears in the transmission.
Here's something good to know: You can tell the ATF apart from all other fluids by merely looking at its colour. Typically, ATF comes in colours like red or green, which would be a giveaway in locating transmission leaks.
How to Check Automatic Transmission Fluid Levels
Checking your ATF levels is pretty simple. If you'd like to do it yourself, here are the basic steps:
1. Turn your engine on and let it warm up a little.
Keep yourself safe by putting the gear in Park or Neutral and keeping the handbrake up as well. Make sure that your engine is on throughout this process.
2. Open the hood of your car and locate the transmission's dipstick.
You may notice two dipsticks – one for the engine oil and one for the transmission fluid. The one for the transmission is typically towards the back of an in-line engine for rear-wheel-drive cars. On front-wheel drive vehicles, it may be sticking out of the transaxle somewhere towards the front. When in doubt, always refer to the car owner's manual.
Don't know how to read transmission fluid dipstick? No worries, we've got you covered.
3. Pull out the transmission fluid dipstick and wipe it clean with a lint-free rag.
Then put the dipstick back in and pull it out again. You'll notice some lines on the end of the dipstick which will show you the fluid levels when you do this. If you see that the fluid level doesn't reach the 'Full' line on that dipstick, that means you'll need to top it up.
4. If needed, use a funnel to pour transmission fluid down the dipstick tube.
Make sure never to overfill the ATF; pour just enough so that it reaches the 'Full' line on the dipstick when you recheck it.
Why You Should Check Your Car's ATF Levels
As mentioned earlier, your car has many different fluids so that it can run optimally. Some are more important than others, sure, but the ATF is definitely one of the most crucial ones and should be checked regularly.
By checking fluid levels from time to time, you can figure out leaks before it's too late and prevent significant damage.
You see, if your ATF is frequently low or reaches a low level sooner than it should, that's a sign that you might have a leak somewhere.
Once you notice this happening, get your car to a workshop right away and have it inspected by a professional before any significant damage occurs.
And trust me, if your ATF runs too low, it could spell disaster for your transmission. Low ATF can lead to permanent damage to the inside of your transmission, causing it to fail completely. Skipping on a fluid replacement might even cause you to spend significantly on the rebuilding or replacement of the entire transmission.
As with almost anything else in your car, preventative maintenance is a lot better than having to buy new parts. However, if you do get to the point that you will need to find car spares and maintenance supplies, reach out to our certified sellers at CarPartAU by requesting a part.
By Ray Hasbollah