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Transmission Oil Coolers, or the addition of the additive Lubegard (essentially a synthetic whale oil manufactured from soybeans) can restore the transmission balance back to its pre 1973 state, and be a more stable component of the automobile.
Does anybody know if this means a failure is imminent?
The cheapest thing to do is a complete drain/fill of the transmission fluid, and add Lubegard additive in the proper ratios(www.lubegard.com). This product has stopped shudders and shifting problems in three cars in my personal experience. 2 automatics, and one stick. I believe that in one case it avoided a tranny replacement. I put it in all of my vehicles now.
Lubegard was developed in conjunction with the US government, so it is not a fraud. Reduces heat as well as acids that destroy transmissions.
Can buy for about 10 bucks a bottle at NAPA stores. If you are doing a complete drain it may need 2 bottles, depending on the capacity.
With that behavior, in the future, I would consider a regular drain refill arranagement every 15,000 miles. It will get out about 50% of the fluid. My area has specials so it can be done between $35--$50 depending on the cost of the transmission filter. Much cheaper than an overhaul.
Love these guys-always a laugh a minute.
1. Decreased fuel economy
2. Decreased vehicle performance
3. Decreased reliability ( a huge variance most manuals from all auto makers are trouble free for hundreds of thousands of miles)
4. Higher purchase cost
5. More expensive maintenance and repair
In Europe most vehicles on the road have manual trannys. For 1 simple reason, economy. They pay for fuel about the same per liter as we pay per gallon. Auto makers are always looking at ways to increase their corporate average fuel economy. This is both the simplest and cheapest way for them to do it.
It frustates me to no end that some of the vehicles made today that I would like to own are not even offered with a manual tranny.
Why do people pay more for an inferior product?
I realize there are some people out there who do not know how to drive a manual. To those people I say grow up and learn. If they can't because of some physical ailment then I can accept that.
I could care less about Navigation, Automatic headlights, automatic climate control and so forth.
I wanna shift it myself.
TB
Performance?? Not really a big issue. If you need the extra performance of a 5 or 6 speed you probably need to be on the dragstrip or track.
Don't get me wrong-for 40 years there has always been a manual in my driveway. But as you get older, driving is more about getting to where you are going than fun.
Finally, I think your Hypothesis is incorrect. Most Americans don't "love" automatics. Its really just another part of a vehicle. Forinstance- do I really love my cars drive shaft?? Again-jus another part of the car.
I would have to say for those, unlike me, who drive in heavy traffic regularly that an auto is favored for stop and go driving. But a manual can avoid a lot of the problem by simply driving slower continually rather than rabbit starts and stops.
Gas Mileage? Doubt if there is any difference now a days especially if we like to drive the cars at a lively level. Many manual tranny drivers tend to push the car more. But it is more fun. In the USA not a significant consideration right now.
Power? Oh, yeah. No matter what they do automatics still drain off power. I drive 4 cyl cars. I get into the same model and year with an auto tranny and I wonder what happened to the power. These models feel dead.
More satisfying driving experience. Manual hands down. More total driver involvement is required.
Custom tailoring of gearing to terrain, again a manual. With Europe's windy roads and many mountains this may very well be a reason why manuals are still preferred.
I just want the choice. I'm not saying do away with the automatic.
Just do away with automatic ONLY offerings.
TB
I agree with others auto trannys don't need to be eliminated, but manuals certainly need to be offered on every vehicle.
As far as fuel economy goes, I don't care how carefully you drive an auto tranny, it is still not as efficient as a manual tranny if it is driven with similar care. Look at the window sticker on 2 identical vehicles in any dealers lot, one with an auto and one with a manual. I guarantee the EPA will have the manual rated for better fuel economy for both city and highway. I realize autos have become much more efficient over the years, but due to the nature of the torque converter even with lock up, they can never be as efficient as a manual. Remember lock up on most vehicles will only engage in drive or overdive gears and only under specific circumstances.
Also in stop and go traffic, I frequently skip gears when shifting, that both improves economy and cuts down on shifting. I couldn't make an auto tranny skip gears even if I tried. That's part of the beauty of manuals the driver is in control.
Another question, do you have any evidence to support your statement, "Engines last longer with automatic transmissions because there is less shock to the engine." Seems to me that engines in front of auto trannys are subject to a lot of unnecessary wear for 3 reasons:
First they need to turn at higher RPMS at all times to maintain the same speed as a manual except when the torque converter is locked up,
Second in an effort to obtain reasonable performance out of the auto you have to push just a little harder on the gas, and force the shift points further up the RPM band.
Third when cruising on the highway, if you decide to change speeds or come upon a hill, the auto tranny will often downshift even if the driver didn't want to.
I recently own a minivan (needless to say it came with an auto tranny, I didn't havee a choice) and when cruising down the highway I notice the torque converter lock and unloc, and experience many unwanted downshifts. I live in a mountain area.
However, when I drive my car with the manual tranny I just cruise over the same terrain in 5th gear.
One last thing performance is not just about the drag strip, in hilly terrain when the grade of the hill changes sometimes you need a different gear ratio to climb the hill effectively without really pushing the engine. Nearly all manual trannys come with 5 speeds, however, most autos have only 4.
This is not such a big deal in my little car, but I've also done some heavy duty towing, and believe me the proper gear ratios are king when climbing mountains.
In a 93 vehicle these should be actuated either by a direct rod type connection or possibly a cable type connection. My guess would be the the pin that holds this cable or rod in place either broke or came off, and the actuator slipped off. At any rate it should be a relatively easy fix as long as you can reach it and see it. Put your truck up on a lift or some drive on ramps and look on top or possibly the upper section of either side. If its is the pin you may need to buy a replacemnt, but in some applications an appropriately sized cotter pin will work just as well.
Sorry I can't be more specific about exact location and style, the only Toyota manual I've worked on is a FWD car. Good luck, and don't let any shop tell you you need a new tranny, I can 99% guarantee you don't.
You are right tranny rebuilds are not rocket science, neither are engine rebuilds.
But neither one is nearly as easy as a clutch replacement. Only specialized tool you need is the clutch alignment tool, and they cost about $5.
BTW never had to do an engine overhaul out of necessity, only done them for performance improvement, to me its more enjoyable to do a job when you plan for it well in advance, and doing it because you want to not have to.
Auto tranny rebuilds are a have to, whether it is convenient or not. Clutches are a have to also, but you always get sufficient warning that they have worn out, that you can plan for the repair.
In theory annual cleanups will let the transmission live for 200,000 miles or more. Doing nothing will allow a failure sometime under 100,000 [whether it's a day after the warranty expires or not is a function of your local condition-temperature, driving style etc].
http://www.bonforums.com/powertrain/trans_problemexposed.htm
http://hometown.aol.com/MKBradley/index.html
Pam
I would however, replace the fluid ASAP, and thereafter every 15,000 miles. My folks had a 1991. Tranny fixed under recall, never worked right, was going out again when they traded it in on a 1995. No tranny problems at 100K with regular maintenence.
2002 Civic EX
5spd Manual City 32MPG Hwy 37MPG
4spd Auto City 31MPG Hwy 38MPG
2002 Honda CR-V with Real Time 4WD
5spd Manual City 21MPG Hwy 25MPG
4spd Auto City 22MPG Hwy 26MPG
I do agree that automatics will never match the performance or control of a manual.
To the guy with the 2000 3.2TL asking about the transmission. The Acura 3.2TL/CL, Honda Odyssey, Acura MDX and to a lesser extent Honda Accord V6 are prone to early transmission failure and repeated transmission failures.
When you buy a used car with 100k [even an MB S500] you have to budget a tranny replacement sometime [a week later or 2 years later] it all depends on the maintenance level and driving style of the previous owner [owners].
The more powerful the engine and the heavier the car is the more robust [expensive] the tranny has to be.
Lux cars [BMW, MB, Audi use ZF; Lexus and Infiniti there own] the older 4 speeds run around $1500-$2500 [dealer cost for partially remanned units] 5 speed AT are 25% more plus the usual 5-8-10 hours to exchange so $3,000-$4,000 is a good range.
Why do you think 3 year old car are half new price and 100k cars may be only 25-12% of new somebody owes the car some money as 50%-75% of its life may be gone but you won't have to spend much more than $15,000 [for MB S500, BMW 540-740, Q45 older, Audi A8, etc.] to get another 100,000 miles out of it that's less than half what the previous owner expended in depreciation and maintenance.
Generally one should examine the ATF for discoloration [not sparkling shinny red as new] and take appropriate measures to make it looks and smells like new.
The change in color is the result of overheating and or failure of clutch material [the glue gets over heated and fails allowing material to be washed off the bands and clutches].
A few Premium transmissions have both a metal screen filter [to stop metal particles] and a paper cartridge filter to absorb clutch material these plus the magnet keep wear down but can do nothing to rehabilitate wornout overheated ATF.
Each of you will have to monitor your transmissions for the color change this will tell you when to change ATF....use a white paper towel to compare your color to new ATF! Simple.
http://www.goa-northcoastoil.com/tips/atfchnges.html
"According to the Automatic Transmission Rebuilders Association, 90% of ALL transmission failures are caused by overheating. And most of these can be blamed on worn out fluid that should have been replaced. "
I have a tranny repairman that runs a special several times a year where from $35 -- 50 dollars they will drain out the fluid, replace the filter and replace the transmission seal. It's cheap insurance.
But if I had extended drain oil, I would replace it at half of the recommended interval. Don't want another $2,000 repair again.
That means it will require removal of the tranny and opening the housing. Probably just a matter of replacing the roll pin after that, (make sure you find the old one and get it out), however it is a good day of work to remove and replace the tranny.
Some things I would suggest, I believe you said your truck has about 60,000 mi. If you are going to do all of this work anyway, I would replace the clutch as well. You can get away with just replacing the friction disc for less than $40, however if I was doing it I would replace the pressure plate and throw-out bearing as well. It will probably cost you about $150 in parts for the full clutch, however, it will only add about 20-30 minutes to the job you have to do, and will prevent the need for this job in the near future. Your clutch should last significant longer than 60,000 mi, but I have seen them wear out around this number in some vehicles, especially depending on driving habits. My sister owned a 76 Camaro that I had to replace the clutch in about every 30-40,000 mi.
Get a decent manual on your vehicle before you do the work, you can get them for about $12 from Auto Zone, and it will give you step by step instructions as well as pictures, and exploded views, for the whole proceedure.
An alternative if you are afraid to tear into your tranny is to remove it and take it to a trusted shop and tell them what is wrong, although this is still a job that you can probably do yourself.
Good luck, and let us know how it goes.
I have a tranny repairman that runs a special several times a year where from $35 -- 50 dollars they will drain out the fluid, replace the filter and replace the transmission seal. It's cheap insurance.
But if I had extended drain oil, I would replace it at half of the recommended interval. Don't want another $2,000 repair again.
Easy to see that a $120 total flush every year or two and an ocassional pan drop, clean, refilter [$150] is quite cost effective even if it only prolongs the life a single year. GOOD frequent maintenance can usually double the tranny life.
Easy for me since we get paid either way a little at a time or all at once.
Lately, when the engine is cold, the van seems feel like getting hit from behind whenever I release the brake from stop. It feels like someone is grabbing from behind. It usually disappers after car gets warmed up. Also, trying to accerelate back to say 45 mph, I can sense the lag or just spinning then grabs onto the gear.
Before I take it to a local tranny shop, I want to get some idea of what is going on. Also, can I damage the tranny if continue to drive without fixing the problem.
I checked the fluid level and had a flush job done at the Toyota dealer about 10k miles ago.
Thanks