How to keep an auto transmission running forever

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yummy88

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I have a 97 Toyota Avalon with 150K miles. Car is a daily driver with 70/30 city/hwy and does about 40 miles a day.

I am looking for real world tips to make the transmission last a long time. By real world I mean maybe - "when you want to drive the car hard, drive gently for the first 10 minutes to warm up ATF and when you push it try and restrict engine RPM to under 5K.

Top 10 tips
1) Use Synthetic ATF (Mobil 1?)
2) Do drain and refill every 5K miles
3) Warm up transmission before pushing it
4) Turn off OD in city driving (????)
5)
 
drain and refill every 5k? that would be a major waste

use syn, trans cooler, don't WOT unless you absolutely have to, change syn oil every 3 yrs/30k miles. I pull through on parking spots, so I don't have to put the trans in reverse if I don't have to. sounds neurotic, but hey, in my office parking lot, that's 240 less reverse shifts a year. lol
 
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1. come to a complete stop before switching between R and D and vice-versa, this one drives me nuts.

2. when going up a hill don't nail it, think of when you are driving a stick shift and how hard it must be when you downshift on an incline

3. drop the pan and clean it up and replace the filter every 30-50K get some really good ATF
 
The major factor that kills Transmissions is heat and abuse... Change the fluid with a quality synthetic ATF like Amsoil or Mobil-1 using the severe service guidelines in your owners manual and all should be well. You could go one step further and install an external cooler but most transmissions don't need it. I have always driven my vehicles to the scrap yard with 300,000 - 400,000KM with the original transmission.
grin2.gif
 
I have the same car with 178k--never any trans issues.

I ran Napa transmission fluid in it for the first 145k miles and changed every 30k miles.

I changed to a synthetic fluid for the diff and trans and installed a magnefine inline filter. I think I may up my intervals to 40k miles on changes.

I have never warmed up the transmission and have never paid attention to the engine RPM...

Lots of hills here--never any problems
thumbsup2.gif
 
With bands and friction discs within the design, A/T transmissions are not designed to last indefinitely as the friction materials wear (just like your clutch/brake pad).

While changing fluids help, ultimately, when the transmission starting to slip, you know that it's due for.

CVT is a different beast, however...

Q.
 
Bypass filtration. Everything else being equal this level of filtration should give your automatic the longest life. A Magnefine is nowehere near the level of a good bypass element. I have one on my Camry which is driven hard here in phoenix and the Redline D4 looks as clean as it did when I poured it out of the bottle.

There are many articles in industry highlighting the importance of bypass filtration in heavy duty transmissions.
 
I have the same car as you, with a rebuilt transmission, mine lasted 116k miles. The fact that I enjoy frequent trips to the redline may have had something to do with it. On mine supposedly the clutch sprag broke from what the tech said. I did regular fluid changes, but the fluid was always back for some reason. However, I did beat the [censored] out of it, so it's probably best to baby your transmission. DO as I say not as I DO : ).
 
Yeah when it comes to abuse, you can pretty much cover all of your bases with an automatic and still pay in the end when a hard part goes south! You really just speed up the process which probably was going to happen sooner or later. I have done this to many a GM sun gear back in the day. All the redline ATF and filters in the world aren't going to keep weak metal from disintegrating into a million little pieces.

Although in a normally operated car/truck a bypass filter is the best answer for extended transmission life. The need for constant OCI's is also reduced substantially. If you plan to keep the vehicle it is more than worth it and can be done for around $70.
 
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I would add a temp gauge and add an additional cooler only if there is a demonstrated need. IMO, the ideal temp is around 160-180 degrees (up to 200 for short spurts), as measured in the pan. Hot enough to bake out moisture. That temp factors in the short term temp spikes that will occur in the converter, which could be 20-50 degrees higher (depending on load). I guess the pan vs converter temp issue could be somewhat variable according to the trans but based on some tests I did with temp sensors in various spots on a coupla different transmissions, those are my "generic" numbers. The trans pan is where the oil "dwells" the longest, and is where the pump picks up fluid. It's an "average" temp and I believe the temp at which the fluid spends MOST of it's time will tell the oxidation tale more than just measuring a short term spike, as it would be off the converter.

Also, if you add a cooler, or too large a cooler, without a demonstrated need, overcooling is a possibility if you live in a cold climate and/or do lots of short hops. That scenario never gets the oil hot enough to bake out condensation. If you live in a warm or hot climate, overcooling is pretty much a moot point.

One way to judge how often to change fluid (a big factor in longevity) is by getting an idea of cycles... e.g. shifts. If you drive in the city and the trans shifts a lot, you will burn and shear the fluid much faster than if you are mostly on the highway in one gear. A city driven, short hopper might need a 15K interval for an optimum OCI. A highway car could could go out to 60K, or even close to the proverbial "lifetime fill."

Gong back to the temp gauge, I think it's a starting point for everything. If nothing else, it will tell you when you need to "backoff Jack."

I think a good filter (a cooler line filter if nothing else) could also be a key to long life.
 
Originally Posted By: Cutehumor
drain and refill every 5k? that would be a major waste

use syn, trans cooler, don't WOT unless you absolutely have to, change syn oil every 3 yrs/30k miles. I pull through on parking spots, so I don't have to put the trans in reverse if I don't have to. sounds neurotic, but hey, in my office parking lot, that's 240 less reverse shifts a year. lol


My driving parking habits are similar to yours. I also make sure the car is fully stopped before shifting from D to R or vice versa. I like to pause for a second or two in N before entering D or R as well. I have a buddy that just tosses his cars from D to R while they're still moving it drives me nuts, its not a boat, the brakes we designed to stop the vehicle.

I drive slowly for the first 5 minutes, which is about how long to get to the highway around here. When I enter the highway I gradually accelerate to cruising speed not forcing downshifts.

I drain the pan and replace the filter about every 25,000 miles and do a quick 4 qt line flush once a year. That has been working out to about every 12,000 +/- miles. This vehicle sees a lot of stop and go as well as mixed city highway driving. So far so good.
 
An additional trans oil cooler . In Cal, you should have no problems year round.
Change/flush the fluid every two years.

If you get 200,000 miles, you are doing pretty well. You can of course get more.
 
Originally Posted By: AzFireGuy79
Bypass filtration. Everything else being equal this level of filtration should give your automatic the longest life. A Magnefine is nowehere near the level of a good bypass element. I have one on my Camry which is driven hard here in phoenix and the Redline D4 looks as clean as it did when I poured it out of the bottle.

There are many articles in industry highlighting the importance of bypass filtration in heavy duty transmissions.



Meh. Bypass is overkill. I run a Magnefine changed at 30k and my ATF is as clean as the day it was installed too. FWD car transaxles are hardly in "heavy duty" service like refuse collection, delivery truck routes, or max. GVWR towing like a diesel pick-up truck or RV.

Once a AT is broken in, there really should'nt be all that much wear material thrown off, and the small Magnefine is up to the task.

IMHO, change the fluid occasionally, especially for frequent urban stop n' go operation. Don't abuse the transmission and it should last the life of the car, barring poor design like the Honda 5 speed ATX or any Chrysler transmission.
 
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Get a cooler. The factory cooler in my truck keeps the transmission fluid at around 153*F to 161*F when warmed up regardless of how I drive the truck. Seems like a pretty low temp to me, and certainly within what the synthetic fluid can handle.

My Explorer still shifted perfectly at 158K when I sold it. It only had the engine radiator as a cooler, and it was used to tow a boat on top of that. Regular flushes kept it happy.
 
I had a trans temp guage put in after the OCI came due. I had a factory cooler that got around 200f in the summer with the A/C on. I replaced it with a bigger cooler with a thermostatically controlled electric fan. I was adjusting it last year up above 143f but it never came back on. It keeps at 85-90f this winter so far. I should have put in a remote filter at the same time but will next spring when it warms up. I expect 300k miles out of the engine and also the trans.
 
I realize bypass is way overkill, but not if you want your transmission to last a long long time. A magnefine filters most of the damaging debris, but what it misses is where the Bypass really shines. Your fluid might look clean but I am willing to bet your wear metals are much higher. Hey to each his own. Do what works. Bypass filtration is not for everyone but there is no argueing that a its better than a magnefine in extending a transmissions longevity.
 
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