Thursday, September 12, 2013

Transmission Fluid

Your transmission fluid is one of those items that you're aware of, but might not ever really give a second thought to, other than it gets flushed when you come into Parks Mazda for a fluid flush.

Transmission fluid itself is usually red in color and has a very sweet smell, perhaps sweeter than that of coolant, which is a green or yellow color.  It's important to know what transmission fluid looks like going into your transmission so that you can know what it should like like when you check it.

So, how do you check it?  There is a transmission fluid dipstick located in your engine bay.  For rear wheel drive vehicles, it's located in the back of the bay, usually pressed against a valve cover.  On front wheel drive cars, the transaxle fluid dipstick is located in the front of the engine bay, very close to the radiator. 

Once you've located the dipstick, pull it out (be sure to have your engine running in Park or Neutral), and dab a finger on the stick and fluid to inspect it.  The transmission fluid should be red (or pinkish) and clear; if it looks dirty, has particles in it, or smells somewhat burnt, it's time to flush the fluid and change it.

Want to know more?  Comment with any questions!

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