Manual transmission is the epitome of real driving experience. As they say, you really can’t enjoy cars without learning how to drive a stick!
Yes, stick shift as they call it, is an old transmission type that is slowly getting forgotten these days. More and more car manufacturers are now producing automatic transmission over manual tranny, and there are good reasons why – comfort, convenience, ease of use and many others.
So if your car still uses manual transmission, take good care of it as it is unlikely going to be available in the future.
With that in mind, here are 5 sure ways on how to maintain your manual transmission.
Flush Your Manual Transmission in a Regular Basis
Just like in automatic transmission maintenance, manual transmissions also need to be lubricated to keep its components working perfectly. So you need to regularly check and flush your transmission’s fluid.
You have to check your owner’s manual and see what type of fluid fits your tranny, the amount of fluid you need and the mileage required for each flushes.
Generally, most manufacturers recommend you to flush your old manual transmission fluid every 80,000 miles. If your car has low mileage, then you can change fluid every 3 years.
And like other components in your car, transmission’s serviceable life depends on the vehicle operating temperature and how hard you drive.
Install a Manual Transmission Cooler
If you think that manual trannies don’t need cooling, you are wrong. Manual transmission fluid also heats up especially if abused by its owners. This leads to wear and tear of its components leading to its early retirement.
So yeah, transmission coolers aren’t just for automatic trannies but also ideal for manual transmissions too.
This is important especially if you use your truck or car for towing, racing and many other motoring activities that requires your car to work for long period of hours.
The downside is that, not all car models have their own compatible transmission coolers. Unlike automatic transmissions that can be fitted by just any aftermarket transmission coolers out there. For manual trannies, that’s not the case.
A good example of manual transmission cooling products out there are from DriftMotion.com, which offer transmission coolers for Toyota Supra and other Toyota brands.
If your car is GM or Dodge, then you can use this particular brand that I found in Amazon.
Keep Your Engine’s Cooling System in Check
You might ask, we are talking about transmissions here, why do I need to check my engine’s temperature too?
Well, an overheating engine can greatly affect the transmission fluid’s temperature and will likely to overheat as well.
And if that happens, a costly transmission repair is needed to fix all components that have been damaged. And you don’t want that! So ensure that your engine’s cooling system is always in optimal condition.
Clutch Maintenance is Also a Must
A clutch is an integral part of manual transmission system that is initiated by depressing the clutch pedal, which enables the tranny to shift gears. Depressing the pedal engages and disengages the clutch.
With that said, a bad clutch can spell disaster to your manual transmission and even to your car as a whole as you can’t drive it with a malfunctioning clutch.
There are simple preventive ways that you can do to help prolong the life of your clutch. This include:
- Do not ride your clutch
- Only step on the clutch when you need to
- Do not rest your foot on the clutch
- Never downshift each time you need to slow down
- When parked, don’t leave the stick in gear but instead use your parking brake
- Flush your clutch fluid (brake fluid)
Have a Professional Inspect Your Manual Transmission Regularly
Now that you know the secret on how to keep your manual transmission in tip top shape, you probably thinking that you don’t need a mechanic to check it out for you.
You’re wrong!
Having a certified transmission expert mechanic conduct a diagnostic check of your transmission can further give you peace of mind. They know how to spot leaks, gives recommendation if they see any errors in the computer and many others. So their professional services are still very important.
So there you have it! These are just some sure ways on how you can take good care of your manual transmission so it would last a life time! Do you want to add something on this list? Comment down below!
