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Is Transmission Maintenance Important?

Yes! We know about transmission maintenance for Chrysler Plymouth Dodge Jeep and other automobiles and today’s vehicles (1990 and newer) have achieved a level of electronics that only Buck Rogers’ fans could dream of 20 years ago. For years, everyone asked for (demanded) that their automatic transmission operate smoothly, efficiently and quietly. With each generation of automatic transmission, regardless of manufacturer, this has been a goal that slowly was being met.

A New Generation of Electronics

When electronically controlled transmissions were being introduced, the electronics available gave engineers the flexibility and means to meet these demands. Shift patterns could be controlled so smoothly most, if not all, harshness was removed. Adaptive memory (of the transmission computer) provided a means to constantly account for (and adjust for) wear and tear within the transmission. This, theoretically, meant that most transmissions did not need service (fluid & filter changes, with any adjustments possible) during normal usage for the basic lifetime of the vehicle. This turned out to be a very serious misconception as many transmissions failed, especially minivans.

Causes of Premature Transmission Failure

One of the major components of any automatic transmission is the torque converter (a torque multiplying, fluid coupling, equipped with a lockup clutch). This torque converter allows slippage during acceleration, coasting and stopping, but can be locked up for cruising. During the times of slippage (and torque multiplication) heat energy is released into the fluid and carried out of the transmission to the cooler where it is supposed to be dissipated.

Unfortunately, because they are smooth shifting (smoothness means slippage), fluid deterioration and oxidation (called varnish or sludge) is very common due to excessive and constant heat buildup.

Also, during the “smooth shifting” process, small, minute amounts of clutch material are shed and carried away to the filter. There are up to 5 clutch packs with a total of 19 clutches inside a modern electronic overdrive transmission which translates to a lot of worn material being sent to the filter.

Do I Need My Transmission Serviced and If So When?

Yes! Fluid deterioration, oxidation and worn material clogging the filter are the main reasons for having your transmission serviced and on a regular basis. Many major transmission failures are caused by a lack of preventive maintenance!

When should you have your transmission serviced? The problem here is trying to understand your owners’ manual and it’s sometimes confusing Maintenance Schedules “A” and “B”. Supposedly, Schedule “A” is normal driving for the average vehicle owner and only those that carried heavy loads, towed monster trailers and generally performed off paved road duties were considered severe enough to be classed into the “B” Schedule (Schedule B has a more frequent service interval than “normal“ driving).

If you read the fine print, such as …”Frequent short trips of less than 5 miles…”, …”Extensive idling”… (such as heavy traffic jams, rush hour, etc), …”50% of your driving at high speeds is during hot weather”…(I-465 here in Indianapolis), and…”Operating in dusty conditions”…(Brown County, Indiana), you can see where actually driving under normal conditions is something that the average driver can’t or doesn’t do – almost everyone falls within the “Schedule B” listing in their owners’ manual. For the Minivan owner, this means a trans service every 15,000 miles!

What Will Happen If I Don’t Service My Transmission?

Maybe nothing – if you are lucky! Do you want to chance it? As of 2002, a rebuild of a Chrysler Minivan automatic overdrive 4 speed transmission is over $1,500.00. With an average cost of $120.00 per service, you would have to keep your vehicle long enough to drive over 187,000 miles before your preventive maintenance expense exceeded the cost of a rebuilt or replacement transmission. There is, of course, no guarantee that you won’t have a transmission failure during the time that you own your vehicle – something could just break. On the other hand, the chances of a failure due to deteriorated fluid and clogged filters are greatly reduced.

At Hill’s Garage, we’ve taken a step forward to encourage you (or maybe entice you?) to perform preventive maintenance on your transmission. We’ve lowered our every day pricing.

Regular Pricing at Hills

1990 – 1999 Acclaim, Daytona, LeBaron, Neon, Shadow, Spirit, Sundance, passenger car with a 3 speed front wheel drive automatic transmission – fluid and filter change, with band and linkage adjustment and reseal of pan is only $76.95*

1990 – 1999 Caravan, Voyager Minivan with a 3 speed front wheel drive automatic transmission – fluid and filter change, with band and linkage adjustment and reseal of pan is only $76.95*

1990 – 1999 Caravan, Voyager and Town & Country Minivan with a domestic 4 speed front wheel drive automatic overdrive transmission – fluid and filter change, linkage adjustment, ShudderGuard*** and a re-useable pan gasket** is only $113.49*

1993 – 1997 Concorde, Intrepid, LHS, New Yorker, Vision, passenger car with a 4 speed front wheel drive automatic transmission – fluid and filter change, linkage adjustment, ShudderGuard*** and reseal of pan is only $90.95*

1990 – 1995 Cherokee, Grand Cherokee, Ram Truck, Ram Van with a domestic 4 speed automatic overdrive transmission 4x2 & 4x4 – fluid and filter change, band and linkage adjustment, ShudderGuard*** and a re-useable pan gasket** is only $91.89*

1996 – 1999 Cherokee, Grand Cherokee (96-98), Ram Truck, Ram Van with a domestic 4 speed automatic overdrive transmission 4x2 & 4x4 – fluid and filter change, band and linkage adjustment, ShudderGuard*** and a re-useable pan gasket **is only $101.95*

1990 – 1999 Cherokee, Grand Cherokee, Wrangler with an import 4 speed automatic overdrive transmission – fluid drain and refill only with ShudderGuard*** is only $49.89*

1990 – 1995 Cherokee, Wrangler with a domestic 3 speed automatic transmission – fluid and filter change, band and linkage adjustment, ShudderGuard*** is only $79.93*

*All prices are plus tax and are subject to change without notice. Transmissions that are not listed above may have similar special pricing – request estimate before having work performed. Does not include any additional repairs, service or modifications. Not subject to AAA , Club Card Holders or Senior Citizen’s Discount programs.

**Transmissions that are marked with ** have had a new special re-useable pan gasket designed that solves leakage problems and makes future servicing quicker, easier and cheaper. Ask for it and don’t let anyone throw it away!

***ShudderGuard is a registered trademark of Wynn Oil Company. This miracle product eliminates shudder in torque converters, ensures proper frictional characteristics and provides excellent thermal stability. Click on www.wynnsusa.com for more info.