Four Driving Habits That Damage Automatic Transmissions
Your driving habits do not just affect your fuel economy and tires; they also affect your automatic transmission system. For example, the following four driving habits can cause great damage to the transmission:
Continuous Drag Racing
Drag racing involves accelerating in a straight line to see how fast you can reach a target. Doing this one time, for example from one stoplight to another, may not cause you much damage. However, your torque converter (that transfers rotating power from the engine to the driving load) may heat up if you engage in one drag race after another. This may heat up and damage other components of the transmission, such as the solenoid (this is the electrical component that controls the flow of transmission fluid). If you want constant drag racing, then get a high-performance torque converter specifically meant for that purpose.
Engaging In Forced Downshifts
A forced downshift is a driving style in which you depress the accelerator pedal fully so that you can accelerate rapidly. This is what you may do, for example, if you wish to accelerate fast when the traffic light changes. When you depress the accelerator pedal fully, then transmission engages a lower gear to give your car the extra boost it requires to move faster. All this happens in a very short time, and it places excessive strain and wear on your transmission components.
Reversing Gear Direction before a Complete Stop
You should only put your transmission into park or reverse direction once it comes to a complete stop. Shifting into park while the car is still moving, even at extremely low speeds, puts considerable strain on your parking pawl. This is the part of your transmission system that locks up the transmission. This can bend or break your parking pawl, which may make your car roll away when parked. On top of that, reversing transmission when the car is moving can easily damage the clutches or bands and make them slip.
Trying To Free a Stuck Car by Rocking It
If your car gets stuck, for example in sand or snow, then you may be tempted to free it by rocking it. This involves shifting from reverse to drive, and vice versa, repeatedly. Unfortunately, this is a sure way to overheat your transmission. If you can't dig your car out of the snow, then call for a tow truck.
If you ever do any of these things, then know that your transmission probably suffered, even if you haven't noticed the symptoms. It's advisable to have the transmission serviced to preempt any problem. Contact a company like Shiftright Transmissions for more information.
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