Winter is fast approaching. Make sure your car gets you through the challenging PA weather conditions by protecting your transmission. Understanding some basic mechanics will help you make good decisions when faced with a winter hazard.

1. Flooding

Water can damage your transmission quite a bit – even a small amount of water – and very quickly. The band and clutch linings actually absorb water, which then pushes the transmission fluid out and causes the metal backings to rust. Here’s what to do when faced with flooding:

  • Always avoid driving through deep puddles – and remember – it’s often hard to tell how deep a puddle is, so don’t risk it.
2. Heavy Snow

In this case, the snow itself is not actually the hazard – it’s what drivers do when they get stuck. Oftentimes, when we’re caught in an ice patch or snow drift, we’ll spin the wheels. The car’s computer sees the speedometer rise to 40 mph and above and engages the converter clutch (not aware that the car isn’t actually moving). Once the wheels gain traction, the speed will drop quickly, which can greatly damage the transmission. Here’s what to do when caught in the snow:

  • Rock the car back and forth – in other words – put your car into drive, hit the gas slowly, then put your car into reverse, hit the gas slowly and repeat
  • Get someone to help you push or pull your car out of the snow
3. Extreme Cold

We all want to climb into a toasty warm car in winter, but letting your car idle too long can put wear and tear on your transmission, and damage your catalytic converter. Many transmissions don’t create lube flow when the car is in park. So basically you have freezing cold internal transmission parts spinning with no lubrication. Here are some good habits to adopt in the cold weather:

  • Warm up the car no more than 30 seconds before you begin driving
  • Drive slowly for the first few miles, so your engine and transmission can reach normal operating temperatures

Want to make sure your car’s transmission is ready for winter? Contact Main Line Transmission and we can answer your specific questions.