I am the type of female who has never looked under the hood of a car. At the same time I am very economical and frugal. How does one PREVENT a Transmission from going out. I KNOW it costs a lot of money to rebuild or replace a transmission. I am in a manual transmission chevy cavalier coup at 94,000 miles. What can I do to prevent transmission failure besides make sure the fluid is refilled?Any ideas?
if its a standard shift transmission you really don't have to worry that much about the transmission going out,change the oil in it, it doesn't have a filter so there's no filter to change,if you keep the fluid changed in it like every 30-40 thousand miles ,the only thing you will have to worry about is the clutch going out and that cant be prevented,they will eventually go bad,but with a manual shift car,the transmissions hold up really well,those transmissions in the Chevy's hold up really well,good luck on it.
you must bleed the air out your brakes will be spongy and unsafe brake fluid is an alcahol (sp) based fluid.
Transmissions are usually the weakest link in all cars. They take all the torque. But to actually prevent a transmission from going out. With a manual, keep the fluid clean, and full. But you eventually are going to have a clutch problem. If you are shifting fine, no grinding of gears and not beating on it it will go for a while. Being a cavalier and a manual you shouldnt have to worry about the transmissiong something pretty expesive like a wheel bearing will probably go first.
When you let out on the clutch, the car shouldn't suddenly speed up or slow down. Shift smoothly. Match engine revs to speed as you go through the gears. Bad driving technique can wear out a clutch and transmission very quickly. When you get an oil change, have the transmission fluid checked. You have to unscrew a plug on the side of the transmission case to check the level on a manual transmission, so it's something you probably won't be doing yourself. Every 8 or 10 oil changes, get the transmission oil drained and refilled. Use a full synthetic oil product like Mobil 1. Some manual transmissions use engine oil, some might even use automatic transmission fluid- whatever it takes, use a full synthetic. Same for the engine. It's cheap insurance against problems later on. Pay attention to the ground under the car where you've parked. If you notice any drips, get them checked out right away. The one exception is water from the air conditioner drain- that's normal. Get familiar with everything under the hood. Know how to check all the fluids, where the fuses are, etc. Take a look occasionally to check the oil and look for leaks anywhere. Pay attention to the rubber parts- belts and hoses. Watch for cracks in the rubber indicating it's getting old and should be replaced. That covers WAY more than just transmissions, but you should get to know your car and how to take care of it.
