Car Transmission

You have been looking for a nice car in your price range for a month and your heart starts to beat a little faster as you walk up to a shining used car that is in perfect condition! Or is it in perfect condition? Inspections are tricky and if you think intuition will guide you to a good car, you’re wrong.

First of all, there is no replacement for having a mechanic look at a car before you buy it. Make sure somebody has put the car up on a lift, checked out all the mechanicals, and given you a full report on the cars problems (or not). Mechanics will be able to find leaks, wear, and problems that aren’t visible to an untrained eye looking down at an engine with the hood up. Now that the mechanic has done his or her job, it’s time for you to do your own inspection and make the final decision. After all, it’s your own money. Bring a small magnet,a rag or box of tissues (to clean your hands), and a print out of this blog so that you won’t forget about the insider tricks that will help you make sure you’re getting a quality car!

A. Rust Rust is cancer so finding it is important.

TRICK 1: Magnets will not stick to car body fillers, so use your small magnet to check panels, wheel wells, fenders and door for rust and body damage.

B. Body TRICK 2: The factory alignment of exterior car panels is extremely precise. Look at the gaps between panels, doors, hood, and trunk. If the gaps are not even, this could be a sign of major damage.

C. Paint A new paint job is a sign of past distress for a car. TRICK 3: Open the hood and look for overspray in the engine compartment. Also, lift the molding edge on windshield at the paint line to check for repainting.

D. Tail Pipe TRICK 4: Check the deposits in the inside of the tail pipe with your finger. If it’s white or gray, everything should be okay. Black and sooty may mean a tune-up is needed. Black and gummy means something is wrong and the car is burning too much oil!

E. Oil TRICK 5: Oil that is murky brown, gray, or bubbly has water in it and is a sign of a cracked engine block. TRICK 6: Feel the oil with your fingers. Grit or gum means the oil hasn’t been changed often enough.

F. Doors TRICK 7: Open and close the doors without slamming them. If they hit and bounce or just don’t close easily, this could be a sign of major damage.

G. Trunk TRICK 8: Lift up the mat in the trunk and look for signs of rust while you are checking out the spare tire.

H. Hitch TRICK 9: Check for signs of a hitch being attached the car. Towing can be ruinous to an engine and transmission.

I. Tires

TRICK 10: Look at tires for even tread wear. Uneven tread wear could be a sign of major damage.

TRICK 11: Make sure all four tires are the same tire. If tires are rotated frequently, properly inflated, and there is no damage to the car, all four tires will always be replaced at the same time.

J. Shocks Check to see if any of the shocks are leaking.

TRICK 12: If you bounce the car five times, it should only bounce once after you stop.

K. Seats Sit in every seat and make sure they aren’t lumpy. Look for tears, damage, and that they don’t move when they are locked in position.

L. Floor Mats TRICK 13: Look under all the mats for signs of rust.

M. Pedals, Armrest

TRICK 14: Check to make sure the wear on the pedals and the driver’s side armrest look appropriate for the mileage on the car. N. Smell If the car is has a very strong deodorant, it may be covering up a musty smell that resulted from water damage, leaks, or something worse.

O. Instrument Panel Make sure everything works – radio, heater, AC, clock, horn, etc.

TRICK 15: When you turn the car on, make sure ALL the lights on the dashboard light up. Lights that don’t work could be burnt out (usually not easily replaceable) or could have been disconnected to hide a problem.

P. Lights Check to make sure all lights work (brake, turn, reverse, headlights, interior, etc)

TRICK 16: Make sure the signals self-cancel after turning. Q. Windows Check that all windows operate smoothly and don’t make any unexpected noises.

R. Glass Check for broken or cracked glass.

S. Transmission Fluid

TRICK 17: Low fluid means a leak, brown means no maintenance has been done on the transmission, a burnt smell means the transmission has a lot of wear, pieces of metal in the fluid means the gears are being ground off.

T. Engine Check for leaks.

TRICK 18: Steam cleaning and engine is a way to hide leaks. Make sure the car has been driven enough after the cleaning so that leaks can still be identified.

TRICK 19: Squeeze water hoses to make sure the soft and flexible as compared to hardened and cracked.

TRICK 20: Make sure there isn’t too much play in the fan blade which can mean the water pump drive shaft may fail soon.

U. Belts Check for frayed, cracked, and loose belts. V. Steering

TRICK 21: Look out the window at the wheel when you are turning the steering wheel. If it doesn’t turn in the first two inches of steering wheel movement, there may be major suspension problems. With a power steering car, turn and lock the wheel in both directions. There should be no screeches or bouncing.

W. Exhaust

TRICK 22: While you’re driving, check the exhaust. Blue smoke means excessive oil burning, black smoke means it may need a tune-up, white smoke on startup is just water in the exhaust line, and white smoke while driving means there is water in the cylinders.

X. Brakes

TRICK 23: Make sure there is at least two inches between the pedal and the floor when the brake is fully applied.

TRICK 24: Brake suddenly when driving and listen for screeches. A car that pulls or dips to one side means brake or potentially costly suspension problems.

Y. Leaks

TRICK 25: Drive the car through a car wash to check for water leaks.

Z. Underneath If you really want to picky, TELL the salesperson to put the car up on a lift for you to take a look. Look for engine leaks, transmission leaks, brake line leaks, shock absorber leaks, accident damage or repair, frame welds, and rust.

Make sure to check a car out in person, especially if you’re looking for online used cars. You may find cheap used cars, but they might not be quality.

Thanks to Massey for writing an excellent and well hidden article titled “Inspecting Your Purchase – Six Ways to Identify a Lemon” which has a lot of great information about inspecting cars. Also, if you think I have missed something in this list or want to discuss the inspection process then please leave a comment! Thanks! Also, be sure to check out Carsala for used cars prices

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By: Colby

So, OK, you paid your thousands for your vehicle. You feel great with it and also relax a bit and put some check up tasks for later.

Well, you better watch out!

Some of the most common mistakes car owners make at this point are to skip fluid checks and also the service their engines between longer periods of time.

You must always check at least the fluid levels on your car. If you don’t, you may miss a minor defect, for example, a coolant leakage.

If you don’t detect that leakage, then you will eventually run out of coolant in your vehicle, his leading to major damages to the engine and eventually diminishing your vehicle overall performance.

Protect your vehicle investment by checking your engine regularly.

In order to keep the engine in good condition this is what you must take into account:

- Engine lubrication: This can be achieved with oil servicing on time.

- Overheating prevention: Done with periodical coolant and radiator check ups

- Proper and properly scheduled engine maintenance and tune up

- Immediately eliminate any minor engine defects

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Checking the Engine Condition.

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Do you hear any noise when the engine is running?.

The engine should run evenly and you should not hear any strong noises, knocking, pinging, or whistling while the engine is idling or during acceleration.

When pressing the accelerator, the engine should accelerate quickly, with no delays or loud noises.

The idle should be stable during a stop. No smoke should come out from the tail pipe.

A good engine should be dry. The more leaks on an engine, the more damage your engine may have.

During routine engine maintenance and tune ups, cleanings, adjustments, and necessary replacements, check for the following:

- Fuel Filter: related to the loss of engine power when dirty.

- Air Filter: related to the loss of engine power, increased fuel consumption, and so on

- Spark Plugs: must be replaced to increase engine performance.

- Timing Belt, when it is damaged it can induce serious problems for the engine

- Coolant: must be replace to maintain the anti-corrosive properties.

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Check the Oil Pressure.

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Always check the oil pressure on a cold engine. Start the engine, and look at the low oil pressure warning lamp or oil pressure gauge on the instrument panel.

The time between the engine start and the time you note oil pressure at the instrument panel should be no more than one to two seconds. If this time is longer than two seconds, it means that either the oil filter is bad or the engine is too worn.

If the low oil pressure warning light goes on while engine is running or idle, there is definitely a problem with the engine. Stop your vehicle immediately if the oil pressure warning lamp goes on while driving to avoid further damage to the engine.

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Check the Engine Oil Level and Condition.

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This is very critical. Without oil a running engine will damage in a matter of seconds.

If the engine is leaking oil, try new gaskets or seals to fix the leak.

If the engine is burning oil, the valve guides and seals are most likely worn out, but the rings and cylinders could require replacement, too.

Check the engine oil on the dipstick periodically, especially if your car isn’t brand new.

Change to oil and oil filter every 3,000 miles. Immediately after performing an oil and filter change, check for oil leaks to be sure that the oil filter has been installed properly.

During oil level check up the oil should normally reach the “FULL” mark on the dipstick.

Do not add oil unless level is below the “ADD” or the “LOW” marks on the dipstick.

Never add oil to reach above the “FULL” mark, to avoid damaging of the spark plugs.

When you regularly check your oil, you will become familiar with the rate of oil consumption of your car and you’ll know when the consumption is rapidly increasing.

Also check for the oil condition. Here’s how:

The oil should look clean and translucent. If the oil is slightly-brown, it can be fine too.

However, if it’s dark-brown, but still transparent, although still admissible, it would be better to change it. If it’s too black, it’s time to change it.

If the engine oil on the dipstick is color “latté” or if it is foamy, then the engine coolant is mixing with the engine oil, i.e. an evidence of an internal engine defect (such as a blown head gasket or cracked block).

Also, the oil should never have a gasoline smell. It means there is some fuel leaking and this can be dangerous.

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Check the Coolant Level and Leaks.

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Check the coolant (antifreeze) level and investigate the system for leaks periodically.

NEVER open the radiator of a car that has just been running. Wait at least 15-20 minutes after the engine has been turned off for the engine temperature to drop before adding any fluid into the system. The cooling system of a car is under high pressure and the fluid is usually hotter than boiling water. 

Begin your check of the cooling system by viewing the front side of the radiator and the space between the engine radiator and air conditioner radiator; it should not be clogged with debris, such as leaves or heavy pollen. One of the most common reasons for overheating is debris buildup in this area.

Be sure that electric fan operates, and water pump drive belt has proper tension. The water pump should not have coolant seepage.

Check the radiator for any trace of damage and all water hoses for leaks. If you find any coolant leak, try to stop it up as soon as possible to avoid engine overheating and have a mechanic inspect the damaged area immediately.

Next, look for the cooling system expansion tank; it is usually translucent white so you can see the fluid level without opening it.

The expansion tank has two level marks on the side of it: “FULL” and “LOW”. Check the coolant level in the expansion tank. The coolant level should be between “LOW” and “FULL” marks in the coolant expansion tank. If it’s lower, you should add it, because a low coolant level may cause the engine to overheat and therefore result in engine damage.

When engine temperature is reduced (in 15-20 minutes after the engine has been turned off) , simply add a coolant into the expansion tank till its level be at “FULL” mark.

If the level frequently falls below “LOW” after adding fluid, you probably have a leak and must have it checked as soon as possible. If there is no coolant in the expansion tank at all, you should add the coolant directly into the radiator.

If the coolant color brown or rust-colored, the car may need a radiator flush. The coolant should not have any engine oil in it. If you see oil in the radiator or expansion tank, it may be evidence of an internal engine defect, such as a blown head gasket.

Antifreeze is toxic, so be sure to capture and recycle the drained fluid. Keep it off your skin and away from your eyes. It can also damage painted surfaces, so avoid spilling it on your car.

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Automatic Transmission Fluid Check up.

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Automatic transmission is a very complicated device and its repair is costly. Most automatic transmissions must be checked with the engine running and warmed up. Also, make sure the car is on a level surface and fully warmed up.

If you not sure how to check the automatic transmission fluid, here is a step-by-step explanation:

Begin by letting the engine idle with the parking brake engaged and your foot on the brake.

Move the gear selector through each gear. This ensures that the fluid is circulating through the pumps, thereby providing you with an accurate reading.

Once you have done this, put the vehicle in park, but leave the brake engaged and the engine running.

The transmission dipstick is located near the rear of the engine. Pull the transmission dipstick out, wipe it clean with a rag, and note the markings on the end of the stick. The usual markings are “FULL” and “ADD 1 PINT”. Inset the dipstick fully and remove it again to take a reading.

If the engine is cool, it should be at the upper end of the “COLD” mark.

If the engine is hot, the level should be at the upper end of the “HOT” mark.

When the transmission is warm, the level should be in the safe zone between the hash marks. If it’s lower, you should add some amount of automatic transmission fluid.

Check the fluid condition also: If it’s too black and has a burnt smell – your transmission is going to break!

Normally it should be clean and transparent. Its color may be different, from red to brown. Wipe the dipstick with clean white paper and look at the paper. Normally there should be no black deposits, no metal particles, no dirt left on the paper.

How to add the transmission fluid:

Never add fluid unless it is below the “ADD” mark and never bring it above the “FULL” mark. Make sure you check the transmission fluid type in the owners manual and use the correct transmission fluid for your vehicle. Do not substitute anything else. For example some Chrysler transmissions need only Chrysler specific type of fluid and usual fluid like Dexron II can destroy the transmission.

Add a little amount of the fluid at a time. You will need a special funnel to get the fluid into the small tube that the dipstick came out of.

Wait for a couple of minutes for the fluid to flow down. Start the engine and check the level again before adding more fluids.




By: JDM Engine Inc.