What To Expect When Having A New Transmission Installed In Your Car Or Truck
Posted on: 22 June 2021
Replacing the transmission in your vehicle is not a typical repair, so you should take the car or truck to a transmission shop if you find yourself in the situation. Transmission work at this level takes some special equipment to do correctly, and while some general repair shops may have the tools, a transmission shop does this type of work every day.
Preparing The Vehicle
When the vehicle arrives in the shop, the old transmission must come out, but there are some things to consider before removing the transmission and associated parts. First, the fluid will need to be extracted and captured so the tech can recycle it later. Next, the cooling lines, the drive shaft on rear-wheel-drive cars, or the half shafts on front-wheel drives need to be removed and set aside.
Any wiring connected to the transmission needs to be disconnected, and if the car or truck still uses a cable-driven speedometer, the tech will need to remove it from the side of the transmission. Once all that is done, the transmission shift linkage or cable will be accessible on the left upper side of most automatic transmissions and must be disconnected.
The transmission often needs to be partially unbolted and allowed to drop down a bit to reach the transmission linkage and remove it. Once it is disconnected, the technician can remove the transmission from the vehicle.
Clean Up
While the transmission is out of the vehicle, it is a good idea to clean up any fluid or oil residue from the car's underside. This is also a good time to flush out the transmission cooling lines and coolant so old fluid is not going into the new transmission.
The tech will inspect the driveshaft U-joints or half shaft CV (constant velocity) joints to ensure they are in good condition and repair them if they are worn or damaged.
Installing The New Transmission
Installing the new or rebuilt transmission is the opposite of removal, but things must be done carefully to ensure everything is connected and aligned correctly. This process can take some time and should not be rushed. Once everything is reinstalled, the system will need to be filled with transmission oil.
Pressurizing the system with a special tool will force the oil through the transmission and fill the pump with fluid to ensure lubrication of all the moving parts when the vehicle is started the first time. After the oil is in the system and pressure is applied, the transmission tech will check it for leaks before delivering the car back to you with your new transmission installed.
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