Seven Transmission Maintenance Tips to Keep You on the Trail

1. Check your fluid levels. Common sense right? Not always. In fact, you’d be surprised how many Jeep owners not only don’t check their transmission fluid regularly…they NEVER check it. Obviously, if you run out of fluid bad things will happen, so check your fluid levels at least once a month.
2. Change your fluid. Changing your transmission fluid at Jeep’s recommended intervals will improve your performance and extend transmission life as well.
3. Shifting. On automatic transmissions, don’t shift from reverse to park until the Jeep is at a complete stop. Also, when parking on a hill, apply the parking brake, then shift the transmission into park. This will take pressure off the transmission.
4. Use a magnetic transmission drain plug. The drain plug will catch metal shavings from transmission parts and make it easy to detect damage when you’re changing the transmission fluid.
5. Inspect your drivelines. What does this have to do with maintaining your transmission? Driveline vibration causes additional stress and wear to the output shaft resulting in seal failure. So each time you change your transmission fluid, inspect your drivelines and U-joints for wear.
6. Change the transmission filter. It is essential to change the transmission filter EVERY time you change the transmission fluid. Not changing the transmission filter with the fluid can actually cause damage to your transmission.
7. Install and aftermarket transmission cooler. An external transmission cooler can lower transmission temps in high stress vehicle applications (like wheeling in a Jeep). Lower temps equal better performance and longer transmission life.