The color of transmission oil. Owning a car is no longer a strange thing, as cars have become a common and routine thing for everyone. They are the most common means of transportation and the most used in most parts of the world. With this great reliance on cars, maintenance operations and car parts replacement have increased. Since cars have numerous components and many people do not have adequate information about car mechanics and the technologies in them, people's questions and searches for car parts, the fluids in them, and the indicators that signify damage to these parts have increased. Given the transmission oil is one of the extremely important fluids in the car, many people are looking for the color of the automatic transmission oil, and what the color changes indicate. In this article, we will provide a comprehensive answer to what these people are looking for.
What is transmission oil?
All drivers must understand the importance of transmission oil, and never neglect it, because its damage would cause them numerous problems they can do without. In particular, it plays a critical role in the gear shifting process, it is crucial to the car operation. It helps to soften the metal parts inside the transmission, and protects them from wear and tear. It also contributes to cooling the transmission parts by absorbing high temperatures. As for its components, transmission oil contains a large proportion of petroleum oil, whether natural or synthetic, exceeding 75%. The remaining proportion consists of other materials that help extend the life of the oil, and increase its efficiency.
The transmission oil is affected by the temperature.
Most gearbox oil damage cases are caused by excessive heat, as the ideal temperature for gearbox oil is usually less than 100 degrees Celsius and may vary from one car to another, depending on the type of car. The gearbox may heat up when stop-and-go operations occur frequently, and also when driving on rough roads, like mountainous terrains, or when driving for long periods, where the temperature in some of these cases may rise to more than 120 degrees Celsius. This could reduce the gearbox's lifespan if appropriate measures are not taken, such as adding an extra oil cooler, for instance, which will help you lower the temperature, maintain the gearbox's safety, and ensure its use for a longer period.
Also, read:Timing Belt: 3 Signs Indicating Damage
How to check the color of automatic transmission oil
The process of regularly checking the gearbox oil is extremely necessary, as the color of the gearbox oil can be used as an important indicator of its condition, and to know whether you need to change it or not. Over time, heavy use will cause it to deteriorate and change color. It is enough to check the color and quantity of the gearbox oil once a month, especially since this process is not difficult and takes only about 10 minutes. The following are the steps you need to follow in order to check the automatic transmission oil:
Before starting any step, you should know that to check the gearbox oil, it needs to be hot. To ensure it heats up, you should drive the car for 15 minutes.
After that, park the car in a place where the ground is level, put the gear stick in the N position, then fully apply the parking brakes.
Press the brake pedal, then move the gear shift stick between all P, R, N, and D positions for a few seconds.
Open the car hood in order to pull out the dipstick and place a few drops of the transmission oil on a clean white paper. This helps to see the color more clearly.
What is the color of the transmission oil? And what does it signify?
Now, after seeing how to check the color of the transmission oil, we will provide you with the top 7 colors of transmission oil, along with the significance of each color below:
The color red
If the transmission oil is red, this indicates that it is in good condition, and there is no need to change it.
Pink color
In reality, this color is never a good sign, as it indicates that there has been a mixing between the transmission fluid and the coolant through the transmission oil cooler. You need to quickly resolve this issue, as neglecting it could result in transmission damage.
Dark Red Color
This dark color indicates that the transmission oil is still generally good, but it would be best to replace it.
Dark Brown Color
This color serves as a warning sign of potential serious problems if you do not change the transmission oil, because the current oil you have has become old and contaminated, it will start to burn and cause problems in the transmission.
The black color
It is one of the most dangerous colors, indicating that you've entered a critical phase, because the oil has become old and burnt. Sometimes, this could lead to transmission damage. In this case, it is advised to gradually change the oil.
The color green
This color appears in cars that have a CVT automatic transmission. The color of the transmission oil in this case indicates that it is still new, and does not need to be replaced.
Dark Green Color
This color indicates that the CVT gearbox oil is still good, but it is recommended to change it.
Comments