Manual transmissions are valued for their durability, involvement in the driving process and a clear understanding of how the power of a car is delivered. But in order for your manual transmission to perform optimally, you have to make it a point that the parts of the transmission are well taken care of. Maintenance will help avoid stray costs for gearbox repair as well as help prolong its service duration. As promised in the previous article, in this one we will describe maintenance advice to maintain your manual transmission parts.
- Frequently Check the Transmission Fluid
Transmission fluid is the blood of your gearbox because it is responsible for the lubrication of all the parts within the manual transmission thus allowing their operation with the least amount of effort and how long they’ll last. The fluid used for transmission loses efficiency after some time, gets filled with debris, and therefore is no longer useful. This could in turn cause abrasion, friction and heat between the many parts of the transmission system thereby damaging them.
To ensure that your manual transmission system serves you for a long time it is important that you conduct regular checkups on the transmission fluid and its quality. If the fluid is murky or the color of the burners suggests the element is burnt it is high time for a change. Your owner’s manual holds the exact time period for changing the transmission fluid but it usually takes 30,000 to 60,000 miles. This way the gears, bearings, and other moving parts will always be well lubed thus in good shape for the next tele-operation session.
- Check and Replace Parts of Clutch that Show Signs of Wear
The clutch is very important in manual transmission cars since it enables you to connect/disconnect the engine and gearbox. Under normal circumstances, the clutch disc, pressure plate together with the release bearing loses efficiency due to wear out. Some of the signalling that show that you need a clutch service includes, clutch failure to shift gears, feeling of the clutch pedal is spongy or clutch slips when you accelerate.
Clutch components have to be inspected at least, though their service indicates that the necessary probing should be conducted more often. In case, there are any signs of wear then such parts must be replaced as quickly as possible. failure to do so may cause additional problems on other parts of the manual transmission such as the flywheel or the input shaft. Because of this, a good and properly maintained Clutch will give smooth shifts as well as more durability on the Transmission.
- Check and Addendum All Links
A gear linkage system is devised for translating the operation of the gear lever to the transmission mechanisms. Unfortunately, over time these aspects can go a little off kilter – a little loose, or misaligned, or perhaps slightly worn – and this can manifest in the form of problems with changing gears or even complete overlooking of gear changes. It is a routine procedure in manual transmission maintenance, to check on the gear linkages often and align them, if necessary.
In case you find that it is hard to shift between the gears or that the gear lever is rigid or sloppy, then it is probably time to change the linkages. At times, however, just the linkage connections on both ends must be tightened so as to regain the smooth shifting of gears. Nevertheless, if used linkages are worn beyond extent, then they may require replacement to achieve the desired accurate meshing of gears.
- Replace Worn Synchronizers
Synchronizers are wearing Tome parts of manual transmission that enable gears to mesh in a non-frictional manner. In the long run, the synchronizers may wear out, and this make the gear shift to become indistinct or even noisy, more so when performing the change at high speed. Grinding which is usually heard when shifting is yet another indication that the synchronizer may require replacement.
Synchronizers need to be replaced if they wear out and it it is relatively arduous undertaking to change them due to the fact that the entire transmission system needs to be disassembled. But if this problem is noticed early enough, then further damage is done to the gearbox can be prevented and your manual transmission will work like a charm.
- One should also beware of the Transmission Mounts.
Transmission mounts help to properly secure the gearbox to the body of the car as well as to help to minimise vibration. Eventually these mounts wear out or grow weak or shift the transmission elements of the gearbox and cause a lot of vibrations, noise and worn-out pulleys.
Checking on the transmission mounts a regular basis for signs that would indicate wear or damage will go a long way in sustaining the health of a manual transmission. When the vibrations or movement in the transmission becomes more pronounced it will be necessary to replace the mounts to avoid premature failure of the gearbox and other parts of the manual transmission system.
Conclusion
This means, caring for your manual transmission parts is important if you want your gearbox to run smoothly as well as efficiently. This you can achieve through frequent checking and change of the fluid, inspection and change of worn clutch components, adjustment of the gear linkages, change of worn synchronizers and checking and monitoring of the transmission mounts to help you enjoy your manual transmission car and also have a long-lasting one. Some time that you spend taking care of your car now will help you avoid taking your vehicle for rebuilding in future and help maintain your manual transmission unit longer.