The Ultimate Guide: Important Facts about Automatic Transmission Fluid

If you have a car with an automatic transmission, using the right automatic transmission fluid is highly important for its functionality.

However, most of you will be unfamiliar with automatic transmission fluids in terms of its functions, properties, mileage, and other important facts about automatic transmission fluids. 

So, to help you pick the right automatic transmission fluid and get the most out of it, we are here with a complete guide on facts about automatic transmission fluid. By going through this guide, you can get the most out of your automatic transmission by using the correct automatic transmission fluid.

Facts about Automatic Transmission Fluid

There is a pretty big chance that you might not have any idea about automatic transmission fluids in the first place. Therefore, it is highly important to know the type of facts about automatic transmission fluid that are covered in this guide.

Since this guide is meant to help you pick the right automatic transmission fluid, you can find information on its functions, properties, lifespan, steps to change it, and much more.

If you are wondering about the whole purpose and need of automatic transmission fluid, then let us help you.

Since your car’s automatic transmission has multiple fast-moving gears and parts, all of these gears and parts have a lot of friction. This friction then causes issues like heat, wear and tear, and other performance issues.

So, to prevent such issues and lower the friction inside your automatic transmission, an automatic transmission fluid or ATF is added as a lubricant.

What is a Fact about Transmission Fluid that you should know?

If you are still confused about what facts about transmission fluid you should know, let us help you by going through specific categories regarding automatic transmissions one by one. 

Thus, simply go through the following facts about automatic transmission fluids to pick the right ATF for your car easily:

What are the Three Main Functions of Transmission Fluid?

Before anything else, you should first know the actual usage and the function of automatic transmission fluid.

For the same, you need to know about the following three main functions of transmission fluid:

• Lubrication: Since the ATF in your transmission is essentially oil, it works as a lubricant. This reduces the friction inside your automatic transmission, which serves functions like reduced wear and tear for better longevity of your vehicle’s automatic transmission.
• Cooling: Reduced friction inside your automatic transmission reduces wear and tear. To be more specific, reduced friction means less heat will be produced. Because ATF is a fluid, it also moves heat around, which serves a much-needed cooling function.
• Hydraulic Operation: Last but not least, the ATF in your automatic transmission also acts as a hydraulic fluid. This ensures a proper seal and uniform pressure around the gears. Without this uniform pressure, your automatic transmission won’t perform as expected.

What are the Properties of ATF?

Now that you know the primary functions of the automatic transmission fluid, you might want to know more about its properties. Since these properties help you pick the right ATF, here are the three that you should know:

• Viscosity: Unlike any other fluid, using an ATF ensures uniform viscosity throughout your automatic transmission, ensuring smooth gear changes at all times.
• Friction: Speaking of smooth gear changes, your automatic transmission fluid also ensures uniform friction throughout the gearbox. With this, your automatic transmission is able to shift gears smoothly.
• Temperature: Because the ATF also offers cooling functionality, you get regulated temperatures inside the automatic transmission along with consistent performance at different temperatures.

What is the Life of Automatic Transmission Fluid?

Like any other fluid in your car, automatic transmission fluid needs to be changed periodically. But exactly how long does it last?

While there is no specific answer for the same, different automatic fluid manufacturers recommend a lifespan of 50,000 kilometers to 100,000 kilometers with manufacturers like Millenium Great & Lubricants.

However, the lifespan of your automatic transmission fluid can be easily affected by factors like:

• High temperatures
• Oxidation 
• High friction
• Electrochemical reactions
• Humidity

So for a long lifespan, you should avoid these for your automatic transmission fluid.

Changing Automatic Transmission Fluid

Is it OK to change the automatic transmission fluid? If you’re also wondering about this, then let us help. Here’s a quick summary of how to change the automatic transmission fluid correctly:

• Check the ATF levels before ensuring they need to be changed.
• Drain the old ATF and remove any leftover
• Replace the filter and gasket to avoid contamination
• Add the new ATF as needed.

Composition of Automatic Transmission Fluid

If you are learning about automatic transmission fluids for the first time, it is normal to have questions like what automatic transmission fluid is made of.

To understand the composition of automatic transmission fluids, you need to consider these factors:

• Base Oils: ATF is made by first choosing the base oils. These can be mineral oils, semi-synthetic oils, or fully synthetic oils.
• Additives: Upon choosing the base oils, additives are added to the ATF according to the desired properties. This can include things like antioxidants, rust preventers, detergents, viscosity adjusters, and more.
• Synthetic Formulation: This step is only needed for fully synthetic ATFs where specific formulas are used to achieve the needed properties.