Fluid Exchanges: Oil, Coolant, and Transmission

My career as an automotive improvement expert began when I modified my first car. Since then, as a car enthusiast and published author, my obsession with the automobile has led me to enhance tons of vehicles both inside and out. That’s why I’m thrilled to be a part of a brand new series designed to help keep your car looking great and your engine running like new! I’m Chris Duke, and welcome to eHow’s Auto Center brought to you by Mobil1! Hey Chris, I know I’m supposed to change my oil on a regular schedule, but what about the other fluids in my vehicle? -John Thanks for the great question, John! Keeping all the fluids in your vehicle changed on a regular basis is one of the most important things that need to be done to keep your car running properly and avoid internal breakdowns. Let’s take a look at them as well as when and how to replace them. All the fluids in your car serve a specific purpose. They are designed to help your engine perform its tasks while protecting their designated parts and areas with the chemical makeup and additives they contain. After a certain amount of time these fluids will begin to break down from wear, and if not replaced on a regular schedule, could lead to serious damage. Your owner’s manual will show you the proper maintenance time frame for each as well as any specifics as far as what type of fluid to replace it with such as oil grade, coolant blend, and transmission fluid type. Before you do any work under this hood, remember to use the correct safety gear. Some of these fluids may still be hot and some can even cause skin irritation or even worse problems if they get in your eyes, so always play it safe with safety glasses and work gloves. Oil changes are a pretty straightforward task. Be sure to refer to our oil changing video for the complete step-by-step! Replacing your coolant is also a fairly straightforward task. Most radiators will have a drain spigot on the bottom. All you have to do is open it and drain the old coolant out into a container for disposal. You won’t get all of the coolant out this way, to do that you will need to flush your cooling system but if your coolant is in good shape this is a good way to extend the life of your coolant. This is also a good time to look inside your radiator to make sure you don’t see signs of cracks or deposits building up inside. If your radiator doesn’t have a drain spigot then you may have to remove the lower radiator hose to let the coolant drain out. This is also a good time to check the condition of your hoses to make sure they aren’t cracked or showing other signs of age. One of the most important tips about replacing your coolant is to wait until the coolant and engine are completely cold. Trying to do this after just getting back from running errands would mean the coolant is still very hot and you could get burned very badly. Replacing the transmission fluid and filter can be a little more daunting if you have never done it before. For most vehicles you will have to remove the bottom transmission pan slowly and drain out the old fluid but if your fluid is very old or burnt you will need to have the transmission flushed to get out all the old fluid. If this is the case you might want to take it to your local mechanic. You will then have to replace the filter that sits just inside the pan. After this is complete you will have to replace the pan gasket as you put the pan back on. Check your repair manual to find out how much torque you will need to tighten the pan bolts back up. Once that is complete, simply refill the fluid to the correct level using the specified transmission fluid type and you are good to go. Now that you have all of these fluids replaced you have one last important task. You need to properly dispose of the old fluids and filters. Disposal of the coolant isn't generally a problem if your house drain is connected to a municipal wastewater treatment system. Nearly all of these systems can treat coolant out of the wastewater and therefore allow you to pour it down the toilet or sink drain. Check with your local municipal facility for their recommendations and don't be surprised when they tell you to use the house drain. They will also tell you whether or not there is a local recycling program or whether local gas stations/shops will take To get rid of old oil first drain your oil into a dirt-free pan that can hold as many quarts as your car's crankcase and that has NOT been used for anything besides motor oil. Pour your used oil from the drain pan into a container with a leak proof lid like a rinsed out plastic milk jug, for instance. Use a funnel to avoid spills. If you change your oil filter, drain the old one by punching a hole in the top and inverting it over your drain pan. Dispose of the old filter by putting some paper towels over the hole. Then put the old filter and paper towels in the box the next filter came in. Place the box in the trash. Take the oil to a used oil collection site. You can check your local municipality’s website to locate one Dispose transmission fluid the same way as you would with oil. It is best to dispose of it separately from engine oil, as many recyclers tend to discard mixed materials. Remember, transmission fluid changes require large amounts of oil, so be sure the container used for disposal can handle amounts up to 3 gallons. One last tip you should never forget… Your local mechanic or auto parts store can probably assist you with this, give them a call before you start so you know what you’re going to do afterwards. Well, I hope that I’ve given you a better idea of how to change your fluids and why you need to keep it on a proper schedule! Doing these jobs yourself can help save you a ton of money and will get you more in-tune with how your car is running! Thanks for the question John! For eHow’s Auto Center, I’m Chris Duke. Here’s to helping keep your car running like new!