Ron Hill Blog

We are a nation of 4WD lovers. From the humble school run to crossing the Simpson Desert.

Modifications are big wow factor these days - lift kits, bigger wheels and tyres, diff lockers and performance chips.

Any one of these modifications is a great addition to your car, and together they make the car into an awesome outback weapon!

When doing these mods there is generally a major component that is forgotton - THE EXTRA LOAD. The pressure that the drive train and automatic transmission have to deal with is huge.

Heat is the biggest killer of an automatic transmission and with extra weight it soon builds up and can become a problem.

Our team at Ron Hills have a solution - an extra oil cooler fitted in the correct spot on your 4WD will prove great results in making your transmission last longer by lowering oil temperatures. This is just one of many modifications to give your 4WD transmission a long and healthy life. We can retro fit most 4WD's on the market.

I've fitted one to my own 4WD and there is a marked difference in towing temperature in the transmission.

Stay cooler for longer with a mod from Ron Hills - Nick

Garage shifts

While selecting gears first thing after starting the engine, take note of the engagement time between moving the selector lever and feeling the engagement. There can be a longer delay in reverse, when compared to drive (due to the extra internal components applied and the higher oil pressure required).

An engagement time of more than 2 seconds should be checked out by a technician.

Variation in shift feel

Shifts feel different from transmission to transmission even within the same brand of vehicle. Soft and firm shifts can be acceptable and considered somewhat normal.

Flare

Watch out for a “flare” which is a partial neutral between one ratio to the next as the transmission shifts. A flare shows up as a momentary rise in engine rpm during the shift and will accelerate clutch wear if ignored and can lead to early transmission failure.

Bind up

Is an opposite to the “flare”. This is a situation where a clutch applies to change to the next gear before the currently applied clutch has released properly. This feels like a jab on the brake pedal at the time of the shift. Both a “flare” and a “bind up” are called shift faults.

Hard Shifts

When a shift (gear change) becomes hard or brutal it is another sign to speak to a transmission shop as it will send a shock through the driveline and accelerate wear in the splined areas inside the transmission such as clutch drums and torque convertor hubs. The shock then continues through the CV joints and differential. This can make driving uncomfortable.

Loss of power

We often get older cars coming in with complaints of sluggish performance. This can be a result of an electrical fault ranging from a poor wiring connection to a computer that develops leaky capacitors. Most of these computers can be repaired. The reason for the loss of power is the transmission has defaulted to a “failsafe mode” which locks the transmission in a high gear to get you home.

The Automatic Transmission is still the most complex and expensive component of your car and the lubricant (OIL) does several jobs.
1. It provides the drive medium (transmits engine torque to the wheels) eg. loose the oil and the vehicle stops.
2. It prevents wear of mechanical components.
3. It provides cooling due to the circulation through the transmission and then through the heat exchanger (transmissions develop heat).
4. It contains a high detergent to keep hydraulic circuits clean and stop sludge build up.
5. It contains a complex additive package to keep an average of 200 seals soft while working in a high temperature environment and then cooling down overnight, day after day.
6. Finally it contains an anti-foam additive to prevent oil frothing up, like a bottle of coke.

Think of the oil in your car like the blood flowing through your veins – if it’s not healthy performance will suffer.

Vehicle manufacturers in their bid to win sales have adopted a “sealed for life policy” for transmissions, which works for fleet and lease buyers, but when the transmission stops outside the warranty they now cost big bucks to repair. We are talking thousands not hundreds.
Adopting a service schedule for long term ownership makes sense to me. This is as simple as a yearly fluid change and in most cases, a filter change at the same time.

You would think a large truck like a Dodge Ram or a Ford F250 would be just the ticket for towing. What we see is a fairly large failure rate of the automatic transmissions in these types of vehicles at relatively low mileage.
One of the reasons is the fact that the transmissions in the above vehicles are basically "car type" transmissions that have had basic factory modifications to make them stronger. This has strengthened the transmissions but only marginally. When you add the total weight of the truck and the extra weight of a van being towed, the load that the transmission is dealing with is huge.
Also owners often add performance chips to the engine which places even greater strain on the transmission.

We can carry out modifications and upgrades to ensure the transmission is capable of dealing with the extra strain that towing and 4wding puts on these vehicles. Improvements include hardware upgrades such as 6 pinion (4 is standard) gear sets, increases in clutch/band capacity using different materials and more surface area, increases in critical hydraulic control pressures and volume. A billet backed stronger convertor is also recommended for heavy towing. We can fit a large additional transmission cooler that has its own thermostatically controlled electric fan. Along with a regular service schedule this will ensure extra life of the transmission.

On the 24th of July this year our very own Admin Manager, Angela Chapman, will be volunteering as part of World Youth Internationals Overseas Action Program to Peru. Angela is passionate about helping underprivileged children and their communities. She is looking forward to the opportunity to better the lives of others as well as helping to develop her own skills and educate others upon her return.

She will work in a hands on role, building sustainable structures in rural villages while living with the local community. She has been assured that there is no need for any previous construction skills as they work hand in hand with local labourers - all she needs is passion, and a commitment to give it a go and get her hands dirty. The construction project will build a structure which the community desperately needs, in the areas of Primary Health Care, Income Generation and Education & Training. Individually, she will also have the opportunity to work within the community in an area she is passionate about such as education, or in an orphanage or street kids home.

All projects selected by WYI are community driven, sustainable development projects. Applications from within the community are submitted to WYI for review and appraisal. If proposals are in alignment with their Development model, they will proceed with the project. For a project to be considered, they must be in the fields of income generation, environmental, or education and healthcare. Project reviews are completed over the following year to ensure the ongoing success of the project. WYI has been offering volunteer placements since 1988 and is proudly a not for profit, non religious and non political Australian based organisation. They have sent away thousands of volunteers and proudly promote that they have had no major injuries or deaths on any of their volunteer placements. WYI is registered with the Education department, is an approved charity, is a signatory to ACFID (Australian Council for International Development) and is AusAID approved. They have flourished as an organisation through word of mouth and rely on their volunteers sharing their experiences and outcomes with their peers.

If you would like to make a donation to the Overseas Action Program, please contact Angela on 07 5443 4444 or via email admin@ronhillautomatics.com.au

For further information on World Youth international please visit their website www.worldyouth.org.au

Most transmission troubles start from overheating. 

Under heavy loads such as towing, 4WDing in sand, and continuous stop and go traffic, the transmission overheats. At higher operating temperatures the transmission fluid breaks down, losing its lubricating qualities and becomes oxidized leaving deposits inside the transmission. Exposed to the heat, the internal rubber seals and gaskets become hardened causing internal pressure loss. The pressure loss leads to clutch slipping and very quickly the transmission fails. The way to beat failures is regular fluid changes, fitting additional cooling and a considerate driving style

Did you know Toyota Prado diesels do not come fitted with a transmission cooler which is necessary for towing and 4WDing although Petrol Prados do??

The reason for the fluid overheating is the overdrive ratios are high and the transmission is unable to keep the lock up convertor clutch applied with a towing load because of the throttle opening. The problem becomes very obvious when driving up hills.The way to beat this is to pull the transmission lever down one or two gears depending on the steepness of the hill, to take the load off the transmission and so allowing the convertor clutch to engage. This will remove the “stall speed” effect which is the heat generator.Stall speed explained.Stall speed is at its maximum when the foot brake holds the vehicle stationary and the throttle is opened up fully for no more than ten seconds. This may show as much as 1,500-2,000 Rpm. This is the maximum difference between the pump connected to the engine and the turbine connected to the transmission. The difference in speed between the pump and impeller, is enclosed in a convertor full of oil, and of course is what makes the oil heat up. When the clutch inside the torque convertor can apply it stops the speed differential and the oil can cool down. This can only happen at throttle openings of 25% or less.

Remember good maintenance doesn’t cost, it pays!!

Statistics show many transmissions in a large variety of vehicles including four wheel drives and European cars often fail as early as 115,000 Km from worn out valve bodies. This is the brain of your transmission which controls the clutches, which in turn controls the gear selection. In many cases this costly failure could be avoided by simple regular transmission servicing.
Automatic transmissions can be expensive to service due mostly to the cost of the synthetic fluids now prominent in late model vehicles. 

In comparison to repairing a failed transmission, a self imposed service schedule is far more cost effective.

We recommend changing synthetic transmission fluids every 40,000 Kilometers/2 years and non synthetic fluids every 20,000 Kilometers/1 year. Any 4wd vehicles that are performing towing, should adopt a 20,000kms 12 month service interval and it is also recommended that they be  fitted with a transmission cooler to avoid the transmission overheating. (If the unit is a five speed don’t be tempted to pull up grades while towing in drive as it will overheat the transmission.) Anticipate and pull the transmission out of fifth or fourth to take the load off the transmission. Adopting a regular service interval can double or triple the expected life of the transmission.
 
“Good maintenance doesn’t cost, it pays”

The mechanical trade is constantly changing and growing as new models are released. We have an amazing variety of vehicles and systems to service, repair & maintain.

Our aim as technicians is always to repair and service cars in order to get the best result for the long term.

This means the car remains reliable and safe between service intervals. The best result for the customer means only spending what is required to maintain a safe reliable vehicle.Sounds straight forward, but it can be difficult. With longer warranties and fierce competition between brands, there is pressure to extend and minimize service costs in order to win sales. If you plan to replace your vehicle at the end of the warranty period then this works well. I call this short term ownership.Long term ownership is anyone who owns a secondhand vehicle, or anyone who owns a new vehicle and intends on keeping it after the warranty finishes. Long term owners benefit from a different service strategy. To extend the life of major components, such as the automatic transmission & engine there must be regular maintenance performed. Often regular servicing can be overlooked as a costly or unnecessary expense if the vehicle is currently running well. We have all been guilty of letting services run that little bit over (sometimes a long way over). Although this keeps a few dollars in our pocket in the short term, the long term effects of irregular maintenance can be detrimental to the performance, drivability and reliability of your car.Anyone who has suffered the inconvenience of having there vehicle off road for any length of time can vouch for the benefit of regular maintenance, often avoiding this costly, inconvenient and stressful experience.What I will try to achieve with these regular articles is to help everyone understand how to get the best out of their vehicle.“Remember good maintenance doesn’t cost, it pays!”

I am quite surprised at the reaction of our press release about possible flood damage to cars. One car even had the sump guard torn off by the force of entering the relatively shallow water at speed.

If water intrusion goes unnoticed it is the worst possible death for an automatic transmission and can render the unit totally non repairable.

We have another popular brand being towed in that was unlucky enough to get water into the floor area and then driven to higher ground. It was parked for three days and then developed a shudder when driving off. Hopefully by getting inside quickly we can minimize the damage.

Cheers

Ronny