Tips to Tune Your Transmission

Today's automatic transmissions are more efficient and reliable than ever before. In the 60's and 70's when I was growing up, the auto trans worked but it was sloppy and prone to failure far more often than it is these days.

Even given the reliability of today's transmissions there are ways to make them perform even better. One of those ways is to use a shift kit. And a shift kit is only one of the ways to get better performance. But this article will concentrate only on the shift kit.

This shift kit comes in a variety of forms. Most often it appears as as a pre-formed gasket and maybe some check ball devices that you install into your transmission yourself. The job usually takes about two hours and will change the way your transmission shifts and performs dramatically. And all for the good.

Just under the oil pan for your trans is a unit called the valve body. And between the valve body and the body of the transmission itself, is the valve body gasket. And in between the gasket and the valve body are check balls of various sizes which are placed in select positions. The whole deal here is to swap out that gasket and the check balls. this will change the performance and efficiency of the transmission itself by changing exactly "how" the transmission changes gears.

Your typical transmission will change gears in a rather leisurely manner. This slow shifting of gears is designed to reduce any jolting or shock being transmitted to the occupants. But it is a terrible wear on the internal clutches of the transmission as they gradually release and gradually engage again. Reduce the wear and your transmission will last much longer and this will in turn increase reliability. And this is what the shift kit will do for you.

The preformed gasket will have the dozens of oil passage slots either increased in size or shape modified to work better. And the check balls that you replace will be of a different size or weight to allow the transmission to work more efficiently.

So to perform this job you need to lift the vehicle and insure it can not fall from the jack stand or attempt to roll away on you. Loosen and remove all the nuts and bolts holding on the transmission oil pan except the ones at each corner. Place a catch basin for the oil and gradually drop two of the bolts on one end of the pan and allow it to drain. Once drained, remove the pan and take a look at the valve body and how to remove it. Take it down carefully as the check balls may roll out and be lost. You may need to retain and reuse some of them.

Examine all mating surfaces for gasket adhesion and remove anything that may prevent a tight seal. Follow the instructions that come with your shift kit as to the placement of the check balls and the size required. These are crucial so double check while re-assembling. And, as long as you are under there you may as well drain the torque converter. This is a good time to replace the transmission fluid since the pan is already off. Be sure and check to see if the filter needs replacing as well. Some filters just need cleaning and you can reuse them.

If everything has been done you can drop the car and start refilling the trans with new clean fluid. You absolutely must use the manufacturers recommended fluid. No off brands, no power steering fluid, no fluid specified for another type of transmission. Ever. The reasons for this are many and too lengthy to go into. But please accept that your transmission uses a specific type of fluid and to use anything else will degrade the operation of the trans and will lead to early failure.

Start the engine and allow the engine to run for 3 to 5 minutes. Then shift into each individual shift position for a minute or so and then recheck the fluid level and top off if needed. And take the car for a test drive. You will find that the trans shifts almost instantly from first to second and so on. Downshifts are immediate and crisp. Also the heat generated by the shifting clutches will be much reduced and so will the wear to these critical components. Fuel mileage will be a bit better and you will find that driving your car will be more enjoyable as well.