When do I need to change my automatic transmission gear clutch? Do I need to change it like that of the manual gear clutch plate?
When it starts to slip out of gear or a grinding noise. You can buy rebuilt transmissions for half the price of new ones.
The "automatic" parts of an automatic transmission are automatic declutching and clutching and automatic shifting. In order to handle the power when the driver doesn't take their foot off the gas when the transmission wants to declutch, you have a thing called a torque converter that is between the engine and the transmission on an automatic. It prevents the motor from racing while the transmission is declutched. There isn't a single clutch in an automatic, there's a "clutch pack" that performs the same function; actually, there's one for each gear transition, so for a bog standard 3-speed automatic there're two clutch packs, a Hi and a Lo. The clutch packs eventually wear out, but it takes a lot longer than the clutch disk in a manual clutch. The transmission fluid needs to be changed per your user manual, and should be checked every 30-60 thousand miles; and there will probably also be a recommended service interval for a transmission overhaul, which should be on the order of 80-100 thousand miles or more. Here's a good link for transmission fluid change information, and lots of other stuff.
No, not unless you have a problem. Modern automatics can go 200 thousand miles or more without an overhaul. The important points are: 1. "Signal" the transmission to upshift while you are accelerating by slightly releasing the accelerator for a moment; this will both save gas and save your transmission, with a slight reduction of your acceleration. With a little practice this will become second nature, and you'll know just when to do it. Holding the accelerator down puts more wear on the clutch packs, which are where most of the wear in an automatic transmission occurs. 2. Be sure to change the transmission fluid diligently. Check it regularly (every few gas fill-ups) and make sure it doesn't go below the minimum, and smell the dipstick to see if it's burned; replace the fluid immediately if it smells burned (if you need to be sure, buy a quart and smell that to know the difference) or if it starts changing color. If transmission fluid starts disappearing (going below the minimum) make an appointment to have a mechanic check it. 3. If you tow much or race, change the fluid more often, perhaps twice as often. Same with very hot weather, and very dusty conditions. Keep asking these good questions.
As they say if it isn't broke then don't fix it. It only takes a day to replace your transmission so wait until you have problems before taking it in. Another important thing is to always check the automatic transmission fluid level. Your transmission will not work properly if you don't have enough fluid.
This is becoming less necessary with all of the computerized gizmos in modern transmissions. The computer knows exactly when it's most efficient to shift, and it reduces the fuel feed to allow the transmission to shift without putting unnecessary stress on it. It's getting more difficult to shift an automatic transmission manually these days. The computer knows better. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
I actually drove a 2016 Infiniti as a loaner, and this worked... probably because they spent the money to write the program to do that. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! When I hammered it I got a longer shift duration; I like nice clean quick shifts. Maybe I didn't have it in "performance" mode... Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
1. My Toyota is using timing belt, my mechanic said I have to change it every 60k km, isn't it too short? Some said it can last for 150k km. 2. My mechanic also said that my Auto Transmission Fluid has to change every 20k km, but some said it can last for 40k km. So, what is the correct advice?
I would change it when the handbook says. These things are made of elastomers which can become brittle and crack. I know it is expensive but if the damned thing breaks, you wreck the entire engine, since the valves will no longer be synchronised with the pistons and they will bang holes in each other faster than you can say "Oh f***".
I also would change the timing belt on the handbook schedule, and in fact I do have it done on my cars. The results of it failing are, as exchemist points out, catastrophic. On the transmission fluid, that's a pretty aggressive schedule. I doubt you really need to change it that often unless you tow something or race. It's also better for the environment to use a less aggressive schedule. Furthermore it's much less likely to cause a catastrophic failure. Do have it changed regularly, but take that 20k km figure with a grain of salt.
