As a general rule of thumb, your muscle car will require its transmission fluid to be flushed after every 30,000 miles traveled or even sooner. It is best to follow your owner’s manual with these things, as every vehicle is different. Keeping up with your muscle car’s maintenance is a good decision as transmission issues can get really expensive.
Not matter how long your muscle car has gone since its last transmission flush, certain tell-tale signs indicate another flush should be in its near future. Here are five signs that indicate it’s time to get your muscle car the transmission flush it needs.
- Grinding Noises
If your muscle car’s transmission is contaminated with grease, dirt, or sludge, it may exhibit symptoms similar to low levels of transmission fluid. When you are on the road and begin to hear some strange grinding noises, it is prudent to stop your vehicle and check on your transmission fluid levels while the engine is still running. Ensure that the transmission fluid hue is bright red and not black or brown due to sludge or grime. If the transmission fluid level is normal, then your muscle car likely needs that transmission flush.
- Trouble With Shifting Gears
Regardless of whether your muscle car has manual or automatic transmission, it requires clean transmission fluid flowing throughout its transmission system. Too much sludge or dirt in your transmission will cause delayed response in the transmission that will result in your muscle car changing gears a little too fast or too late when you’re on the wheel.
You may find that in manual transmission cars, you can’t even change the gears at all. If you’re driving an automatic, you might notice your vehicle shaking or jerking when shifting gears, or it shifts hard. This may be another indicator that your car needs a transmission fluid flush.
- Slipping Gears
The same as with lacking enough transmission fluid, a dirty transmission will tend to reduce your muscle car’s hydraulic power. To stay in the right gear, your car’s transmission has to accumulate enough pressure. Too dirty a transmission will hamper the flow of transmission fluid that makes this happen. If you don’t notice any other problems with your transmission, and its fluid level is full or close to full, the problem could be the restricted flow of the fluid due to a build-up of contaminants and dirt that need to be flushed out.
- Delay in Vehicle Motion
If your transmission is clogged up with sludge, grease, or dirt, you will notice your muscle car stalling for a few seconds before moving after you’ve switched the gears. If you notice your vehicle doing this, then a transmission flush might be just what the car doctor ordered.
- Surging/Lunging
The final sign that shows your muscle car desperately needs a transmission flush is jumping or surging, backward or forwards for no apparent reason. What causes this is an inconsistent flow of transmission fluid that’s needed to guarantee the silky-smooth operation of gears and other areas in your vehicle’s transmission system. This inconsistency in transmission fluid flow is a result of sludge and dirt clogging up the system, which needs to be flushed out for operations to return to normal.
Call The Car Experts
If you’re in need of transmission services in Phoenix, Arizona, then go to Lopers Performance. We are located at 916 E Indian School Rd in Phoenix. We have been in the vehicle repair business since 1967, so you know we know a thing or two about fixing cars, or in your case, muscle cars. Get in touch today, and you and your muscle car will be glad that you did.