Maintenance of Your Manual Transmission

A manual transmission probably made your car less expensive to purchase, if you bought it new, and it will likely cost less to repair. But if you keep it working properly, you won't need to worry about a lot of repairs. Don't wait until it's getting more difficult to shift. Have routine maintenance work done on your transmission so that your mechanic can catch issues before they become bigger problems.

The problems that develop with manual transmissions may involve anything from a clutch going out to a pin missing, which allows the transmission to become misaligned. If your mechanic replaces your clutch, he will clean the pressure plate and flywheel to ensure that there is no oil on these surfaces.

Your mechanic should also check the pilot bearing and the throw-out bearing, to make sure that they haven't become too worn to operate effectively. The throw-out bearing's inside collar can also become scored.

When you have your transmission inspected and maintained, your mechanic will check the hardware to make sure there isn't any excessive wear. Parts that need to be replaced will be replaced with high-performance parts. Your mechanic may test drive your car if you believe you have transmission problems. He will check the transmission and related parts that might also give you signs like those of a transmission going out.

Any time you have your transmission serviced, your mechanic should enter into your vehicle's record any parts that were replaced, and any routine maintenance that is performed. Diagnostics are helpful, too, in determining if there are problems with your transmission.

Your mechanic may check different parts of your transmission, to make sure everything is working properly, even if you are not experiencing any problems. It's always a good idea to discover problems early, when they are less expensive to repair.

Your clutch uses friction changes to keep the torque transfer modulated, between your engine and your transmission. Because of this, they do develop wear, if you drive your car every day. A proper clutch, if the car is driven by a professional, may last over a hundred thousand miles. But downshifting abruptly, along with inherently weak clutches and drivers who are not experienced with manual transmissions, can lead to excess wear. The clutch may need to be replaced more often in these cars.

Your manual transmission is lubricated with engine or gear oil, and some cars will require this fluid to be changed as part of routine maintenance. It does not need to be replaced as often as the fluid in an automatic transmission, though. Some transmissions are advertised as never needing the gear oil changed, unless your mechanic has just fixed a leak or done some other work on the transmission.

Gear oil is treated with compounds that help to reduce wear on your transmission. These compounds can help in reducing the friction in the transmission, so that the parts will wear more evenly, and will not wear out as soon. Proper routine maintenance on your manual transmission will allow it to work without problems for a longer period of time, thus saving you repair dollars on your vehicle.


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