Most drivers have put off getting an oil change or forgotten to check the transmission fluid and coolant levels. While monitoring your vehicle’s oil and fluids might seem like an afterthought compared to fueling up with gas, they’re essential to its operation.
Without oil and fluids, you won’t get that far on the road and may cause a significant amount of damage to your vehicle in the process.
No Transmission Fluid
Within your vehicle, transmission fluid acts as a lubricant and hydraulic fluid for your transmission system, cooling parts and smoothing out shifting.
This substance does not have to be changed as frequently as oil. A flush may only be needed every 50,000 to 100,000 miles.
All fluids eventually break down and become thinner. As this occurs to transmission fluid, the system has a higher chance of failure and its parts experience a greater degree of friction, leading to wear and tear.
Additionally, the fluid in an automatic vehicle allows for communication between the engine and the transmission system. Once the fluid is too thin or evaporates completely, you won’t be able to drive your car anywhere.
If you ignore the light that appears on your dashboard and keep driving, you may:
- Notice a burning yet sweet smell
- Have difficulty shifting, often with a delay as you change between gears
Eventually, your transmission system may need significant repairs or could require a complete replacement.
No Oil
Oil serves as lubrication for your engine’s many moving parts, including valves, springs and camshafts. All parts need to operate at a rapid pace for your engine to perform optimally. Without oil, not only do operations slow down, but the parts can’t move smoothly with each other. The amount of friction created begins to wear them down prematurely.
Oil also moves debris away from parts to reduce wear, prevent corrosion and is key for temperature regulation. Once it thins out or gathers too much debris and becomes viscous, its thicker consistency also contributes to wear and tear, and your engine has a higher likelihood of overheating on the road.
A car with little or no functional oil eventually makes loud noises, slows down and won’t run.
No Coolant
Coolant is also essential for temperature management, preventing overheating in warm weather and reducing the risk of freezing fluids in winter weather.
Low levels or no coolant automatically causes your car to overheat, which can damage the engine once you start up the vehicle. Newer cars have a feature called automatic engine cut-off, designed to reduce this occurrence. Without this aspect, the driver can only travel a few minutes before the vehicle overheats and shuts down.
Especially if coolant is leaking and quickly depleting, you may notice a sweet smell, see puddles on the ground or inside your vehicle.
Count on DaSilva’s Auto Body for routine fluid changes and maintenance. To make an appointment, give our Naugatuck shop a call today.
