Don't shift your atx manually


Two identical vehicles, with one living in a hilly, stop and go traffic area will wear faster than one used for flat highway miles. By the same token, if your constantly hammering on the engine, running the RPM up and down, the trans works harder and goes away quicker. Higher loads are placed on the surfaces of the holding elements, causing minute slippage. To compensate for this, elements are held together via higher pressures in the drums and servos. The movement of the manual shift valve in the valve body will not cause premature wear unless companied with constant beating of the trans. Don't down shift. This forces the elements to engage at higher differential speeds, increasing their loads, without the benefit of higher pressures, this causes slippage and premature opening of one's wallet! The largest generator of heat in an atx is the torque converter. When the converter produces slippage via the fluid coupling during torque multiplication, this heat is carried away by the atf to the trans cooler. This heat is produced every time there is a difference in the input / output, turbine / impeller. Once the speeds become matched, the slippage goes down, the friction is reduced, and the heat generation decreases. If a higher stall converter is used, the penalty is more heat must be dissipated and a more efficient aftermarket cooler must be employed. The lock up converters have a clutch inside that under severe usage, read in and out of lockup at loads (racing) goes away, dumping the particles into the cooler. ATX Barbeque! Inside the transaxle are a series of wet clutch packs. Like a clutch used in a manual transmission, these clutches wear. If slippage occurs, first the surfaces on the steel and clutches heat, next they become glazed, followed by burning the softer clutch material. The surface of the now burnt clutches cannot stop / hold correctly and the clutches wear out prematurely. When the RPM is elevated, the clutches engage and disengage at a set speed controlled by among other things the ability of the atf to flow through an orifice. An increase in flowed speed is accomplished through pressure increase / decreases controlled by the valve body, governor, and the temperature / viscosity of the fluid. The change from one gear on to the next gear on and the preceding gear off is commonly referred to the shift window. This window moves up and down the RPM range depending on the load placed on the engine. Installing a shift kit narrows the aforementioned shift window thus producing less slippage by way of less time for the gear exchange to take place. Also used is a second gear band. This band actually stops the drum from rotating. The Higher the RPM, the faster the drum rotates, the more heat is generated via friction stopping the drum. This heat is dissipated through the fluid and causes a premature breakdown in viscosity of the fluid. As all these elements generate heat, breakdown of the fluid occurs, the atf does not lubricate the thrust washers and bushings properly, also causing premature wear. These particles of clutch and band material, along with pieces of thrust washers, bushings, and steel wear surfaces end up in the filter. As the flow efficiency of the filter is reduced, the internal temperature in the atx increases, be gating even more heat, causing accelerated wear. The higher the RPM, the higher the pressures used in the system. One of these pressures is the basis for holding the clutches tight, read no slip. The rotating mechanics of the atx are held in alignment by a series of bushings and thrust washers. As the RPM increase, the changing of gears at higher pressures slam these rotating masses front to back and side to side. As this occurs, once again friction generates heat and wear, side loading occurs. Once sufficient wear occurs, fluid leaks in the form of internal leaks occur at the bushings causing pressure looses. The pressure drops, clamping force deteriorates and the trans is toast. Install a shift kit, NO neutral drops, No manual down shifting, install a separate cooler, keep after the band adjustments, and change your fluid and filter every 10,000 miles. When at the track, if the trans is set up properly, the most consistent times will be generated by not manually shifting the trans! 'Nuff Said! written by The BogMan ©2002

Two identical vehicles, with one living in a hilly, stop and go traffic area will wear faster than one used for flat highway miles. By the same token, if your constantly hammering on the engine, running the RPM up and down, the trans works harder and goes away quicker. Higher loads are placed on the surfaces of the holding elements, causing minute slippage. To compensate for this, elements are held together via higher pressures in the drums and servos. The movement of the manual shift valve in the valve body will not cause premature wear unless companied with constant beating of the trans. Don't down shift. This forces the elements to engage at higher differential speeds, increasing their loads, without the benefit of higher pressures, this causes slippage and premature opening of one's wallet! The largest generator of heat in an atx is the torque converter. When the converter produces slippage via the fluid coupling during torque multiplication, this heat is carried away by the atf to the trans cooler. This heat is produced every time there is a difference in the input / output, turbine / impeller. Once the speeds become matched, the slippage goes down, the friction is reduced, and the heat generation decreases. If a higher stall converter is used, the penalty is more heat must be dissipated and a more efficient aftermarket cooler must be employed. The lock up converters have a clutch inside that under severe usage, read in and out of lockup at loads (racing) goes away, dumping the particles into the cooler. ATX Barbeque!

    Inside the transaxle are a series of wet clutch packs. Like a clutch used in a manual transmission, these clutches wear. If slippage occurs, first the surfaces on the steel and clutches heat, next they become glazed, followed by burning the softer clutch material. The surface of the now burnt clutches cannot stop / hold correctly and the clutches wear out prematurely. When the RPM is elevated, the clutches engage and disengage at a set speed controlled by among other things the ability of the atf to flow through an orifice. An increase in flowed speed is accomplished through pressure increase / decreases controlled by the valve body, governor, and the temperature / viscosity of the fluid. The change from one gear on to the next gear on and the preceding gear off is commonly referred to the shift window. This window moves up and down the RPM range depending on the load placed on the engine. Installing a shift kit narrows the aforementioned shift window thus producing less slippage by way of less time for the gear exchange to take place. Also used is a second gear band. This band actually stops the drum from rotating. The Higher the RPM, the faster the drum rotates, the more heat is generated via friction stopping the drum. This heat is dissipated through the fluid and causes a premature breakdown in viscosity of the fluid.

    As all these elements generate heat, breakdown of the fluid occurs, the atf does not lubricate the thrust washers and bushings properly, also causing premature wear. These particles of clutch and band material, along with pieces of thrust washers, bushings, and steel wear surfaces end up in the filter. As the flow efficiency of the filter is reduced, the internal temperature in the atx increases, be gating even more heat, causing accelerated wear. The higher the RPM, the higher the pressures used in the system. One of these pressures is the basis for holding the clutches tight, read no slip. The rotating mechanics of the atx are held in alignment by a series of bushings and thrust washers. As the RPM increase, the changing of gears at higher pressures slam these rotating masses front to back and side to side. As this occurs, once again friction generates heat and wear, side loading occurs. Once sufficient wear occurs, fluid leaks in the form of internal leaks occur at the bushings causing pressure looses. The pressure drops, clamping force deteriorates and the trans is toast.

    Install a shift kit, NO neutral drops, No manual down shifting, install a separate cooler, keep after the band adjustments, and change your fluid and filter every 10,000 miles. When at the track, if the trans is set up properly, the most consistent times will be generated by not manually shifting the trans! 'Nuff Said!

written by The BogMan ©2002