Believe it or not, not all automatic transmission fluid types are the same. Every automakers uses a proprietary combination of metals and seals/gasket materials inside their transmissions. For this reason, the type of transmission fluid that you use must align with the specifications of the transmission, otherwise you risk of causing serious damage to one of the most expensive parts on your vehicle. So let’s take a closer look find out exactly what kind of transmission fluid you need for your vehicle.
What Transmission Do I Have?
What is transmission fluid anyway?
The simplest answer to this question is; automatic transmission fluid is hydraulic fluid with a mineral oil base (most of the time). To that are added a number of chemicals designed to do everything from improve the viscosity, detergents, corrosion and antiwear inhibitors, anti-swelling compounds for the seals, and friction modifiers. The transmission components react to these chemical additives. But if you put the wrong kind of ATF in, your torque converter could start shuttering, gears could start slipping, and your performance could be significantly reduced.
So what transmission fluid do I need?
In order to determine exactly what type of transmission fluid your vehicle needs, you need to refer to the owners manual. It will list the type of fluids that your vehicle requires, as well as the recommended service intervals. Should that not be an option, you can call an auto parts store or the nearest new car dealer and ask them what type of transmission fluid and how much of it your vehicle requires. This is the safest and quickest way to get this information. However, some types of transmission fluid are not readily available at the corner gas station or auto parts store. So let’s take a quick look at some of the different types of transmission fluid that are out there.
Dexron / Mercon / ATF+4
These are the three most common types of transmission fluid available on the market today. They all contain friction modifiers, which can react differently depending upon the transmission. These are also not typically interchangeable (especially when it comes to the ATF+4). In case you were wondering, Dextron is typically used in GM vehicles, Mercon in Ford vehicles and the ATF+4 is used in Chrysler and Mitsubishi products.
Synthetic transmission fluid
Synthetic automatic transmission fluid is designed to be compatible across a wide range of automatic transmission types. The synthetic base fluid typically lasts a lot longer than standard mineral oil, and the additive packages they use tend to work with a wide variety of materials and specifications. The cost is considerably higher than standard ATF, but it doesn’t have to be changed as often. And in some cases it can extend the life of your transmission.
What Transmission Do I Have?
CVT fluid
A continuously variable transmission has much different needs than a typical automatic transmission. That’s why the CVT transmission fluid is so much different than standard ATF. Most CVT fluid uses synthetic base oil, and the chemical additives are designed to achieve much different wear characteristics. If you have a CVT in your vehicle, you need to make sure that you use the correct CVT fluid. Because Nissan CVT fluid is considerably different than Toyota CVT fluid etc.
