How to Test An Automatic Transmission Before Installing? Before installing anything on your vehicle, you will want to test it in some way to ensure that it will meet the standards that you will require from it when it is in your vehicle.
A failure to test the
basic mechanics of your vehicle before you install them could mean that you end up with pieces of equipment that don’t quite meet the test. One such piece of equipment is an automatic transmission.
Many people drive automatic vehicles already and have an automatic transmission already installed in their vehicle as soon as they buy it.
That being said, there are some who still drive a manual transmission and would like to upgrade it to an automatic.
Additionally, some may have to replace the transmission on their vehicle even if it was already an automatic to begin with.
The only way to accomplish all of this is to know how to test an automatic transmission before placing it in the vehicle.
Table of Contents
How to Test An Automatic Transmission Before Installing?
A great way to test your automatic transmission before installing it is to put it through all available gears as you turn on the input shaft. When you do so, you will be looking to see how the output shaft responds to these actions. If you are looking for is for the output shaft to have the correct rotation based on the different inputs that you have done.
As long as the output shaft is doing what it is supposed to be doing, then you can assume that this automatic transmission is ready to go and get it placed in your car.
You won’t be able to test the Clutch
One important thing to realize about getting your automatic transmission tested before you have it installed in your car is that you will be unable to test the clutch while it is off the car.
The only way to test the clutch is to have it mounted to a flywheel which needs to be mounted to the engine. Unfortunately, this means that the clutch will need to be installed onto your vehicle before you are able to test how it works.
This may seem like a minor thing to most people, but it is something that you should be aware of so that you can understand why you were testing certain components before installing and other components after installing.
While you will be unable to attest the clutch itself until it has been installed on your vehicle, you can test the hydraulics of the system before you do so.
This will only give you a baseline of information, but you may still find it worthwhile to do so before putting it in your car.
Outside of that, you will just have to hope that the clutch has been successfully put together by professionals before you have it installed on your vehicle.
Testing Your Transmission Will be a Challenge
There is one thing about testing your automatic transmission that is certainly true almost every time.
It is the fact that you will either have to figure out a way to test it yourself, or you will have to search far and wide to find a mechanic who can do this type of work.
Many mechanics understand the basics of how to test an automatic transmission, but not every mechanic carries the necessary hardware in order to get the job done.
The reason for this is that there isn’t necessarily a lot of justification for carrying the equipment necessary for a service that is so infrequently requested.
This means that many people feel that they have no choice but to take a bit of a gamble on a transmission that they may have purchased for themselves.
It can be troubling to find yourself in this type of situation, but there may be no other solution if you are going to do everything that you can to get your automatic transmission tested.
It is one of the few car mechanical situations in which a professional mechanic may be of little service to you.
Should You Simply Stick with a Manual Transmission?
You might get frustrated at this point and think that you might as well stick with a manual transmission. If you were going to have this many difficulties, get an automatic one tested.
That is not necessarily the case, though. Yes, it can be frustrating to try to get your automatic transmission tested before it is placed in your vehicle. However, it is still a major improvement to have an automatic transmission as compared to a manual.
The other thing to remember is that the makers of automatic transmissions will do their best to create something that will perform the way that you need it to.
You may feel like you were taking a slight gamble that the manufacturer has created something that will work for your vehicle, but the odds are pretty good that it will be just what you need when you need it.
Make sure that you purchase your transmission from someone that you feel that you can trust. If you do that, then you should have few problems getting the service that you need.
Frequently Asked Questions About How to Test An Automatic Transmission Before Installing
How to tell if a transmission from a junkyard is any good?
You can check on a couple of things from a transmission that you have acquired from a junkyard to see if it is any good. First, drain the fluid from the transmission to see if you smell anything that resembles burning brakes. You may also want to check to make sure that the fluids that come out of it have the right color and consistency. Also, check the mounting case to see if there are any cracks or other damage that you need to be aware of. If everything checks out, then you can feel comfortable that the transmission that you were looking at in a junkyard is likely to perform just fine.
How much does a junkyard transmission cost?
The price that you will pay for a transmission from a junkyard will be considerably less than what you may pay for something that you purchased at a local store. For example, you may expect to pay between $800 and $1500 for a transmission that you get at a junkyard. Significantly better than the $1100 to $2800 that you would expect to pay if he were to purchase it from a local rebuild shop. The price tag would be even higher for a remanufactured transmission as it would come in at around $1300 to $3400. With this in mind, a junkyard transmission does seem like quite a reasonable deal.
Conclusion About How to Test An Automatic Transmission Before Installing
To test an automatic transmission before installing put it through all available gears as you turn on the input shaft. If you want to take the minimal amount of risk that you can when purchasing an automatic transmission that will be very challenging, if not impossible, to test before using it, then you need to go with something that you acquired at the junkyard.