What does the color of your car’s transmission fluid tell you? It tells you a lot more than you might think that it does. Viking Automotive has these tips for you about the various different colors of transmission fluid so that you can be aware.
Pink
Pink transmission fluid is seriously bad news. That’s because if your transmission fluid is pink, it’s somehow got water in it. Water and your transmission are not compatible at all, so if you’re seeing pink transmission fluid, don’t drive your car. Honestly, though, you probably had some signs something was wrong already, like noises coming from your transmission or lots of slipping when you change gears.
Red
Red transmission fluid is what you want to see, but only if you’re putting new transmission fluid into the transmission. Ideally, you’re not seeing transmission fluid hardly at all. Brand-new transmission fluid is transparent red. It’s greasy and it’s ready to take on the heavy-duty job of lubricating all of the internal transmission parts and keeping your transmission cool and clean.
Brown
As your transmission fluid does its job, it breaks down and it also picks up grime, dirt, and debris from within the transmission. It can do that for quite a while with no problems, but it gradually changes color as it does so. At first, the transmission fluid stays transparent and it starts to take on a brown hue. Over time, it gets a little darker brown and loses a bit of that transparency.
Black
If you’re seeing black transmission fluid colors, it’s definitely time to have your transmission fluid flushed and refilled. This is transmission fluid that is at the end of its life. It has done all that it can do and if you keep driving with transmission fluid that you know is dark, dark brown or black, you may actually be causing damage to your transmission. That’s because old transmission fluid has a lot of junk in it, and that junk can be abrasive. It’s also not able to keep your transmission parts cool and clean.
Has it been a while since your car’s transmission and transmission fluid were serviced? Don’t let that continue. Contact us at Viking Automotive in Houston, TX and we can inspect your transmission for you. We’ll show you exactly what we find and we’ll let you know what all of your options are going forward so that you can get your car safely back to work for you.
