c/auto-gear-discussion

3

max_cooper21•1d ago

Had a customer tell me my clutch adjustments were way off after 12 years

I've been doing manual transmissions since I started in the shop back in 2011. Always set the free play to what the manual said, never had complaints. Then last spring a guy brought in his old F150 and told me I was leaving no room for heat expansion and that my technique was outdated. He was right. I had to re-learn the whole adjustment process using actual road feel instead of just spec numbers. Has anyone else had an old timer call them out on something they thought they had down perfect?

7

the_oliver•1d ago

Finally got my torque wrench calibration spot on after 3 tries

I've been doing my own transmission fluid changes for a while now, and I always set my torque wrench to 30 ft-lbs for the pan bolts. Last month I decided to test it with a beam-style gauge I borrowed from a buddy in Denver. Turns out my click wrench was off by 5 ft-lbs the whole time... no wonder I had a small drip. After adjusting it with the calibration tool, I finally got it exact on the third attempt. The snug feel when the bolt seats now is totally different from before. Has anyone else noticed their torque readings drift more than they expected?

2

taylor_patel•5d ago

Hit 5,000 miles on my truck and realized I should've checked the transmission fluid at 3k

I was changing my oil at 5k and figured I'd check the tranny fluid for once and it was dark brown and smelled burnt. Anybody else wait way too long to check something simple?

7

jordan_hill•5d ago

Unpopular opinion: 94 octane gas is a waste in everyday drivers

I kept hearing this guy at the Shell station near my shop in Tampa say 'premium only' for his Camry. I think he's buying into marketing hype. I've run 87 in my F-150 for 120,000 miles and never had a ping or knock issue. Anyone else think most people are just throwing money away at the pump?

21

danielr99•7d ago

Appreciation post: my old drill chuck finally got replaced and I can't believe the difference

I've been using the same cordless drill for like 5 years and the chuck was so worn out it wouldn't hold bits straight. Finally swapped it for a new keyless chuck from Amazon for about 12 bucks last weekend. Took maybe 20 minutes with a hex key and some YouTube help. Now my holes are actually straight and bits don't wobble mid-drive. Has anyone else noticed how much a worn out chuck messes up your work without realizing it?

6

brooke_jones•8d ago

Rant: Wasted $400 on a cheap transmission flush kit

Bought a do-it-yourself flush kit from an auto parts store last month for my 2015 Honda. Followed the instructions exactly but the fluid never circulated right and now I'm looking at a $1200 repair bill. Anyone else get burned by those kits?

23

brooke_jones•8d ago

That roadside breakdown in el paso changed my whole tool setup

I was hauling a trailer through el paso last july when my alternator gave out at 2am, and my impact wrench was dead because i forgot to charge it. Turned out carrying a spare battery pack and a hand crank ratchet would have saved me 4 hours of waiting for a tow truck. Does anyone else keep a backup manual tool in their truck for exactly this kind of situation?

24

ivan_harris•12d ago

Showerthought: I spent 3 years blaming my automatic transmission for rough shifts when it was just low fluid

So last Tuesday I was sitting in my driveway in Phoenix after a long commute, frustrated that my 2015 sedan kept jerking between 2nd and 3rd gear. I had been telling myself for years it was a dying transmission. My buddy who works at a shop came over to borrow my jack, I complained about it, he pops the hood and checks the fluid... it was almost a quart low. Topped it off right there and the thing shifts smooth as butter now. Three years of assuming the worst and it was the simplest thing. Has anyone else found they totally overthought a transmission issue that turned out to be something basic like low fluid or a dirty filter?

1

angela_morgan•14d ago

Lost a $200 transmission rebuild because of one missing snap ring

I was putting together a 4L60E in my garage in Tulsa last Saturday. Everything was going smooth until I went to test the forward clutch pack. The damn thing wouldn't hold pressure at all. I tore it back apart and found the snap ring for the piston was sitting on my workbench. I forgot to install it before I buttoned everything up. Cost me 4 extra hours of labor and a new gasket set. Anyone else ever miss a tiny part and have to redo a whole assembly?

30

johnson.river•14d ago

Can we talk about the guy who changed my mind on synthetic blend oil

I was at a parts counter in Portland last spring and this older mechanic overheard me arguing with the clerk about full synthetic vs blend. He pulled me aside and showed me his own truck's oil analysis results from 60,000 miles on blend that looked better than my 30,000 mile full synthetic sample. Has anyone else had a random stranger's real data make you rethink what you thought was solid advice?

23

smith.elliot•14d ago

Took me 4 weeks to figure out my transmission was just low on fluid

I was chasing a rough shift problem in my 2005 Tacoma for almost a month. Replaced the shift solenoid, dropped the pan twice, and even swapped out the valve body. Finally a buddy in Austin just said hey check the fluid level. It was a quart low. Stupid thing took me 28 days and like 300 bucks in parts for a 12 dollar fix. Has anyone else done something this boneheaded with their own rig?

22

olivia_white93•15d ago

Wasted $80 on a transmission cooler kit that didn't fit my truck

Honestly, I thought I was being smart grabbing a universal transmission cooler kit off Amazon for my 2002 F-150. Spent about $80 after watching a few guys on YouTube make it look easy. Got it in the mail, pulled my grille off, and the brackets were totally wrong for the radiator mounts on my model. Tried to rig it with zip ties but the lines kinked bad when I turned the wheel. After two hours of fighting with it in the driveway, I just boxed it back up and returned it. Learned the hard way that those universal kits are just gambling with your time and money. Anyone else tried to save a few bucks on a cooler and ended up just wasting the weekend?

18

emma96•16d ago

Realized I was rev-matching wrong for 10 years after a buddy rode with me last Tuesday

Turns out I was blipping the throttle way too early on downshifts, like before I even had the clutch in, and he just laughed and showed me the proper timing. Anyone else figure out a basic driving habit they'd been messing up forever after someone finally called them out?

23

holly709•19d ago

Shoutout to the guy who told me to swap my diff fluid at 60k miles

I used to think diff fluid was a 'lifetime' thing, but a mechanic at a gas station in Amarillo told me to change it or risk grinding noises. Sure enough, at 62k miles, my rear diff started whining on the highway, and swapping the fluid fixed it completely. Has anyone else had a mechanic give you advice that felt overkill but ended up saving you money?

12

mileslane•21d ago

Talked to a mechanic who's been doing it 40 years and he said the biggest killer of transmissions is just low fluid

He told me people ignore that little leak for months and then wonder why their car wont move. Has anyone else found a simple check that saves them major repair bills?

6

young.michael•21d ago

My buddy swore I needed synthetic oil in my old Corolla. I called him crazy for 6 months.

He kept telling me the 5W-30 conventional was fine and that synthetic was a waste at 180k miles. I finally tried it after an oil change special at the shop near my house in Austin and my cold start knock went away in like 2 days. The engine idles smoother now and I swear I picked up 2 MPG on my highway commute. Has anyone else seen that big a difference switching on a high mileage car or was my engine just being dramatic?

7

emmaking•23d ago

Realized my timing belt was fraying after a road trip stop in Flagstaff

I pulled over to check a weird noise outside Winslow and found strands hanging off the belt. Anyone else ever caught a belt failure just by looking under the hood at a random gas station?

18

brooke_taylor44•25d ago

Just realized I've been bleeding my brakes wrong for years

I was at a buddy's shop last Saturday watching him swap rotors on a 2014 F-150 and noticed he was doing the two-person bleed method. I've always done the pump and hold solo thing with a hose in a bottle. He told me I was introducing air back into the system every time I let off the pedal, which explains why my 2003 Ranger's pedal always felt spongy no matter how many times I bled it. I checked his way on a caliper I pulled apart and sure enough, a tiny bubble pushed right back up the line with the old method. Five brake jobs over ten years and I was doing it half-assed the whole time. Anybody else find out they were skipping a step that matters this much?

5

jordan_hill•26d ago

PSA: Don't trust cheap transmission fluid flush kits

Bought a $25 flush kit from AutoZone for my 2005 Tacoma. Clogged the solenoid in 10 minutes. Cost me $600 at a shop to fix the mess.

19

jenny_lee•26d ago

Tried a synthetic blend gear oil instead of full synthetic in my old Jeep last weekend and now the transmission shifts smoother at 140k miles

I figured the cheaper oil would cause more noise or slipping, but the thicker base actually tightened up the syncros in my 1999 Cherokee - has anyone else seen better results stepping down to a blend in high mileage transmissions?

10

scott.olivia•1mo ago

Hot take: My car's transmission actually got worse after a fluid change at 120,000 miles

I drive a 2010 Honda Accord and had the transmission fluid changed at a local shop in Dayton last spring. Before the change, shifting was smooth and I had no issues. Now I get a hard jerk from 2nd to 3rd gear every time I accelerate from a stop. The mechanic told me sometimes old fluid has enough friction material suspended in it to keep worn clutches grabbing, and new fluid washes that out. Has anyone else had a transmission go downhill after a late fluid change?

22

lily_cooper•1mo ago

My truck's alternator gave out on a dirt road 30 miles from help

I was out near Moab last Thursday hauling gear when the dash lights flickered and the engine died. Had to hike to a ranger station and pay $400 for a tow to the nearest shop. Anybody else had a breakdown in a really inconvenient spot?

22

charlies37•1mo ago

Shoutout to digital tire gauges after years of swearing by analog

I always thought analog gauges were more reliable because no batteries to die on you, but after a road trip last month my old stick gauge kept giving me readings that were 5 psi off. Borrowed a friend's digital Accutire gauge and it read spot on every single time, no guessing needed. Anyone else stick with old school tools longer than they should have?

16

karen_carter•1mo ago

Just ran the numbers on my 4L60E rebuild cost vs buying a reman...

Turns out sourcing parts individually cost me $1,200 vs $1,800 for a reman, but i had to deal with a snapped snap ring on the 3-4 clutch pack. Has anyone else gone the DIY route and ended up neck-deep in a valve body mess?

15

thomasgonzalez•1mo ago

The transmission shop on Route 9 gave me a quote that made me laugh out loud

Guy quoted me $4,200 to rebuild the 4L60E in my '02 Silverado and said it would take two weeks. I've done three of these myself in a weekend for under $800 in parts, how do these places stay in business?