Do not add any additives to your transmission fluids! Do not let anybody tell you it’s ok. Watch this video and you’ll know why.
Hi I’m Mike Caruso the drivetrain Technical products manager for Amsoil And today we’ll be covering the use of Aftermarket automatic transmission fluid Additives the purpose of this Presentation is to provide the viewer With evidence demonstrating the Ineffectiveness of ATF additives when Added to a fully formulated transmission Fluid This presentation will briefly cover Automatic transmissions Define what ATF Additives are ETF additive claims as well as test Results demonstrating some detrimental Effects that can be encountered when Using them For an untrained individual Understanding the various functions that Take place within an automatic Transmission or transaxle is not a Simple task Anyone who’s changed a transmission Filter appeared at the complex valve Body underneath it will immediately Understand that it’s not an average Piece of equipment They are carefully designed for their Intended application and the fluid they Use is extremely important The fluid needs to be compatible with The materials used in the Transmissions Construction and capable of providing an Acceptable level of frictional
Performance and protection Thankfully as long as we conduct routine Maintenance and keep them topped off With the correct fluid they typically Provide many years and miles of Trouble-free operation Again a high quality transmission fluid Engineered to meet the needs of the Transmission is key to this reliability In the past a few major OEM Specifications covered the transmission Fluid needs for the entire industry Many Transmissions use Dexron or Mercon Regardless of the manufacturer Today there are numerous specifications That can differ significantly from each Other If you use a fluid with the wrong Specification nothing may happen or you May experience degraded shift quality Excessive wear poor fuel economy or even Worse It’s important to remember that atfs That worked in yesterday’s Transmissions May not necessarily work in today’s Transmission technology and ATF Technology evolve together The question may be asked why anyone Would use ATF additives The primary reasons are to rejuvenate Worn out fluid fixed mechanical problems Such as leaky SEALS or shutter gain Promise performance improvements or Possibly consolidate inventories by
Keeping large amounts relatively less Expensive base transmission oil on hand And bringing them into spec with Additives Unfortunately the use of these ATF Additives may be detrimental to the Transmission The fluid the additives are being added To are already fully formulated for Their design purpose adding anything to Them can upset their chemistry and cause Them to lose protective and performance Qualities to the point of causing Permanent damage to the transmission Over time As discussed in the previous slide ATF Additives can cause numerous problems With the base transmission fluid Shifting sluggishly in cold weather and Shutter are two problems that may be Noticed by the user less noticeable are The premature wear and corrosion that Take place over time The following slides examined lab Testing that clearly demonstrate some of These problems Let’s examine cold temperature Performance Transmission manufacturers specify Maximum cold temperature fluid viscosity Limits to ensure proper lubrication at Startup and proper shift performance in Cold weather The ASTM d2983 Brookfield viscosity test
Is a test used by the lubricant industry To measure the viscosity of fluids at Low temperatures Taking a measurement at minus 40 degrees Celsius is a common transmission fluid Specification requirement The result of this test is expressed in Cinepoise The higher the centipoise the more the Fluid resists flow the maximum Brookfield viscosity limits at minus 40 Degrees Centigrade for four OEM Transmission fluid specifications are Shown in this graph the untreated Dexron Mercon base fluid easily meets the Dexron Mercon Brookfield viscosity Measurement required by its Specification When a typical automatic transmission Fluid additive was introduced to Dexron Mercon base it fails to meet the Original specification This is clear evidence of how ATF Additives can interfere with the Properties of the base ATF An additive meant to improved Performance degraded it in this category In contrast a purposely designed Multi-vehicle ATF easily meets the Brookfield viscosity requirements of all The specifications on the chart Now we’ll examine wear protection The ASTM d-5182 fcg wear test is used to Gauge resistance to scuffing loads which
Are common in automatic transmissions at Each stage a progressively heavier load Is applied to a set of gears and Scuffing of the gears is evaluated The fluid protecting the gears will Either pass or fail the load stage based On this evaluation The negative effects of ATF supplements Can have on a fully formulated Transmission fluid is again demonstrated By this result the untreated Dexron Mercon Type transmission fluid produced An fcg pass rating of 10. when a typical ATF additive was added to this fluid it Interfered with the original fluid’s Design protective properties and lowered The rating to nine The multi-vehicle Amsoil ATF produced an Fcg pass rating of 12 which surpasses Many OEM Vehicle Manufacturer Specification requirements once again Proving the superiority of a Well-formulated fluid Perform well the friction surfaces in an Automatic transmission and locking Torque converter have to slip enough to Engage smoothly then firmly locked to Transmit power without slippage Well-formulated automatic transmission Fluid contains friction modifier Additives that are carefully designed And built into the product to promote This process over the advertised fluid Life
If the required frictional performance Level is not met the clutches and other Friction surfaces will slip and lock Intermittently under load causing Shutter If severe enough the driver will hear And feel this If mild it may not be noticed by the Driver but will contribute to Inefficiency and may cause future Transmission problems ATF additive manufacturers attempt to Address shutter by including highly Friction modified additives in their Products These additives may have a dramatic Impact at first but this test Demonstrates what could happen when a Typical ATF additive is added to a base Transmission fluid The ATF supplement initially boosts the Base’s anti-shutter performance but the Results of this modified SAE severe Anti-shutter durability test show the Benefit is short-lived in less than an Hour the anti-shutter performance level Of a base ATF treated with a typical ATF Additive began to decline and within 1.5 Hours fell below the minimum performance Reference line In contrast the well-formulated fluid Maintained its ability to resist shutter In this test for close to six hours ATF additives cannot take the place of a
Carefully designed additive package Built into well-formulated fluids The test Illustrated in this Presentation demonstrate that using ATF Additives is a Gamble The only way to ensure your transmission Is well protected and will operate Correctly is to use a fluid designed to Meet its needs Amsoil ATF and ATL are high quality Transmission fluids engineered to the Highest performance requirements Contained within multiple transmission Fluid specifications They are specifically designed to reduce Confusion consolidate inventory and Provide superior protection to help Extend transmission life Amsoil ATF and ATL are warranted by Amsoil for use in a wide range of Domestic and import vehicle Transmissions as identified on the Product labeling There are several more reasons not to Use ATF additives that were not in the Scope of this presentation but key Points to remember are ATF additives can Upset the chemistry of any fluid that They are added to possibly resulting in Degraded performance excessive wear and Long-term damage Due to the proven negative effects of These additives the use of any Aftermarket additive product in an
Amsoil transmission fluid will Immediately void the Amsoil warranty To conclude it’s important to remember That Amsoil transmission fluids are Carefully engineered high quality Products designed to meet the needs of Numerous Transmissions They will not benefit from the addition Of any ATF additive This concludes the presentation Thank you for taking the time to learn a Little more about ATF additives and what They can do to a transmission
