He could not stay at McLaren with the ambitions that Ron Dennis had for the team, so when he was let go he had to find an other seat.Īlfa Romeo were in to getting a F1 team once more, rather than "only" being an engine manufacturer, and Andrea were entrusted as being the Italien (Italian?) driver in the team. This part of the reason that Andrea were one of the McLaren drivers when Ron Dennis and Project 4 took over McLaren.Īndrea were not a poor driver, but obviously not a great driver either. I belive that the Project 4 when in Formula " were actually funded by the European part of Marlboro (or Phillip Morris). Regular transmision fluid changes could save you thousands of dollars.Andrea de Cesaris as I recall it was the son of the European or Italian Marlboro President, or at least close to the top guy. In some cases, transmission overheating can even lead to engine coolant overheating!Ĭonsider having your transmission fluid change more frequently than the recommendation in your owners manual. Problems in the engine cooling system itself will also diminish ATF cooling efficiency. At 220 degrees, which is commonly encountered in many transmissions, the fluid is only good for about 25,000 miles.Īny number of things can push ATF temperatures beyond the system's ability to maintain safe limits: towing a trailer, mountain driving, driving at sustained high speeds during hot weather, stop-and-go driving in city traffic, "rocking" an automatic transmission from drive to reverse to free a tire from mud or snow, etc. cuts the life of the fluid in half! At 195 degrees F., for instance, fluid life is reduced to 50,000 miles. And most of these can be blamed on worn out fluid that should have been replaced.Īs a rule of thumb, every 20 degree increase in operating temperature above 175 degrees F. The only way to repair the damage now is with an overhaul or a replacement transmission - a job which can easily run upwards of $2500 or more on a late model front-wheel drive car or minivan.Īccording to the Automatic Transmission Rebuilders Association, 90% of ALL transmission failures are caused by overheating. Eventually the clutches burn out and the transmission fails. At higher temperatures the transmission begins to slip, which only aggravates overheating even more. If the temperature gets above 250 degrees F., rubber seals begin to harden, which leads to leaks and pressure losses. As heat destroys the fluid's lubricating qualities and friction characteristics, varnish begins to form on internal parts (such as the valve body) which interferes with the operation of the transmission. And once that happens, the trouble begins.Īt elevated operating temperatures, ATF oxidizes, turns brown and takes on a smell like burnt toast. The problem is even normal driving can push fluid temperatures well beyond safe limits. But if the fluid temperature goes much higher, the life of the fluid begins to plummet. If fluid temperatures can be held to 175 degrees F., ATF will last almost indefinitely - say up to 100,000 miles. Normal driving will raise fluid temperatures to 175 degrees F., which is the usual temperature range at which most fluids are designed to operate. It doesn't take long for the automatic transmission fluid (ATF) to heat up once the vehicle is in motion. Most owner's manuals have longer service intervals for automatic transmissions, but these intervals may be too long.Īn automatic transmission creates a lot of internal heat through friction: the friction of the fluid churning inside the torque converter, friction created when the clutch plates engage, and the normal friction created by gears and bearings carrying their loads. For optimum protection, You may want to change transmission fluid every 36,000 miles.
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