The gearbox is the second, after the engine, the most important element in your car. With it, you can adjust the speed to the right gear. Gearboxes can be divided into manual – one in which the driver adjusts the gear to the speed himself and automatic – which “itself” changes gears depending on the engine load.
Still more drivers in their cars have manual transmissions, so we will focus on such describing the following guide.
We will answer: what are the causes of gearbox wear, how to protect gearboxes from wear and what are the most common user errors in the operation of the gearbox. You will also learn what addition to the gearbox to choose, what benefits can be brought by the use of this type of preparations and whether they allow you to avoid repairing the gearbox.
Gearbox wear – reasons
Why do gearboxes wear out? Transmission wear depends on several factors, below we will list the most important.
Too fast and abrupt gear changes
Too fast, abrupt gear changes are the most common cause of transmission wear. As a result of changing gears too quickly, the gears do not have enough time to fit together perfectly. They hit one against the other and run “does not enter” or “enters” by force . The synchronizers suffer the most from this, the wear of which is manifested by the fact that the transmission grinds when changing gears.
Below is a worn gearbox synchronizer.
Used, unreplaced oil in the gearbox
As a rule, we remember to change the oil in the engine, assuming that in the gearbox you do not need to change the oil. Although many manufacturers do not provide for an oil change in the gearbox, it is worth doing such a replacement. Contaminated and overworked oil reduces the effectiveness of protection of metal friction surfaces, especially in adverse conditions such as high or low temperatures. Thus, it leads to wear of the gearbox. Changing the oil in the gearbox is not an expensive procedure and should be done at least every 100,000 km, which will certainly increase the service life of the transmission.
Has your car had the oil in the transmission changed? If not, it is worth replacing it prophylactically.
Too little oil, oil leaks from the gearbox
Too little oil leads to overheating of the friction mechanisms in the gearbox and avalanche wear of bearings, gears and synchronizers. In extreme cases, it can even lead to seizure of the transmission and immobilization of the vehicle.
It is necessary to regularly visually check that there are no oil leaks from the gearbox or semi-axle. A good time for this is, for example, seasonal tire replacement (when the car is on the lift). The warning light should be traces of oil in the parking place of the vehicle. The average gearbox will hold about 2 liters of oil, so even with a slight leak and no control of the oil level in the transmission (most vehicles do not have a bayonet to check the level of oil in the transmission) – after a year or two there may be a complete loss of oil and avalanche wear and even a failure of the gearbox.
Do you remember the last time you checked the oil level in the gearbox? If not, it is worth ordering an inspection of the oil level in the transmission at the next visit to the workshop.
Keeping your hand on the gear lever – when not needed
Some drivers out of habit keep their hand on the stick / knob of gear shift, do not know that such a “habit” leads to wear of gear synchronizers. Even a slight tension of the gear lever can cause a slight movement of the rods, which in turn move the synchronizer ring to change gears and thus consume it unnecessarily. Therefore, use the gear stick only for shifting and after changing gears, remove your hand from the gear knob.
Failure to adjust the gear to the vehicle speed
Young drivers during driving lessons get clear guidelines on when to change gears and how to adjust it to speed. Experienced, as a rule, do it on feeling. Driving in the wrong gear – both too high and too low in relation to the travel speed causes wear on bearings that work on too high a load. The metal balls in the bearings are wiped off, leading to noisy gearbox operation in every gear, intensifying with the speed of the vehicle. The cross-border clearance on the gearbox shafts caused by wear of the gearbox bearings can in extreme cases even lead to incorrect interlocking of modes and gearbox failure in the form of breaking the gear modes.
The gearbox needs regeneration and what next?
Then there is usually a search engine and a preliminary self-diagnosis and a key question: can I drive with this fault and how much does the repair cost. Then the dilemma: fix it yourself or give the car to a mechanic?
The gearbox is a very precise mechanism, and its repair is often a more complicated process than repairing or regenerating the engine. The multitude of elements such as modes, guides, rings, synchronizers, locking balls, bearings, washers causes that the omission of one small element during assembly may lead to its destruction during operation.
Therefore, we should approach the regeneration of the transmission ourselves only with a lot of experience in vehicle mechanics and what is very important – having a thorough repair book with the component diagrams of the transmission elements. When we do not have experience, time and conditions in the form of a channel and tools, it is better to rely on the mechanic. In order to price the repair, you should look for a mechanic who has experience in repairing gearboxes.
Repair and regeneration of the gearbox is a time-consuming and extremely precise work.
Most often, the repair of the gearbox, consists in:
- Determination on the basis of the symptoms of the gearbox operation (even before its disassembly) of potential elements responsible for the malfunction of the mechanism.
- Removing the box from the vehicle.
- Decomposed into components (to the extent necessary for repair).
- Determination of the degree of wear of individual components – bearings and synchronizers are accurately diagnosed, among others.
- Replacement of damaged, unrepairable parts with new ones or regeneration of reusable components.
- Putting everything together using new seals and sealants.
- Installation of the gearbox in the vehicle and pouring new oil.
Basically, worn elements in the gearbox are replaced with new ones.
On the occasion of the removed gearbox, it is also worth replacing the elements sealing the gearboxes such as semi-axle seals and clutch shaft sealant.
Gearbox repair – price
How much does it cost to repair a gearbox? It all depends on what the cause of wear is and what model of vehicle you have. We will pay the most in authorized services. That is why it is worth knowing the prices in smaller workshops, especially those that specialize in gearbox repairs. The choice of parts will be consulted with us by a mechanic. Despite the fact that the original parts will be more expensive than replacements, taking into account that the cost of repairing the gearbox will still be high – it is better to invest in “originals”. For example, the cost of regeneration of the Honda Civic gearbox from 2008 consisting in replacing bearings, 2 synchronizers, installing new gaskets and changing the oil will be about PLN 3,000-4,000 in an authorized service and PLN 1500-2000 in an unauthorized plant.
Sometimes the cost of repairing a worn gearbox can be very high, so it is worth using a proven addition to the gearbox with regenerating properties.
An alternative form of gearbox regeneration – additions to the Ceramizer gearbox
Replacing and regenerating the gearbox is often the best, but expensive solution that immobilizes the car for at least 1-2 weeks.
In the case of problems such as grinding when changing gears (problem with synchronizers) or loud operation of the transmission (most often caused by bearing wear), it is worth using a preparation regenerating the gearbox – Ceramizer CB.
The Ceramizer CB gearbox regenerator
regenerates metal friction surfaces of the gearbox such as bearings, synchronizers. As a consequence, in case of moderate wear – it will silence the work of the transmission and eliminate grinds when changing gears. The preparation creates a ceramic-metal coating, which additionally protects the transmission against further wear.
How long does it take to regenerate a gearbox with Ceramizer?
You will notice a noticeable difference after driving a few hundred kilometers, and the full process takes 1500 kilometers. Such a regenerated gearbox will certainly serve for a long time – the protective coating has a durability of 100,000 km.
Ceramizer for gearbox, is it worth it?
If you want to avoid spending several thousand zlotys on transmission repair, it is worth trying Ceramizer – it is a safe addition, the effectiveness of which is confirmed by over 240 pages of opinions. Ceramizer has been available on the market for over 15 years, and the small cost of the preparation (PLN 66) combined with its effectiveness and benefits from the use is certainly an interesting proposition and form for the regeneration of gearbox mechanisms and protecting them against further wear.
However, it should be added that Ceramizer will not help in every case. It will not help when the wear of the gearbox is cross-border or when there has already been a failure (e.g. a broken tooth of the mode).
For the future – prevention
If you care about the gearbox of your car, follow the following recommendations:
- While driving, adjust the gear to the appropriate speed.
- Control and liquidate possibly. leaks from the gearbox or semi-axles.
- Change gears sensitively, slowly and smoothly.
- Check that the oil in the gearbox has been replaced (it should be changed about every 100,000 km).
- Apply the preparation, an additive to the Ceramizer CB gearbox, which in case of moderate wear of the transmission – will not only silence the gearbox, but also eliminate grinding and extend its service life.
