QuestionHello Steve.
First let me say that this is an invaulble service that you are providing. And your experitise and kindness raise the bar for everyone.
My goal is to be a decent home mechanic that can do all the tune ups/ routine maint to my car. And I have three questions, that I hope you can help me with.
Auto Trans: torq converter.
I have a ford taurus 2002 ses. Runs like a dream. I would like to change the transmision fluid filter soon (its got 20K miles), and would like to know if and how I should try to drain and change the fluid that is in the torque converter?
Chassis Lube:
What is a chassis lub exactly. I looked at the haynes book for my car, and it does not list it as a sched maint, however the OEM manual that came with it lists chassis lube as a schd maint.
It a chassis lub repacking the c/v joints,ball joints, control arms bushing area? Or is it something else.
Wheel bearings:
How would I go about lubing the wheel bearings for the taurus. Or is this car setup with bearings that dont need an overhaul.
Thanks again for all of your help.
Dan
AnswerDan-
Draining the torque converter...that's generally something you won't need to do until around 50K-75K miles or 5 years...whichever comes first. If you drive the car really hard you might consider it sooner. For now changing the pan fluid should be just fine.
"Chassis lube" refers to the grease on bushings and really anywhere there's metal-metal or bushing contact. It helps things move easier and prevents squeaks and creeks. A lot of people simply use bearing grease...I personally use naval jelly.
Wheel bearings...you shouldn't need to overhaul them...although it is a good idea to change them periodically...I do it whenever I change my rotors. If you've never packed a bearing with grease before it would be a good idea to buy a bearing packer. It's a relatively cheap little tool that will pack the bearing for you so you don't get bearing grease all over yourself like you would when hand packing them. Hope this helps.
Steve
