Quote:
Originally Posted by jtlemon
I am not an expert on toyota's however I am an ASE certified master technician and a GM master technician and here is my two cents:
1- Automatic transmissions do not have a "neutral gear" when they are in neutral none of the clutches are applied and everything is basically freewheeling. what wears in an automatic transmissions is the clutches, and they only wear if they are slipping (ie low hydraulic apply pressure), or during the brief moment they slip as they they are applied, until they are fully applied and the assembly is now rotating at the same speed. the only wear you are doing to the transmission is the additional shifting, which is nothing to be too concerned about.
2- the manufacturer will not deny a warranty claim because you have been shifting into neutral. i have seen GM warranty transmissions that were physically broken in half from abuse. the vehicle data recorders that are on the vehicles give us a snapshot of up to 2 min of data when a dtc occurs, and it is a pretty limited amount of data we have.
3- as long as the engine is running, the transmission pump is providing lubrication. chrysler in particular does not run the pump in park, but all transmissions run the pump in neutral and will be lubricated.
In short, i wouldn't be afraid of damaging a transmission by putting it in neutral, no matter how new or old the car is. modern automatic transmissions are extremely robust and can handle a surprising amount of abuse. To put your mind at ease, I work primarily on oil field trucks that spend most of their time off-road and see more abuse than people can imagine, and it is surprising how few failures we see.
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Although, out of fear, I have switched back to not coasting in neutral, your response made me feel better, thank you. My boss did say though (but he's also not a mechanic...hahah) that although my automatic 2008 Scion's engine may be pumping some transmission fluid even in neutral, that it wouldn't pump out as much as really needed because the car would "think" it was stopped and not moving at 40-60 mph. Is that true?
And to all of the psychic mockers.
I am the real deal, but I don't specialize in tuning into my car's transmission. And, psychics are not given things like winning lottery numbers because that is not the right use of our gifts. Also, when I am emotionally attached to the verdict (i.e. hoping to become a millionaire) I have a hard time getting clear information. My desire makes my logical mind get in the way. Warner Bros. tested me on camera and was willing to spend millions on a TV show in 2007, so you can ask them.
If not for the stupid Fox Network, I'd be driving an Aston Martin right now...not that I don't love my Scion.
Atheria