i have a few more points to add!
1) you should never give water a chance to get into any tranny! run a breather!!!!!
even if water gets in, you will make it home but should definetly change fluids as soon as possible; otherwise the internal parts of your tranny will start to rust eventhough there is oil in there, or ATF!
2) whenever i go wheeling, i bring enough spare fluids to change everything! call me paranoid, but if you run into a major problem and you're way out there somewhere it's nice to at least have some simple resources to get you back up and running.
i've had to help a guy repair his busted tranny(auto) cooler line on a grand cherokee at the little sluice in rubicon. he had no spare fluid and said that about 30 or so rigs (mostly jeeps) had driven by and when he asked them for some his reply was some laughter. either way, he made it home.
3) if you're going to run an auto, make sure you have plenty of cooling! run the fluid through the cooler in the radiator and then through an auxilliary cooler, preferably a honeycomb type. they're a lot more efficient than the old tube and fin design. alos does not hurt to run a small power steering cooler.
4) you can start an automatic in any gear as long as you bypass the neutral safety switch but i would not recommend doing this for everybody. can cause accidental starting in gear(common sense should prevail).
5) the only auto you can pushstart is a chevy powerglide and a couple of really early autos that you'd never run in a 4X4.
6) the most fluid and auto will hold is 18 quarts (ford E4OD and allisons), which you won't see on the trail. most trannies hold 10 to 12 quarts.
7) a couple of people have mentioned this allready but i'll say it again: autos are MUCH easier on your drivetrain!!!!! the smooth power and ttoraue application will save your gears and u-joints.
8) when i say that a major internal problem with an auto will leave you stranded i mean major!it's not very common and like somebody else mentioned, autos will let you know when there's a problem before a while before it's too late.
9) it's much easier to overhaul or repair a manual trans than an auto!
mannual trannies have on the average 50 to 75 components. autos start at 250 to 300, not counting hardware in either case. the valvebody alone on most autos has more parts than most standards.
anybody can rebuild a standard with well written instructions. same can not be said with autos, and they do require a lot more spacialized tooling.
i'll leave it at that for now, but do remember: IT IS AND SHOULD ALLWAYS BE PERSONAL PREFFERANCE!!!!!!!
