How long could it go with no ATF fluid?

I've been changing my oil for about 50,000 miles now and I just realized I've never located the transmission drain plug. Where is it? I cant find photos of it with the full underbelly of the truck in the photo... the drain I typically do is the bolt that is exposed due to a little "U" cut in my stock skid plate.

If I did ever accidentally drain the wrong thing how soon would I notice?

 

as soon as you put it in drive

 

...well it wont go at all with "no ATF fluid" :0

The drain plug is a 14mm just about a foot aft of the front crossmember.

DC

 

oh, so if i've driven 50+ miles since pulling the plug its pretty safe to say I pulled the right one? (the dip stick not being overfilled is probably a good hint as well, lol)

 

X2

 

The transmission on the these trucks is a sealed unit. It's not easily changed by the end user and it's done for a reason. There is no dipstick or normal fill point for the transmission.

If you accidentally drained your transmission you'd know as soon as you started the truck and put it in gear. You would not get very far at all.

Have your transmission flushed at the recommended interval (IIRC, 60,000 miles) by the dealer.

 

plus atf is red you would of noticed(i hope)

 

Ya no ATF (the f stands for fluid by the way, no need to say it twice) means no torque converting. One end will just spin and you will go absolutely nowhere.

Also as mentioned the fluid is a bright red, very hard to miss. Looks nothing like motor oil.

 

I've read that Toyota says color of the WS ATF fluid in the V6 trannys is not indicative of health. Apparently that's because WS turns brown long before it's actually due for a change. Anybody have an opinion on this?

 

Years ago I rented a car with an AT that developed an ATF leak while I had it.

As the fluid leaked out, it was like driving a car with a clutch that was wearing down as you used it - I had to keep higher and higher RPMs just to keep speed, which was going lower and lower.

Managed to get back to where I was staying and called the rental car company - they brought out a tow truck and a replacement car.

So yeah, with no fluid at all, I don't think you're moving the car from where it sits - at least not under its own power.

 

I would hope you would notice the second the fluid started flowing red.

 

You'd notice the minute you look up at the middle of the truck removing a drain bolt that's no where near the engine.

 

If NOT the color, the smell. ATF has a very noticeable smell, different from oil, that comes from the friction modifiers that are based on amines. And you don't have to stick your face in the pan to smell it!

Also... to answer the question... it wouldn't go very long completely without ATF. In fact, wouldn't move at all, since fluid pressure is needed to operate valves and torque converter. You'd probably notice partial loss of fluid by flaky shifting way before permanent damage, unless you persisted in driving it that way.