DIY: Full Flush for Automatic Transmission

I did the flush today using a drill pump. Total time not including cleanup was about 35 minutes.

I disconnected the output hose from the transmission on the passenger side and inserted a 3/8 to 3/8” brass hose barb.

I then put about 9’ of 3/8” ID clear tubing to the barb going to an empty 5 gallon bucket.

Installed 7’ of tubing from the metal tubing of the transmission output on the passenger side to the drill pump outlet. The drill pump was mounted to a piece of 1X6” board.





Then 4’ of tubing from the drill pump input to a fresh five gallon bucket of Valvoline MaxLife ATF with four gallons of fluid.

I had the white buckets very close to the driver’s door so could monitor and shut the engine off quickly. One bucket had markings per ½ gallon and I marked the other white bucket the same. I did wash and dry the new bucket before use.

I started the engine and operated the cordless 18V, 1600 RPM drill with a freshly charged battery. The pump kept up at full speed with the output of the transmission pumping the fluid out. The markings really helped as I watched each mark correspond to the other's 1/2 gallon mark. After almost four gallons were pumped out and in I quickly shut the engine off.



I had almost two more quarts additional from a previous fluid change on my wife’s Corolla which I then put in the bucket. I pumped that in the truck with the engine shut off.

I removed the fluid transfer hoses and barb then reinstalled the A/T hose. I started the truck and let it idle for a few minutes then drove around the block several times until the Bluetooth OBD2 A/T temp reading was about 118F. I removed the over flow plug and about a quart of very clean fluid poured out. I put the overflow plug back in and checked for any leaks then cleaned up. There was very little spill. The drill pump did leak a very small amount from the shaft but a paper towel took care of that.

The parts were: drill pump ($12.99 Amazon), 20’ clear 3/8” tube ($3.99 Lowes), the 3/8” to 3/8” hose barb ($2.99 Lowes), the hose clamps which came in a pack of 10 ($3.85 Amazon), the new 5 gallon white/clear marked bucket ($4.99 Lowes) and the ¾” to 3/8” couplings ($2.56 Amazon). The old fluid bucket was one I had purchased many years ago. The MaxLife was from Wally World at $18 each gallon.

The OBD2 Bluetooth adapter was $23 from Amazon but I consider this a tool to be used many times on many different vehicles.

The drill pump and the tubing was thrown away after. I decided I didn’t want to keep these around for the next few years with transmission fluid in them

My 2006 Tacoma 4X4 has 42K miles. For the past 9+ years it was literally driven to Lowes or Home Depot on Saturdays and to church on Sundays. I was way over worked and had a company provided truck during those years. It is now a daily driver so I am keeping it up for the next 10 years.

The old fluid was not too bad, dark but very slippery to the touch and still had some good smell to it.

Many, many thanks to the OP “mountain lion” for getting me motivated, I couldn’t have done this without his post.

regards, Steve

update 10/23: 150 miles after the flush the transmission is really shifting smoothly. It wasn't bad before but I do notice a difference. Time and money well spent I believe.

I dropped and cleaned the pan, filter and magnets. It was not very dirty but it was the right thing to do.

 

Excellent! Congrats! Another successful DIY for the drill pump method.

 

Another success story. I had wanted to get this done in the spring, right when I rolled 100k miles, but kids, work, life, etc... fast forward to last week, and my Taco began making a grinding type sound when going forward from a stop. Then it began to shift a little rough. Time to get this done. Called the local dealer and was quoted $345 for a flush.

I used the drain the pan, fill the pan, then move to the cooler method. Pan drained about 2.25 quarts, and I refilled it with 3. Capped it off and moved up front. The harbor freight pump worked just fine to add trans fluid through the return, no mess of any kind. Removing the grill helped immensely too. Pumped out 2.5 quarts 4 times, put a little over 2.5 quarts of new in each time. Reconnected everything and started the truck. No leaks, everything looks good.

No, here's where I crapped my pants. I had a little trouble getting the truck into ATF Temp mode, apparently I wasn't shifting from N to D to N fast enough. After my fourth attempt, I finally got it, but the truck dropped from 1000rpm to 500rpm and shifted WAY differently than it normally does. I panicked, shut the truck off and swore a lot. Turned the truck back on, still with OBD plugs jumped, and it went right back to low rpm and rough shift. Stopped it, disconnected the wire, and started the truck in normal mode. Truck sounds and shifts just fine. Okay, I guess that's just how ATF temp mode works. I cleaned my pants, got back into ATF Temp mode and idled for about 15 min before the light came on. Drained about 3/4 of a quart and sealed everything up.

So far, so smooth. Noises are gone and shifts feel good. Only time will tell. Thanks to everyone in this thread for their ideas on how to get this done and save myself $245 in the process.

 

Awesome! So much win! Same thing happened to me, did not shift fast enough during AT temp check mode.

 

I used to be intimidated by temp check mode, but now I get irritated if I have to service a vehicle with a dipstick. It's nice to crack open that overflow plug and know that the level is perfect. I prefer that over wiping a dipstick umpteen times trying to tell if you've got it at the correct level or not.

 

I flushed both my 2010 tacoma and 2013 frs....
Used amsoil in the truck and redline in the frs...
Both worked great...
Added a trans cooler to the truck after burning the stock fluid up on the dunes...

 

Wow I just read 426 posts on flushing the ATF and I'm slightly confused. Is it this simple?

1. Drain 2-3 Qts from transmission drain plug
2. Refill with 3+ 1/3 Qts
3. Disconnect both lines from other side of transmission cooler. (Not quite sure where this is?)
4. Connect clear tubing to the in to transmission cooler line (this is the drain)
5. Connect another line to the back to transmission line with a way to pump fresh fluid in. Or only disconnect the drain line and fill at the transmission.
6. Cycle the engine on and off until fresh fluid is pumped into your bucket roughly 14 Qts
7. Enter temp check mode
8. Undo fill plug let drain until atf just weeps out.
9. If no aft weeps fill with more Atf and re-enter temp check mode.

 

It is absolutely that easy. I read the whole thread too, because I was so nervous about doing it, but it is exactly as described. Do yourself a favor and remove your grill. The Trans cooler will be staring you in the face. There's a picture back around page 20 that clearly indicates which line the Trans pumps fluid out of and which one you pump in to. You're basically taking the Trans cooler out of the loop and adding your pump and bucket.

I used 3/8 fuel line, about 4 ft worth and I was able to run the dump line into a container next to the driver side wheel so I could watch it fill and operate the Ignition.

Super easy. Gather your materials and take your time.

 

This was probably already covered but why drain and add fluid at the plug vs. just running it all at the trans cooler?

 

It's good to drain the fluid at the pan, that way you have all fresh fluid to start with. You don't have to add fluid at the plug, there's nothing wrong with adding through the cooler/hoses. Some people will open the fill plug to let air escape as the fluid is pumped into the pan.

 

I had a few reasons.

1. I opened the fill plug simply to make sure I could. On the off chance that something went wrong, I wanted to know that I could refill the trans from there.

2. Because of the issues I was experiencing prior to changing the fluid, I thought an issue might be that the fluid was low, and I wanted to see how much fluid was sitting in the pan. Sure enough, it seems as though I was about 3/4 quart lower than anyone else who drained their trans using this method.

3. I was on the fence about dropping the pan, and my decision was based on how the fluid looked and smelled when it came out. Because it looked to be in reasonable shape, I opted not to drop the pain, however I would have had no choice if I only used the cooler for drain and fill.

 

OK, what am i missing with the gaskets. Everyone mentions there are two gaskets needed, does the fill plug not use one?

 

If you're talking about the copper crush washers, I reused them, and have I think twice now.

 

These are a bit thinner than OEM but I've used them on my Taco and wife's Lexus and no leaks.

$12 Dorman 095-149 Aluminum Drain Plug Gasket, Fits M18 Compatible with Select Models, 10 Pack

http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B001C0CN84?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

Ooops, this is for the diff and transfer case. I don't remember the size of the ATF drain plugs. I'm thinking M14, but don't quote me that.

 

Watch this guy do a drain and fill. Personally I would have found which line dumps & which line fills. After finding that. Drain what I could at the drain plug, drop & clean pan install new filter. Replace pan and fill with 5 quarts, then run engine to pump out the rest of the old fluid. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WngXE_7vg-Q

 

$7 35178-30010

35178-30010 is M12

 

So my dad helped me with the flush on my 4Runner and he has a 2010 Tundra and just wondering if the process is the same for the Tundra? Same thing to hot wire the temp sensor?

Thanks again

 

It should be a similar process, just locate the right hoses and it should work the same way. I think the Tundra has a trans dip stick so no need to do the temp check. The Tundra will probably take more fluid also....

 

Nice write up. I will definitely learn how keep up with my maintenance!

 

No dipstick on the Tundra, hence why I ask if it is the same to hot wire the temp sensor for the ATF