Transmission 2016-2023- 6 SPEED AUTOMATICS COULD BE LOW ON FLUID DIRECTLY FROM FACTORY

After filling mine up with a quart I can say my truck drives smoother. The transmission no longer feels harsh from R ----> D when cold

It also doesn't lunge forward anymore or feel clunky going into gears

 

That's good to hear. I hate feeling like my truck with 500 miles on it is going to leave me stranded

 

I just picked up my truck. It was 1/2 of a quart low according to the paperwork. Feels good right now. Hopefully it will tomorrow when it has been sitting all night. Fingers crossed

 

There have been multiple cases where the transmission had to be filled twice by the dealer .
I believe technicians are being fooled by the overflow dripping rather than an actual flow to indicate the transmission is filled properly

If any of you are checking the fluid on your own , could you post up the part numbers for the seals used on the plugs . I would like to update the first post with some part numbers .

 

Ouch! Haha.
I had leather, PPF and some other stuff installed so they have me a rental.. but I told them I wouldn't take a Prius! They laughed and gave me a Scion XB which I ended up liking quite a bit. Fun car but was glad to get the Tacoma back.

 

Part number for transmission level overflow bolt gasket:

$7 35178-30010

35178-30010 torque to 15 ftlbs
Didn't change the fill plug gasket. No leaks.

 

I might be one of those people because my truck doesn't feel any different at all after they worked on it. They said it was 1/2 a quart low. Will have to take it back....Hopefully I won't have to get another prius.

 

That would be a good time to get them to check your rear differential for low oil . The word is out that Toyota is not filling transfer cases , diffs and transmissions . Rear U bolts are under torqued and no grease other than assembly lube in the drive shafts

 

Mine was a little over a half quart low and I didn't notice any problems before I checked it and it feels the same after. just an FYI.
I'm going to pin the cooler tomorrow and check it again just to make sure... I'll post my results.

 

Had it in as soon as i saw this thread... they said it was fine. Just checked it myself. other than the residual in the "straw" not a drip came out. Headed to the dealership right now.

 

All you have to do is push in the thermostat once and you can do it anytime the truck is running. This will guarantee that your air cooler is full or has been filled when you check the fluid

 

Well, I checked the transmission again today. I pinned the cooler and removed the check plug and just a drop came out but after only two pumps of ATF, IT started to run. Basically it was already full. Maybe it didn't matter or maybe I already triggered the cooler before I topped the transmission last time, which originally was .55 quarts low.
I also check my front differential today and it was over 1/3 of a quart low. My rear was a 1/2 quart low but I filled that when I originally checked my transmission fluid.
I also stuck some of those plastic plugs on the front A arms so we'll see if that stops the funny howling.

 

Well, reading all these posts made me paranoid, especially since I have a tow package as well. So today after letting the truck sit for 3 hours I figured it was time to check. Went to pull the check bolt first with a 5mm hex and I had about 800 ml of fluid pour out. Thought maybe I didn't let it cool enough so I added 800 ml of new fluid through the fill bolt waited another 3 hours and pulled the check bolt again. Again I had fluid poor out, about 600 ml. Not sure what to do I added about 700 ml, 100 more than what I started with and left it at that. So...

1. My truck came over filled with transmission fluid.
Or
2. My truck was under filled by quite a bit , but somehow I don't have a check straw and I initially drained the only quart that was in it.
Or
3. The slight grade of my garage is more than a "slight grade", enough to affect the level of the fluid.
Or
4. I royally f'ed up somewhere.

I'm assuming number 1 is the most likely but bizzar that it was over filled. Should I be worried about my transmission being so overfilled, I've put 3000 miles on the truck since I got it and haven't observed any weird transmission issues. What's the likelihood of breaking seals?

Edit:
After thinking about it for a while I am wondering if checking it while the engine was off would have the transmission unprimed and thus filled with a lot more fluid than if it was running. Thoughts?

 

If you weren't experiencing anything weird why did you even check it ???

 

Low trans fluid, might as well throw rear diff. (& front diff. if 4x) on list of things to check.. It complements the loose U bolts...

People would be amazed at the lack & laziness to detail their new truck/car gets from dealers "new car prep" Which is supposed to deliver a "turn key" vehicle, Some come with NO fluid in diffs, & YOU pay a nice chunk of $$$ for this service, its up to the new owner to be on top of this before you take posession, ask those questions & don't settle for half ass'd answers.....

 

You've got to be kidding
Dude, you're supposed to check the transmission fluid with the truck running.
Do a search and find out how to check it properly

 

Edit:
After thinking about it for a while I am wondering if checking it while the engine was off would have the transmission unprimed and thus filled with a lot more fluid than if it was running. Thoughts?[/QUOTE]

You just answered your own question . I am glad you posted mind you . I am sure there will be others that make the same slip up .
Engine must be running .

 

Did the check yesterday, was only a little more then half a quart low. For my piece of advice, make sure that 5mm hex is fully seated in the check bolt, I nearly stripped the thing putting it back in but it hex was only in there a couple mm... but it's all good. Getting to the fill plug was a pain though. Mine is a Mexico build if people care.

Also did the whole grease the zerks (all dry), change the oil, tighten the u-bolts, check the diff levels (good enough). It was a good day.

 

Well I went and checked again this morning with the engine on. Went through the whole proper procedure this time. In my rush yesterday I had a brain fart, thanks everyone for correcting me.

The results, I was roughly 700 ml low. FYI I did pin the thermostat.

TRDTacoma626, the reason I checked even though I didn't have any symptoms was simply for peice of mind, and I'm glad I did as I was low.

Maybe it's just a placebo affect but I do feel like it shifts a little bit smoother now too.

Last thing I need to check now is the differentials.

 

Got my transmission fluid, ubolts, ujoints checked level was low u bolts wherent torqued to specs and u joints where dry!
Trd offroad dc sb 4x4 w/tow Vin starting with 5