How to Drain/Refill Automatic Transmission

Is the factory AT fluid synthetic?
I was planning on taking my 5 lugger 4 banger to STS shop (local franchise tire and tranny shop)and replace all the fluid with synthetic. They claim to have a machine that will replace ALL the fluid in the tranny and converter. I use my truck to haul dirt bikes and gear so I'm running it at full load capacity (no towing, thought I have a hitch installed).

 

If you can, do it yourself with Toyota fluid.

 

Krookz!!! WOW! Great post and awesome pics. The proof really is in the pudding!

 

thanks alot for the help

 

Local quick lube has T Tech flush machine that puts back exactly what comes out, wouldn't that be a lot quicker and simplier, can it be done that way ?

 

How much are you guys paying per qt of ATF WS? Local dealer wants $8 each qt, it's got to be cheaper than that somewhere out there...

 

Well I found it for $5.79/qt at toyotapartsales.com (pt#00289-ATFWS if anyone is interested). Even if I buy a case it's $69.50 + $10.50 shipping which puts it right at the dealers price.

 

Just used this post to go at my Tranny. AWESOME and VERY helpful.

I would highly recommend the bottle pump. I cant imagine doing this tranny fluid change without it!

 

Did you have any issues getting the AT Temp light to illuminate? Was the video straight forward enough?

I'm glad the thread helped you out. I was pretty nervous the first time I went at it but soon found out it wasn't a big deal at all. Wanted to pass the info on...

 

Vid was VERY straight forward. When I had issues with the AT Temp light it was cause the wires weren't well connected. I figured it out cause I didnt have all the blinking "cruise" and "ABS" lights blinking like you did.

Once I did that, I guess since the truck was warm from a drive to get the tranny fluid and all the particulates in suspension, it took all of 1 minute to get up to temp!

My only word to the wise is if you use the bottle pump (highly recommended) dont trust EITHER end of the hose. The pump side blew off once cause of the pressure and the fill side came out of the hole a number of times even with the little grabber do-hickey. And tranny fluid doesnt smell so hot.

 

For those prerunners that have done this, does your AT Temp light illuminate when you turn the key to on? Mine definitely does not, so I'm not sure if it's there. Did we ever get confirmation about the 'D' light acting in place of the AT Temp light?

 

Newb question: My truck is an '07 4wd, 70k miles with a sealed tranny. How do you change the fluid? Is it still necessary? I would think so. Thanks

 

No such thing as a sealed tranny on a Tacoma - that's just a term someone falsely came up with to describe the transmission without a dipstick.

If you have a 4.0L V6 with the 5 speed auto transmission, this is the procedure to change your fluid. Fluid still needs to be changed, Toyota moved the recommended interval from 100K miles to 60K miles. All the info you require for this service is posted on the first page including fluid type and quantity, tools required, procedure, etc.

If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to ask.

 

Thanks a lot! Yeah, I thought that sounded odd. I'm gonna' get right on it.

 

That is an awesome post. My compliments.

About a year ago I called the local Toyota House and asked them about transmission service. They told me there was no transmission service and the transmission was a sealed unit. Which I thought was bizarre.

But I thought maybe they (Toyota Sevice Personnel) knew what they were talking about. Obviously they did not know. I have never heard of an automatic transmission that did not require periodical service. And I believe in servicing your automatic transamission because I do not know how to fix them.

Anyway a valuable post and again,...my compliments.

 

Do you even need to check the temp and the other steps after re-filling the tranny? 3 quarts came out, put 3 quarts it, shift through the gears, and that should work just fine, correct? Is the last step absolutely necessary?

 

The picture of the used fluid and the new fluid made me get an appointment to get mine changed asap as I have 62k on my truck! THANKS

 

That's a fair question. The short answer is yes, you could do that and probably be fine.

But I've noticed several posts from people on diff forums who say the fluid was low when they checked it, and actually replaced more fluid than they removed. So...<shrug>

Bottom line, if you want the level to be correct, yes you have to check the temp, etc.

 

Its your truck, if you don't find it necessary don't do it. It is however the correct way of doing it. You could measure what came out, but who is to say that the AT wasn't under-filled at the factory? Mine was.

Do you refill your engine oil according to what was drained?

 

Fortech, thank you very much for this detailed thread! I was one of the morons that emptied the transmission fluid while thinking it was the oil! I know if I did it, then there has been many others too!

It was a frustrating weekend, but with your very timely information, everything went smoothly! The hardest thing was finding the darn pump! Eventually found one at an auto parts store. It is definitely needed. No other way to get that stuff in there!

My truck has 34,000 miles on it and I am VERY glad this happened because just like the pictures above that compare new ATF and the used ATF, mine looked very similar. I can't imagine taking it to 100,000 miles!

Thanks again!