Transmission Maintenance for 2nd Gen Tacomas : when is the right time?

Yep, your shifts will not be as firm

 

I did the full flush (at the dealer) around 70k and will be doing the drain and fill from now on...

 

because Toyota couldnt add a stupid dipstick, drain and fills are my only way to check fluid level and color. I will probably go every 30k at most. Full flush, who knows

 

Not strictly true. There is an inspection port and a process (basically warming up the trans) for checking fluid level. You could also take a sample with a syringe and flexible tubing.

 

if youre going that far, just drain and fill

 

I have a MT and will never do it. These trans hold up just fine with what's in there.

 

It's a lot more work and mess to drain and refill, then to pull a plug and stick your finger in the hole. Don't forget to sniff it

 

are you talking MT or AT. Im talking AT, and dont know of any inspection port

 

Here is a video I made showing the procedure for a drain and refill. I noticed quite a bit of build up on the magnet (as shown in the video). I waited until 130k miles. I bought the truck at 80k. I didn't notice a massive difference in shifting but I'll sleep better knowing it is fresh. Haven't decided on the interval I'm going to change it.
Edit: this is a manual trans.
https://youtu.be/j_ZEQcS0pg0

 

Automatic

Search is your friend

 

Im aware of those as ive done a drain and fill after 20k to check the fluid level as some were underfilled. I dont remember it being large enough to put your finger in as you have said.

 

I do the Pull the return line and drain the pan trick... Drain the pan, measure what came out (approx). Pour in that much, fire it up and catch much in the bucket. Shut it off, pour in more and do it again. Keep going (12 qts) and soon the stuff coming back is clean. Hook up the return and top it off at 130 degrees. I do this every 50K. I switched to amsoil in my sequoia. Taco only has 30k, so at 50k it will get the same. I hope this gets the blessing of the gear cruncher. I'm yet to drop the pan. Probably a no no, but I hope that if the fund stays clean that the filter will be ok. I figure that anything is better than nothing. $125 in fluid is WAYYYY cheaper than a $2500 tranny (not the Jenner kind either you assholes)

 

I suppose it depends on the finger

 

I think that's a poor choice. Especially if you're towing, hauling or really hammering on the trans. I drain and fill every 25-30 k w/ Redline. Do the same with my boxes and transfer case. But I'm expecting this truck to last north of 300k.

 

Every fluid in my truck gets regularly serviced with the exception of the tranny. I don't tow because these trucks aren't built for towing and I only hammer down on the trail. I obviously can't see into the future but I'd almost guarantee that my transmission will be the least of my issues in the long run.

 

What model year are you? How many miles?

 

2010 OR with 50k.

 

Sub'd

 

I did a full fluid swap and filter per the writeup but I got the 05 with 145k. Put in valvoline multi (from wallworld). For me my old fluid was brown and the truck had a vibration from 25to30mph under light acceleration. With new fluid that doesn't happen. Also seemed that the fluid was a little low (more went in then came out)

 

I have 2006 Tacoma Prerunner, 4.0 engine, 5 speed automatic. I believe the 2nd generation runs from 2005 all the way to 2015. My truck has 170,000 and it runs great. I did not have my trans serviced at the local dealer until it had 100,000 on it. After that the dealer informed me that it needed to be done every 30,000 or 2 years whichever occurred first. Since that time, I have done a simple drain and fill just as the dealer would do. That's right that is exactly what the dealership does. Here's all it involves: 1. remove the fill plug. 2. remove the drain plug and drain and it should be right at 3 quarts. 3. Now here is what the dealership does. Leaving the oil drain plug out, just run a quart through the tranny. The dealership never replaces the filter because it is a wire mesh element and running though a quart of fluid will be sufficient to clean it. 4. Just reinstall the drain plug and fill it with 3 quarts and reinstall the drain plug. THE END! Of course you have to retorque the refill plug and drain plug to spec's. I obtain this info from a friend of mine that works at a Toyota dealership. I have followed this practice now for 17 years and had ZERO problems.