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

So on another note called the dealer back that I got the truck from, although they are out of the way for me, they've basically told me they'll check it, if its not low I need to pay $109 for the inspection. If it is low they'll obviously address it under warranty.
Was interesting to find out the guy I was talking to used to work at the dealer I broght it to. Said he left because of the shop foreman there. Who was the same idiot who told me 'wait for it to go wrong' then bring it in. Like these morons have never heard of proactive maintenance.

But toyota corporate connected me to a closer dealer to see if they will do the check for me. They understood my concern and said they will acknowledge the complaint about the dealer I dealt with today with this bullshit. So the next dealer I talked to said they can't technically do it but the guy said he'll talk to the foreman about it and see what they can do and will get back to me tomorrow. He also asked for me to take a picture of the scangauge when its running hot.

 

so had it checked by the dealer I got it from who has heard of this issue etc. They did not find it low, but do acknowldge that its hitting 91C.
I asked where we can go from here as I'm concerned and they performed the update on the shifting, thinking this may help (so time will tell) since it only gets hot when shifting a lot in traffic and on the highway.

They also looked up full specs, according to them 22-108C is ok operating temps. Not sure how they feel that if ATF is only good to 93C(200F)
So not sure what to make of this. As its within spec for level (and I made sure they checked it at proper temps)
It normally sits at 86-88C but in stop and go traffic and rolling hills on the highway where it changes gears a lot it went up to 91C. So perhaps it is ok and its just getting hot and since this is also stop and go traffic there is limited air flow on the cooler. So maybe I just need to upgrade the cooler? My concern though, in which hopefully @gearcruncher could chime in, since I'm north of the wall as well, would upgrading the cooler to the one in the thread linked in here with the fan etc cause any concerns in the winter? Given it gets down to -30C if not colder here.

Really not sure where to go from here, I asked about doing a flush and refilling if that would help but they said not likely. Had no problem doing it if I want to pay but at $120 might not even be worth it. I haven't even picked it up yet, so still need to see if the update helps but ya. Can't decide what to do.

 

2017 Trd sport dc 12/16 Baja. So finally after two calls to corporate and serveral dealerships I had my transmission fluid checked manually. And guess what 1/2 quart low. Do I need to call corporate again to document this or is the service tag good enough?

 

I'd call. Make sure they are aware of it.

 

Is this the model that will work with the 3rd gen tacomas or is this for tundras?

 

Hey Joe . Try this link . It,s an excellent write up installing a cooler on the third gen
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-transmission-cooler-upgrade.482280/

 

i saw that one I was just wondering if the Tru-Cool one posted was good to the tacoma as well, I read better reviews on the tru-cool vs the hayden used in that thread.

 

I prefer the True Cool myself . For us Northern guys , the built in thermostat inside the True Cool will allow the transmission to warm up during those winter months .

 

just wondering if the one posted here the 4454 is sufficient size for the taco and can fit as well.
Just looked at specs its smaller than the one from Hayden posted in that thread so guessing it should be good?

 

The 4454 will fit fine .
Designed for 18,000 gvw
http://www.trucool.com/products/tru-cool-lpd

 

perfect, just waiting on an email with a shipping quote from a place out in Edmonton and will be ordering.

 

I live in Mississippi where it's not only hot but humid. I tow a car and trailer occasionally (total weight 3600lbs) and monitor my transmission temps with the ScanGauge. The highest I've ever seen the temp was a spike to 212 degrees and that returned within seconds to what appears to be my normal running temperature of 198 (with or without trailer). Why is everyone so worried about 200 degree atf temps? The engine is normally operating at 195 degrees, that has to affect the transmission temperature since both radiator cores are transferring heat in the same basic area.

 

Because most ATF is only good to 230degrees F so coming close is not a good thing. And a cool transmission is less stress on components so it will last longer. I've talked to three specialty shops now and they all said the same. Hitting 215F won't hurt it now. But in the long run running those temps often will hurt the life span of it.

If you don't plan to keep your truck till it dies by all means don't worry. For me though I want it to last as long as possible.

 

Everything I've seen says at a constant 220 degrees ATF should be replaced at 50,000 miles. Again, what's the big deal at 200 degrees.

 

like I said its not good for the lifespan of the transmission.
Is it good to redline the engine every time you accelerate? No
Similar idea.

Is it ok occasionally? Sure.
Your truck dude, do as you please.
I'd rather it stay cooler and last longer.

 

Ok... gotta ask... Gearcruncher, considering I too live in Mississippi, would pinning the cooler for everyday driving down here be fine? I'm considering it and since I really don't tow anything, I figure it's just keeping the transmission a bit cooler. I don't see the need to install another cooler if pinning this one would be enough.

What are your thoughts? It's not AZ, but it is usually pretty warm and the coldest we see is barely breaking freezing maybe once or twice a year if we are unlucky.

 

All I'm saying, dude, is the transmission temperature is normally going to run around 198 degrees in the summer months and apparently Toyota believes that's acceptable or they would have built in more cooling.

 

While I don't disagree w/ your statement that Toyota believes it's acceptable, I've read folks on here either pinning their cooler or adding a secondary cooler that get their trans temp down to 150-170 or so. I don't care what you do w/ your truck, but heat kills any lubrication fluid, so I'm w/ the other guy... keep it cool if at all possible and you will only extend the life of the parts that the fluid is trying to lubricate. I don't even tow anything and I'd rather have mine running cooler so that I can hand this truck off to my kid in about 7 years for his first vehicle.

 

I think Toyota is finding out the hard way to be honest . When Toyota introduced WS fluid back in 2003 it took them 2 years to begin using WS in the 2005 Tacoma,s and they came with a 100,000 mile fluid change interval .Dealerships were telling customers the fluid was a " lifetime" fluid and didnt need to be replaced .
Not too long after this , Toyota dropped the 100k fluid service interval down to 60 k ?
If we look at the mileage chart lower in this thread , its fairly explanatory . I have not seen a chart available for Toyota,s WS transmission fluid from a professional laboratory , but I have seen real world mileage on many Tacoma,s that were using WS fluid .
In my opinion , the listing below also stands true for WS fluid .
We are a little off topic here discussing coolers in a low fluid post . When I get a chance , I will try and put some stats together and start a general aftermarket cooler thread but I believe Lord Humongous did an excellent job researching before he added his aftermarket cooler . Have a peek at his cooler thread
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-transmission-cooler-upgrade.482280/
At 175 deg F life is 100,000 miles
At 195 deg F (20 deg above 175) life is 50k miles
At 215 life is 25k miles
At 235 life is 12k
At 255 life is 6,250
At 275 life is 3,000
At 295 life is 1500
At 315 life is 750

At temperatures much above 300 deg F the metals in the transmission will tend to warp, twist etc. high temperatures causes the formation of varnish deposits which impair or pre vent transmission operation.

At a fluid temperature of 415 deg F fluid life is 30 minutes!

Source: Empire Lubricants Inc.

 

Transmission was still slipping and feeling sluggish, I took it to the dealership and they finally did a proper inspection. It was reported 2 quarts low on fluid and when they opened the drain they found metal shavings. They replaced the transmission. Its about time! What a costly mistake to not include enough transmission fluid.