WS transmission fluid is garbage . Get it out of your transmission now

Gearcruncher,

I've found your posts very helpful. I'm late to the party on this one. At 52,000 miles my 2010 4WD 4.0/V6 Tacoma has never had it's transmission serviced.

I'm planning on doing the drain/pan drop followed by a flush, with the help of Lubegard ATF Flush.

I'm considering switching out from Toyota WS to Liquid Moly ATF (claims to be suitable for WS transmissions) and Liqui Moly ATF additive (or Lubeguard Platinum?)?

https://products.liqui-moly.us/top-tec-atf-1800-1.html

https://products.liqui-moly.us/top-tec-atf-1800-1.html


Also, if I stay with WS...would Lubegard Platinum be a good addition to it?

 

I've recently inquired about this with two local, independent and reputable shops who specializes in Toyota and they both support this. Both recommend not touching the transmission fluid.

I'm still on the fence as I approach 90K miles.

 

Unless you regularly towing 5000 lbs or running huge tires I wouldn't flush until 100k. Many owners including myself sent their fluid to Blackstone and it was in great condition.
I think the OP spread a lot of bad info about WS in regards to its quality and recommended flush intervals.

 

When you changed your fluid, did you stick with Toyota WS and did you add any additives such as Lubegard?

 

I stuck with Toyota WS and no additives.

 

WS and no additives.

 

Ask them if they will install a new transmission when it fails due to oil break down over time and never changing the fluid. Maybe they have seen cars/trucks with a lot of miles on them still working, but have they taken one apart to look at the condition of them? No matter what all oils break down over time. There is a reason why you change your motor oil all the time. All I can say is, by changing your transmission fluid regularly for sure it will last longer than one that has never had an oil change. Of course that is if nothing prematurely fails due to some defect in a part. I don't see why anyone would never want to change their transmission oil. A transmission is an extraordinary device with a lot of moving parts, I think its a good idea to keep good fluid in one. Not really that expensive to just change the oil in it every 60K or so..... Small investment on a part that can be very expensive to have rebuilt.

 

Pure speculation here...but I'm guessing the 99% of Tacoma owners that aren't on TW follow what Toyota (the manual) recommends and never change the transmission fluid. I've not seen reports of mass numbers of Tacoma transmissions failing.

Two Master Toyota Techs (not the oil change slugs) I know have shared with me that they rarely do transmission fluid flushes/changes. They also added that many, many of the Tacomas they service on a regular basis have well over 200K miles and have never had the transmission fluid touched.

 

Yes fresh fluid is better than old (heat cycled and particle collected). First thing that needs to be understood is Transmission Fluid is not as similar to motor oil as being conveyed, it is more similar to Hydraulic Fluid.

 

Been awhile since this thread has been refreshed. I'm at or over the 30K mark to send a sample of Valvoline Maxlife (w/ Lubegard Platinum) to Blackstone as promised. The question, for you my constituents, is do you want me to run WS this time, Valvoline again, or another brand?

Also I've had no issues with the Maxlife, same as when I was running Toyota WS. My driving has shifted to mostly highway runs of 60 miles a day as opposed to more off road work. I did add the URD EMS in February of last year if that makes a difference to anyone.

I will add that shifting to 5th in my girlfriend's automatic Focus with Maxlife/No Lube Gard causes it to slip like crazy. A bottle will be going in this weekend to see if it quells the slippage. Might just be a Ford/100K issue in which case she's getting a Tesla.


Correction I said 50K. Fuck it, I'll send a sample anyway.

 

Valvoline

 

not to quote an old post but the couple of the more reputable shops here basically told me the same thing when I went to have them flush my tranny at 100k. they convinced me not to do it. of course im still worried about it since a couple of gearcruncher's posts are about the misconception of lifelong tranny fluid, but if Toyota isn't having mass failures and shops are turning people away from doing the work, there must be something to it.


NOTE: im still worried that I should change it.

 

How much lubeguard did you use?

 

Just one bottle.

 

Do you think the lubeguard does anything? Actually need it?

 

I'm not a chemist so I couldn't tell you what it does on the molecular level or even how it qualifies as a friction modifier but I didn't have any issues in my truck. That being said I ran the MaxLife for a few thousand without it and didn't notice anything negative. I put it in just to fulfill the claims of it bringing the fluid to WS standards, whatever that means. I've also been looking at getting a Scan Gauge. Using that I could tell you if it at least reduces heat by the 9-12* they say it does.

HOWEVER, I did neglect to put it in my girlfriend's Focus this past change and shifting to 5th is a bitch. I'm dropping some Lubegard Platinum in today and I'll take it for a power run on the highway to see if there are any changes. The folks over at BITOG love Lubegard but there are also some that say unless you're dealing with an older trans that is having slipping/shudders then it's not doing much for you. I'll check back in and let you know how the super scientific test in the Focus goes.

 

I just replaced mine at 202k for the first time because i was getting shuttering and slow down shifts. I’ve got 400 miles on the new fluid and everything is back to normal. I have had up to 35” tires for 120k of the miles. I had a big boat and have a 14’ trailer that I tow occasionally. I spend time at the beach and will never say no to an invite for some trails and mud. Bottom line you shouldn’t be worried yet unless you are noticing something happening.

 

I flushed mine at 100K at the Toyota dealership. Whether they flushed it or just dropped the pan I have no clue but I paid for the full thing. No ill effects other than to my wallet. Do it yourself with the DIY on here and save some $$$.

Lubegard in the Focus was as successful as I could have hoped. Shifting into high gear was immediate and solid.

 

I'm new here, but I've been having transmission 'shudder' in my 2010 Tacoma, 4x2 DoubleCab w 99K miles. Bought this brand new 8 yrs ago and looks practically new - stays in garage when not in use, and I'm retired for 6 yrs - so now I drive it nice and easy. I've been very strong mechanically and use to work in the repair industry - so I knew I had to find a solution, and realy didn't think it required an overhaul, a converter, valve body modification, etc.

Anyhow - for the last six weeks I've read quite a bit about this 'shudder' problem, and posting about a potential fix with an aftermarket valve body kit, some suspicions about Toyota WS transmission fluid, and a transmission additive called 'Shudder Fix'. I'm generally not a fan of additives (till now) since they can sometimes affect seals, etc.

After some searching, I found a solid mechanic (trustworthy and accomplished in his skill sets - including transmission repair) here in Rock Hill SC who developed a theory after a short test drive. Having prior 'shudder' experience with Ford vehicles (and others) he suspected the WS fluid had broken down over time & heat (hotter summers in S.Carolina). To test his theory, he added a tube of 'Shudder Fix' and we went back 'on the road again' (just love that Willie Nelson song) for another test drive. Aaaahaaa... the 'shudder' was less severe within 2 miles of driving, and beginning to fade away each mile we drove. By the time I drove home and ran some errands (30 +/- miles) I could not get it to 'shudder' anymore. His process essentially ruled-out mechanical problems -and supported his theory that the WS transmission fluid was 'very tired'. Apparently it loses a very tight specification for coefficient of friction as the fluid ages and heats-up - and 'Shudder Fix' restores the coefficient to the 'tired fluid'. Happens more often in Southern US.

With my 'shudder' diagnosis -and prognosis, I'm scheduled to return to have the transmission flushed, and new fluid installed. He said he'd also add another tube of 'Shudder Fix' and it would not affect the fluid, seals, etc. Hope this saves someone else a big repair bill.

Oh yeah - Toyota WS 'forever' transmission fluid - just ain't so!
Hey Toyota Stealership, ya didn't get yer hooks in me this time ;-)

 

Which bottle exactly ? Ty