New guy transmission question

New Taco owner, 2011 V6, 5 speed auto. Where the heck is the dipstick for the transmission? Is there one, or does it not look like the traditional red-tipped dipstick?

 

These vehicles come with a sealed transmission.

 

No dipstick

 

You need to do some reading here and get yourself a little piece of copper wire.

 

You check the level by removing the check-ATF bolt in the tranny pan when the ATF temp is between 115-130 F. Truck must be level. An IR gun is sufficient; remove the bolt when temp reaches 120.

 

A lot of people never mess with the tranny, fluid is good for the life of the truck

 

Am I the only one who Fred Flintstone's everywhere?

 

I think it was 2010 when Toyota started recommending a flush at 60K for severe duty usage. That's a good foundation on which to quell the ATF lifetime myth. If you care about your tranny and plan on driving your car a long time, you'll at least withdraw a sample at 100K to evaluate the fluid; you will likely see a very dark fluid, suggesting contamination. I've done two flushes and one filter replacement.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/how-to-drain-refill-automatic-transmission.63851/

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/diy-full-flush-for-automatic-transmission.68462/

 

Well, that sucks. I'm a firm believer that there's no such thing as "maintenance free" if there are moving parts involved.

Thanks for those links, they will come in handy. I have no problems with crawling under my vehicles to do stuff like this; I'd just hoped it would be a lot longer before I needed to. At least I don't have to set the truck up on jackstands to do the work, like the car I just sold. It only had 5 inches of ground clearance. Reading the two linked threads, the fluid change is a lot like changing the lube in a manual trans, except for the temperature thing. What sort of worries me is, one of those threads mentioned that Toyota (since 2009) recommends a fluid change at 60K miles. My truck just turned 60K (that's what was on it when I bought it last week). Is that mileage cut in stone, or just a guideline? I guess I need to call the dealer and find out if they did a trans service before I bought the truck. It was a Toyota dealership, and they did say (when I asked) the truck had been fully serviced. I need to clarify if they included the tranny, just for my own comfort. I tend to take anything a dealer tells me as complete and total bullshit unless I see them do it.

This truck replaces a highly modified Mazda Miata. I'm getting too old to crawl in and out of a car that close to the ground. I'll miss the performance, but it's time to move on.

 

That's just what Toyota recommends, they only recommend changing it at 60k if you tow or operate in severe conditions. We have many here who have changed their fluid at much higher mileages with no ill effects.

 

That's somewhat comforting. She doesn't tow 4000 lb loads regularly, or take it to redline at the Friday night dragstrip, does she?