How to Drain/Refill Automatic Transmission

Thank you good sir!

 

So I did my 4th and final drain and fill this morning. No issues at all...other than a long idle time due to 15° outside temps. Waited nearly an hour for the light. If I ever do it again at those kinds of temps...I'll drive it a little to warm it up a little bit first.

I bought 12 quarts of WS...enough to do 4 DAFs. But frankly, 3 DAFs is probably enough. When I pulled the drain plug...bright cherry red fluid came out. But I bought enough for 4 and it was already draining. So she got a 4th.

 

@Plain Jane Taco
Wouldn't it be just as, if not more, effective, but more convenient, if you did the drain/refills back-to-back with one minute intervals? I guess-timated it takes about a minute to pump out 2-3 quarts. I'm going to try this method soon instead of doing a full flush as it's a PIA to get my pump out and disconnect the ATF lines, etc... I'm only planning on doing 3 drain/refills. How much drains out out each time? I forget.

 

I just spread them out for the sake of time and convenience. I did 2 last Saturday...one in the morning and one in the late afternoon. About 20 miles driven in between. I did the 3rd the next day with about 15 miles driven the night before. The 4th was today...about 300 miles driven before.

On a cold tranny just under 3 quarts came out for me. The 2nd one I did Saturday...maybe closer to 3 quarts as the fluid was a little warmer.

I suppose you could do them back to back to back. I would certainly allow some idle time in between to ensure a good mix.

If it turns out the fluid is to warm to check...just let it sit for a bit

 

So im guessing you change it multiple times to try and really make sure you got all the old stuff out and have mostly fresh stuff in?

 

Yes. It's got about a 12 quart capacity. So doing 3 to 4 DAFs will net you nearly new fluid.

At about 100k miles, I plan to drop the pan and clean it and the magnets, along with a new filter. I may or may not go with WS. I might go with MaxLife and do 4 DAFs. Just depends. That's at least 3 years away. I might to 1 or 2 DAFs with WS during that time just to help keep the fluid fresh.

 

My 2006 4-cylinder with the A340E 4-speed automatic drains out nearly 4 quarts. I only drain after driving it well up to full temp, and let it drip about 30 minutes.

 

I have a question about draining the fluid, if I drain out 2 quarts when cold and put 2 quarts back in when cold. Do I really need to check
via the ir or the wire method? I do basically the same on the power steering fluid and never had a problem. I'll use a synthetic. Probably Ravenol.

 

That's fine to do that. But doing it that way assumes the fluid is at the correct level to begin with. It probably is. I did an initial check of mine a few weeks before I did my 4 DAFs and it was fine

 

@dlopan
Many a TW member has reported the ATF level being low from the manufacturer, up to a quart. If your tranny has been shifting fine, chances are you will be OK, but it's a gamble many of us will not take. The PS system has a reservoir where you can see the level of fluid; so, you really can't compare the two systems.

 

I'll check the top to see if fluid is there, if it isn't Toyota and dealer I bought better watch out. I asked the dealer (stealer)
to check all the fluid levels when I bought it. I thought the 3 rd gens were the ones having low fluid levels.

 

You won't be able to see the fluid from the fill plug.

 

Meh, when you change your oil do you drain out 5.5 quarts and add back 5.5 quarts without checking the dipstick? It's a good idea to do the tranny fluid check procedure every so often so that you know that there are no leaks, etc. I would drain out 2 quarts and add back 3 quarts so you know that there's extra fluid to drain out. It sounds daunting at first (sticking wires in the ODBII freaked me out) but once you do it, it's pretty easy and worth the time.

 

My 2wd, pre-Runner has that light on the RPM gauge area.

 

No need to jamb wires in.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/cap-city-build-bs-af.427538/page-9936#post-19642875

 

I thought the auto transmission was supposed to be sealed for life? Am I wrong

 

Yes....yes you are my friend

 

Sub for future reference. About to do the 60k maintenance on my truck myself. Great post OP.

 

They call it sealed in that it doesn't have a dipstick. However, no AT is actually sealed; they all have some venting mechanism to allow for the expansion of ATF as it heats up. And all AT transmissions must be able to be serviced in some capacity due to loss of ATF such as when replacing radiator, CV shafts, blown seals, etc..., and to replace contaminated ATF. Even Toyota recommends replacing ATF in Tacomas every 60K if driving falls under Special Operating Conditions - aka severe service - towing, off-roading, etc... This may apply to most Toyota ATs cause its the same transmission service for our Lexus ES350, which also has a 'sealed' AT.

 

http://absolute-wits-end.com/diagnostic-port-jumper-wire-for-obd-equipped-vehicles/

Just to offer another option. I’ve seen lots of paperclips and wire jumpers go wrong. So I made this little wire tool after playing with the Toyota SST. Out of all the things I make, this Glorified Paperclip is still my best seller. Makes me laugh some times.