3rd Gen Automatic Transmission Fluid Level Check DIY

Comment so I can find thread later. Also make a vid get some good views

 

It may be harmful. You don't want to overfill your transmission. It may lead to "foaming" which isn't a good thing. Id' say either do it right or let some else do it right for you.

My update:
That 1/4 of a quart that I added made a big difference in how my transmission shifts now. The shifts used to be very firm (not pleasant firm), going from Park to D or D to R was clunky and took a second. Now it is all Lexus smooth, well close enough, lol. I was also experiencing some sort of a weird "delayed bump" when coming to a complete stop, all gone now. The only thing I am regretting is not doing it earlier, oh well, better late than never. Highly recommend this to anyone who owns Tacoma, especially if you're not happy with your transmission.

 

How many miles did you top it off at?

 

4100 miles to be exact.

 

Oh that's not too crazy

 

Thank you for an amazingly helpful post! I really appreciate your time.

When you say park on level ground or level the vehicle with a jack are you measuring level by the frame or by the transmission? My tranny pan seems to be a slight angle relative to the frame.

 

A good question. I would think that if all 4 wheels on a stock vehicle were inflated the same and parked on a level patch of concrete, you'd be "there".

 

I’m thinking I’d like to just drain the pan and add back in enough fluid to make sure I’m overfilled. I’m heading out to buy some fluid tomorrow, there’s a local store that carries Amsoil, and I want to buy enough to be prepared but don’t want to buy too much extra at $15+ a quart. Can anyone else confirm I’d need about 3 or 4 quarts to fill the pan?

 

thanks

 

I have a question that still bugs me and have no answer...
1. what is the way the transmission fluid is checked? Went twice to the dealer (different dealers) for other reasons and asked for the fluid to be checked. Each time I was told the fluid is OK. How did they come to this conclusion? Is there a way to check the fluid level electronically? how? I know I was given this answer to go away but if the dealer would be honest, how could it be checked?
2. I do not have any problems I read here, or maybe I am ignorant to bad transmission problems/issues...but if I would just add 1/4 or about of fluid into it what could happen?
I would like to know the fluid level without draining, adding, draining, adding...

 

That would need a dipstick.

W/O a dipstick, you have to(?) overfill, and then crack the 5mm allen screw loose to see what falls out. In the perfect temp range. When dead level.

 

***

BS! Dealer came out 5 min later and told me is OK. He has the magic touch...

 

Dealer has a procedure, shown on Utoob. Lemme see if...


Holy COW, the "right" way sucks!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNcecuGzTDg

 

Notice this dude's:
fancy machine
variable length drain tube
ability to know tranny temp
to adjust length of drain tube.

No thanks. OP's HiTechRedNeck method is WAY better. for me.

 

No dealer will do this lol

 

IKR?

 

Completed this procedure and read all pages of this thread.

Big ups to rowsdower...dude thank you for putting that together, I know that making these sorts of things takes some time.



I have a 2019 DCSB TRD OR 4x4. Build date is 3/19 per door jamb sticker. My truck only took ~2 oz. of fluid to top off. I didn't have any shifting issues, I did this purely for piece of mind. I really love this truck and hope to keep it around a long time. I'm glad to have done this myself rather than take it to the dealer, as the 2 oz difference was so small that the dealer probably would have told me that it was basically right on the money, and I would be left with that nagging feeling that they hadn't actually checked it or taken the time to do it correctly. I hate to be a cynic but i've been given a few too many reasons not to be (in the automotive realm).

Anyone who is wondering how critical temperature is. I'd say it's critical. Toyota's design concept here rides on the principal of thermal expansion. One person had mentioned that they didn't think that fluids expanded much with temp change. That's quite false. A pretty quick and easy demo would be to just check your engine oil first thing, stone cold on level ground. Then check it again on the same level ground after at least 15-20 minutes of driving. (***Not when your coolant temp gauge comes up to temp...oil takes considerably longer to come up.) You'll likely notice a >1/2 quart fluctuation on your dipstick between ambient and operating temp.

This is the reason why that temp is so crucial here. The standpipe connected to the overflow is perfectly calibrated for the fluid level at a certain temperature, taking that expansion into consideration. That's the only way that a system like this can be accurate. Great work on this drawing, OregontoBajaCA. Spot on.



I also watched the video of the autoshop professor.

That equipment is not necessary if you check the fluid level within the correct temp range. The whole point of putting the sump under a vacuum is so you can install that adjustable standpipe to allow for variation in temperature. Again, the standpipe in the sump from the factory is calibrated for one range, hence checking with the vehicle in temp check mode per this procedure.

 

The easy way would be to make the overflow tube at the perfect height when the transmission temperature is after driving or to make it at the height when is cold. Cold would be best method. Park it on a leveled surface, let it cool of over night, remove the plug and add till it drips.

 

For the life of me, I can't understand why they didn't, or why they can't.

 

This has bothered me since I found out there was no dipstick. Why make the process more complicated than it needs to be? Check it when it's cold, like you said. To me, that's a 'no-brainer'. Ugghhh