3rd Gen Automatic Transmission Fluid Level Check DIY

95 - 113 I believe.

 

If the trans fluid temp has to be between 95 and 113 and the air temp is 100, does that mean I don’t need to do anything but open the overflow and see what comes out?

 

There's no real way to know for sure untill u check the temp.

 

Yes, That is the common sense approach to me also. But then the brain trusts will say "how cold" Sheesh..

 

Seems logical, but it’s a 108* outside. In the winter it will be in the low 30’s. That is a large delta when it comes to fluid expansion.

 

I read through the OP and if the ambient temperature is hot enough (checked temperature with scan gauge which is reading the same temp that the ECU would utilize to indicate it was within range) do I even need to start the vehicle to do this procedure? I purchased a scan gauge and 3 QTs of Amsoil Synthetic ATF to replace the Toyota WS. Can someone more knowledgeable than me let me know if my procedure below sounds correct?

• Drain Toyota WS fluid completely
• Replace drain plug
• Add 3 QTs Amsoil Synthetic ATF
• Check Temp with scan gauge and truck in accessory mode
• If within range, just open overfill plug, wait for trickle
• Reinstall plug
• Profit

 

Read the part I highlighted in purple. I would briefly start the truck and cycle through the gears to get the fluid distributed throughout.

 

Ok, thank you.

 

Anytime. Seems like you have a solid plan though. Easy peasy.

 

Ambient =/= oil temperature. Be careful folks. This was taken first thing in the AM, no vehicle running.

 

I'm confused, 100 degrees would be the perfect temperature to complete this fluid level check. If you have some sort of scanner to show these numbers, couldn't you just do the check without going through the process in the OP?

 

The problem is people are trying to do this without a scanner and without knowing the oil temp, assuming the ambient is what the oil temp would be. That's not the case. That was my only point.

 

Ahh. Gotcha, yea that would not be a good idea without any sort of tool to see exactly what it is at. Thanks for the clarification.

 

No troubles.

 

I wish that I would of seen this earlier today, I went through the procedure exactly as described but the ambient temp was 94* this afternoon.
After the "D" disappeared I moved the shifter to park, took my foot off the brake, and pulled the paperclip out of the port but when I looked up the "D" was there.

So I'm going to get out there tomorrow morning and try it again, the weather channel states that it will be 71-73* between 6-8am.
I can't go anywhere now because my tranny is overfilled.

Buy the way I did a drain and it measured @ 79oz or 2.47 Qts so it was probably low to begin with.
I bought 4 Qts and put it all in using the garden sprayer method.

Thanks everyone for all of your input, it helped a great deal.

Edit: I have been having erratic shifting even after the updated tranny TSB flash I hope this fixes it.

 

I was able to do it this morning it took about 5 minutes for the "D" to reappear. Seems like it was at the correct level.
Initially removed 79oz, replaced with 128oz and 49oz drained during procedure.

 

Thanks @rowsdower for posting this thread. Well the other day my transmission started slipping with only 30,000 on the odometer. I've had it on other cars before where before I even assumed that it was a transmission problem I always make sure the fluid was up to level. Nine times out of ten it was just low ATF. Well I used this thread and did the procedure and topped off my ATF. Drove around today for a half hour and the transmission slipping went away. Thanks again brother.

 

Brand new '19 Off Road, only 450 miles. Just to be sure, I went through the procedure to check the AT fluid level. I came out 12 ounces low. I hope I put in the overflow plug at the correct time. The fluid initially gushed out but it slowed a bit and started to spurt with air bubbles. It was still flowing with the bubbles but I went ahead and put the plug back in.

One thing to be cautious about is my OBD port was installed upside down from the one pictured in the directions. The narrow side of the plug was on the bottom. The #4 pin was 4 in from the right on the bottom row and the #13 was 5 in from the right on the top.

It took exactly 8 minutes for the D to reappear at 78* ambient temp in the garage.

Dave

 

Thanks for the detailed write up, I am bringing mine into the dealership for a fluid check today, I will most likely re-check it myself as well. Mainly bringing it in just to document that I did in the event I ever have transmission problems later on down the road.

Edit: the dealerahip, in their infinte wisdom, refused to perform the fluid level check. Just ordered a crush washer and toyota atf online and will be doing the check myself this saturday.

 

Just purchased my wife a 4x4 access cab 4cyl
I am used to driving F350/F450 work trucks so I had to get used to the lack of power and the shifting character of this little truck
The transmission makes some noises that some of my blue ovals don't even make with over 200k and I am worried that something is wrong
I never let dealers touch my trucks because they come back worse or put back together like a child did it

Checked the fluid per the OPs procedure and if any mine was overfull with 800 miles on it

There has to be a easier way or a base line amount of fluid to pump back in after a standard drain and fill assuming the transmission was drained at completely cool for a set amount of time then refilled

Perhaps the guys who have done a few drain and fills could post the amounts and see if there is a general average