Transmission Fluid Change

Brown or black would suggest a complete fluid exchange is needed imminently.

If it's still red a drain and fill every 30 000 would be all it needs.

 

I gotta laugh at some of these responses. Op your Tacoma won't blow up if you flush the transmission fluid. Might as well drop the pan, clean the magnets and clean or replace the filter too. Then do regular drain and fills every 30k until you go 100k more.

 

According to the manual it says replace at 60,000 and 120,000 but only under "Additional Maintenance Items for Special Operating Conditions: Driving While Towing". I don't tow so... I will just let it be?

 

Shops are more and more hesitant to flush high mileage transmissions because it's not worth the hassle. A mistake on their part....wrong fluid, incorrect level, etc is potential liability for them.

Also, because high mileage transmissions are, by nature, more likely to fail....they don't want to service one and have you back in 2 weeks with a damaged transmission that had absolutely nothing to do with them....but will, without a doubt, be blamed on them.

So they say things like..."it's a lifetime fluid" or "it's a sealed transmission" or "the manufacturer says not to touch it".

 

yeah it’s about liability. think of all the times they get blamed for “ruining” transmissions, just by changing the oil.

 

The color of the fluid says nothing about the additives that protect the transmission components from wear.

 

Given the nature of the thread, it was the first thing that popped into my head. I'll try harder next time.

 

*facepalm*

If it's brown or black it's been overheated and burnt and needs to be replaced.

A quick google search yielded 50 charts like this. I think you are thinking of engine oil, which is a bit different.

 

@gearcruncher

 

Nothing? Black burnt fluid will have burned away most of the additives. Maybe not all, but certainly more than nothing.

In 2009 or 2010, Toyota started recommending transmission flushes every 60K for Tacoma's meeting Special Operating Conditions - towing, off-roading, long idling (cabs, police use, etc ...) So, if you want a dealership to do a flush, tell them you tow and that the maintenance schedule recommends an ATF flush every 60K for vehicles that tow. (Its recommended in our 07 Lexus ES350 every 60K for towing.)

That being said I believe you shouldn't go by mileage when deciding when to do an ATF flush. For some driving styles, 100K is fine; for others, 30K may be ideal. Short of submitting an ATF sample for analysis, the next best way to help determine when to do an ATF flush is the color chart mentioned above. As long as you don't have metal particles/flakes in the old ATF fluid, you can flush it out, regardless of mileage.

Chris Fix has a good video on ATF flushes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o690DovjDAc

 

The first thing I do when I buy a vehicle, motorcycle, atv is change all of the fluids! You started this topic with the right approach cause it’s questionable fluid in there. I’ve done 3 full flushes and 0 problems. Old fluid can’t “help” extend the life of the tranny, it’s a fluid, it deteriorates. I’ll take my chances on fresh fluid vs old possibly burnt fluid. Start by doing drains and refills, it’s simple once you do the first one.

 

I agree with this .

Have the transmission shop drop the pan . Its a good approach considering you dont know how the vehicle was driven

 

Full flush on mine at 197750 miles. Didn't know if it had been done before or not. New filter. I know it hadn't been changed in the past 100k. Don't know about before that. Fluid wasn't very dark. Was not burnt. Not much on the magnets. It's been about 1800 miles since. No problems. I feel better now. Will do drain and fill from here on out.

Just do it.

 

These transmissions are awesome. Designed and Built to handle supercharged tundra power. The 4.0 and 5 speed A750 are a durable combo.

 

Back again... still have not taken any action on this. I just called my local Toyota dealership and spoke with a service advisor about what his thoughts are on my transmission service. He said I am right on the edge of mileage for them doing a full flush. He suggested I come in for a multipoint inspection to determine fluid status. If my fluid doesn't look burned or anything like that, I am thinking about just doing a drain and fill with a local shop, not the dealership. My only worry is that they would use the wrong fluid. How do I make sure that they use correct fluid?

 

By 4 qts of Toyota WS on Amazon and tell your local shop to use this. Pan drain only.

 

EXACTLY When transmission oil is not replaced for over 100K miles and then new stuff is put in, it clears out the fine particles (closed sores) that are making the friction that allow the bands and plates to keep working. Now, with fresh fluid, no more friction particles and the sores are open. The transmission starts to slip.

 

Would a drain and fill be okay, or should I just not touch the fluid at all?

 

Here’s what my fluid looked like at first change. Dropped pan, cleaned magnets and swapped filters. Probably don’t wanna know what the mileage was at the time.

 

I think the answer depends how long you are planning to keep the truck. In approximate time frames, I suggest:
If keeping it 5 years or less, leave the trans alone.
If keeping it over 5 years, do a full service: drop the pan, replace the filter and gasket, refill... then do drain & fills every 30-50k (depending on use) for the rest of its life. Make sure to use OEM fluid, not the "universal" aftermarket fluids from Castrol, Valvoline, etc.
I really don't think 125k is that many miles on the factory fill -- if it is still the factory fill -- unless it's been beaten hard. Just do the service and lay this to rest.