ATF Fluid change after 130k miles

I have a 2015 TRS Sport Tacoma. I bought it with about 125k miles on it and I've put some miles on it. I don't think the ATF was ever been changed on it. Thoughts on changing it now? I've always seen stuff about changing the fluid on an auto trans can be not great sometimes. I've usually heard it best to drop the pan completely to clear all the debris out, otherwise, the leftovers will stay in the transmission and cause some damage.

 

All the stories are from transmissions that already have issues.

Ideally drop the pan yes. Let it drain out for a long period and get it nice and clean.

Better late than never. There's plenty of write ups on how to check the fluid level as there is no dip stick.

 

I’d do a full DIY flush, clean pan, magnets, new filter with gasket but that’s me. Plenty of step by steps guides on here. Best of luck.

 

Its usually a flush that can hurt older transmissions as it dislodges stuff from the filter and I dont really buy into that for new cars (post 90s).

I swapped out the internal filter last year at 170k miles, it was clean and there was barely any sludge on the magnets in the pan.
Just change the fluid regularly.

 

Agreed.

I did the entire process not too long ago, pretty straightforward.

 

I recently did the drop pan, replace strainer, clean magnets and been replacing 3 quarts ATF at a time. I was at 160K and tranny had never been touched. Magnets & pan had very little sludge. Here is a photo of the progression. Tranny shifting great with no issues. Reminds me I need to do 3 qts soon.

 

I dropped the pan and replaced the filter at ~240k. 5.5 quarts ATF out all told, replaced with new. Will do another drain/fill in a few oil changes. Previous to this the tranny had only ever seen a few partial ATF replacements.

Less sludge in the pan and filter than I imagined, but I immediately noticed better performance out of the transmission and feel way better about it after getting eyes on.

If you live in a salty area it is worth the couple bucks to pick up stainless replacements for the pan bolts - https://www.ebay.com/itm/222548680528

And if you live in a really salty area it might be worth it to pick up new crush gaskets for your plugs, and replace the ATF drain plug with the equivalent Toyota/Lexus plug that has a hex head instead of an Allen key.

 

So what are the magnets everyone keeps mentioning in their post? Thanks for all the info as well.

 

Toyota puts 3 magnets in the bottom of the pan to catch fine steel particles. Same idea as magnetic oil plugs.

 

I'm surprised some smart guy never came up with a dipstick hack.

 

Mine has 4 magnets!

 

Nah, let it ride. As long as there’s no leaks, let it ride!!

 

You're right, I just remember it being in a triangle pattern. Forgot about the center one.

 

I think I did mine around 100,000 using the garden sprayer (left the pan on) and everything went great.

 

Search user "gearcruncher" - resident tranny expert - do some reading and make informed decisions.

 

This right here is the way to go. I had a local trans shop do this. 200 bucks.

 

Look up the ATF transmission video by Chris Fix. Its informative, addressing changing the ATF at high mileage. BTW Toyota/Lexus recommends an ATF flush every 60K if the vehicle is driven in special operating conditions - offroading, towing, commercial use, etc…. The wording changes a bit among models and years, but 60K is the constant mileage figure except for hybrid models.

 

Garden Sprayer?! Like just a regular hose and water?!

 

Yes, some use that type of sprayer. Personally, I use the gravity flow method. Get clear tubing with half inch OD, which fits nicely in the fill plug opening and run the tubing up along the firewall and attach a funnel there. The tubing is cheap Watts brand from home depot. Also get the smaller tubing that fits over gear oil caps for when you replace the gear fluids. That and the new bags from Valvoline are great as no pump is needed.