Transmission fluid change confusion

Hi All,
New Taco owner 2010 150,000 miles.
I have called all of the dealers in the area that this truck lived. No one has any record of factory service being performed.

Truck has lived in the Tallahassee area, so frame looks pristine with no rust. Engine looks great as well. Car fax shows a bunch of oil changes, but all are beyond he 5000-mile mark

I am tempted to add some AT fluid to the oil for a few hundred miles as I have no idea if it has sludge build up.
THOUGHTS??


Dealer I bought it from did an oil change, alignment and fluid top off.

All fluids LOOK clean with good color, so I am holding off on coolant, brake, and steering fluids until the spring.


New plugs going in tomorrow, along with differential fluid change.

TRANSMISSION filter/fluid????

So, I have read and heard so many different opinions.

I am currently leaning to a fluid only drain and refill.

Would I be risking too much to do a filter as well?

Truck currently runs/shifts well.

Thanks in advance.

John

 

Good question following

 

I'd recommend you do a drain and fill of the transmission fluid, then again every 30k miles. Once you get to 200k you may want to drop the pan, clean it, replace the filter.

 

Don’t add anything to the oil.
Just continue to change it at/before 5,000 miles.

As for the transmission.
You have nothing to loose by dropping the pan, cleaning the magnets, and changing the filter.
This is one step better than a drain and fill. And is well worth it.

 

In my opinion, I would just continue proper engine oil maintenance at 5k 6months. I wouldn’t do anything else.

From my understanding I would recommend this: If the transmission fluid has never been changed, I wouldn’t recommend changing it now at 150k. Automatic transmissions need a specific amount of debris in them to help maintain the clutches working properly but too much can cause the valves to stick. If the transmission has been driven 150k with all that debris, and then you flush it out, you may end up causing the clutches to slip because now there is no debris to help them engage properly. you’ll probably be better off just leaving it as is. Eventually the valves will start to stick but you’ll get more life out of the transmission if you leave it alone at this point. 60k miles on transmission fluid is what I do, 30k seems a bit too early, and anything 100k-120k+ is probably too much. Again this is just my opinion, Please do your own research as well.

This is my maintenance schedule for my 4cyl 2TR-FE 2wd tacoma:
Maintenance Schedule

Engine Oil: 5k miles 6 months

Transmission Fluid: 60k miles 6 years

Coolant: 50k miles 5 years

Brake Fluid: 3-5 years (test moisture)

Power Steering fluid: 60k miles 6 years

Spark Plugs: 120k miles 10 years

Rear Gear Oil: 30k miles 3 years

I will link a video to where I got a lot of this information I like this guys channel, I recommend it.
https://youtu.be/TevK-u3vkx4

 

Buy 12 quarts of Toyota WS.

Drain pan, drop the pan, clean the magnets, change the filter and re-attach the pan.

Fill with 4 quarts of Toyota WS.

Then do the proper procedure of pushing out fluid via the trans cooler lines, 2 quarts at a time (push two out, fill trans with 2 more quarts) do this 4x for a total of 12 quarts drained/pushed out of trans.

Let truck cool off completely (4+ hrs)

Put truck into temp check mode on a level surface and do the level check.

 

Exactly what I did when I got my truck. It had 198k on it and it was very evident that the fluid hadn't been changed in a VERY long time, if at all. Noticeably lessened the shuddering feeling it gets when cruising in OD between 35-40 mph...

 

The amount of people that still think OCI's of more than 5k are doing some kind of extreme damage that 3k OCI's wouldnt blows my mind.

 

1. Do not treat sludge that you do not know exists. If you are truly concerned then you can pre-emptively replace your valve cover gaskets which will give you a good look at the top end.

2. When changing plugs, you'll know you have original plugs if one bank is NGK and the other is Denso. Hopefully you won't. Don't use anti-seize on the threads and torque to proper spec with a calibrated torque wrench.

3. As others have suggested, partial drain/fill of the tranny is the way to go due to miles and unknown maintenance history. This will give you opportunities to learn the proper procedure.

 

It doesn’t do extreme damage.
But the amount of trucks that start using oil before 200k or sooner is proportionate to the ones that went over 5k miles. Even more so on the Toyota 2.4/2.7 engines.

The rings and ring lands get contaminated and cause the rings to stick in the grooves.
Which causes blow by and oil consumption.

Is it a big deal? Not necessarily.
You just need to check the oil more often.
It also contributes to dirty A/F sensors and premature failure of converters.
But it takes long time.

 

Agree with "don't treat sludge that you don't know exists".

If it were me, I'd change the coolant. You can't really see how acidic it is, it's easy, and you're setting a baseline for timing the next interval.

 

Oh, and my take on the trans is do a drain and look at the color. If it's dark/opaque, drop the pan, clean magnets, and replace the screen.

 

I guess i was more speaking to the point of people thinking >5k OCI's are a death warrant that cut the usable life expectancy by half. Like the engine would last a million miles if it would have been changed every 3k.

 

I do 10k changes, my truck will go 400k probably 500k with no worries.

 

Personally, I wouldn't add anything to the oil other than the same oil.
Sounds like the truck was taken care of. The transmission all depends on how long you want to drive it and what you do with it.
I'm one of the never change the transmission fluid guys. My '01 was traded in at 213,000. No issues.
Use your truck how you want. They're tougher than people think and when you're done with it. Get a new one.

 

Service the transmission with a drain and fill. Drive for a few hundred miles then do another drain and fill. Drive again for another few hundred miles. This time drain the fluid, drop the pan, clean said pan and magnets. Replace the filter/screen, the pan gasket and the crush washers for the drain and fill plugs. Then button everything up, fill and check the level according to procedure. I personally overfill a little so I don't have to keep crawling back under to check and recheck. From there service every 60K with a simple drain and fill. If you tow a lot service the transmission sooner.

I agree with no treatment for sludge.

 

I agree.

. I find 3k OCI on the 4.0 unnecessary. 5k seems to be working just fine for me.
I’m at 170k I never used synthetic oil until it was nearly impossible to find.
Now I use synthetic blend because that all that’s offered.

So far, I’m not using any oil between changes. And I’m not seeing any timing codes for the OCV.
AFAIK, every thing is ok.

 

No reputable shop will touch your transmission, and neither should you. Transmission fluid and engine oil perform very different tasks and it doesn't hurt transmission fluid to be dirty. In fact, in an older vehicle, it needs to be. Engine oil cleans and lubricates the inside of the engine. It breaks down and needs to be replaced with new oil every 10,000 miles or 6 months whichever comes 1st.

Your transmission is essentially a hydraulic pump. The fluid is much thinner, and lubrication is secondary. You don't have 4-8 spark plugs exploding and getting the fluid dirty and hot like the inside of your engine. Unless you let it get too hot, usually from towing too heavy and in mountains it doesn't break down.

As the transmission ages the abrasive on the clutches wears off and is suspended in the fluid. That is what creates the dark color. Draining the old fluid removes that abrasive and the new fluid can be TOO slippery leading to the worn clutches slipping. The old, dirty fluid will buy you some time and keep the clutches working for a while longer.

I've never seen any proof that changing the ATF will prolong transmission life. They tend to die at about the same mileage regardless of whether you change it every 30,000 miles or just drive it till it dies. If you do change it every 30,000 miles for 300,000 miles, you will spend about the same on servicing the transmission as it will cost to have it rebuilt. About 1/2 the cost of a new one.

Economically you're better off to just drive it and IF it dies rebuild/replace it. Most vehicles end up in the scrapyard for other reasons before the transmission dies anyway even if you never change it.