Lowmower's Build & Trip Thread

Transmission Service Day!
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Finally took the time to do a proper transmission service. When I bought the truck it was low on trans fluid and had a small leak from the cooler lines. I had it topped off by the dealer I bought it from and started planning my project. I ordered all of the cooler lines straight from Toyota, and bought 1 gallon of Valvoline Maxlife ATF and the WIX 58136 transmission filter kit from O'Reilly Auto.



I started with removing the old hoses from the front of the truck under the radiator. The dealer I bought the truck from replaced that small metal section up front before I bought it to try and fix the leak.



Then I undid the clamps and cut the old lines about 1" from the fittings.





I used a torch to heat the fittings, as well as spraying them with penetrating oil the night before.



Using a 17mm (and 18mm) deep socket, I was able to break both fittings loose really easily.



When replacing the lines, don't do what I did. Make sure you have the right lines in the right places. It's much easier if you don't tighten the fittings down until AFTER you put the hoses in the clamps. After a couple tries and adjustments I was able to get the first clamp tightened down fully, and I had to zip tie the second because of time constraints. I'll get to it if I have to but it seemed very sturdy even with one clamp.



After that, I pulled the trans pan and replaced the filter. Everything was fortunately super clean, which makes me feel much better about the overall health of my truck at 170k.





I installed the new trans filter, gasket, and cleaned and reinstalled the pan. Next, I filled up with one gallon of Valvoline Maxlife ATF. I thought this would be more than enough but with draining the cooler lines I had to add 2 quarts of Toyota WS.



Overall, a super easy job. Took about 5 hours from start to finish. Having access to a lift made it way easier, but I imagine it's not too tough to do under the truck at all. If you're on the fence about doing this yourself or paying someone else, it's definitely an easy enough job to tackle yourself as long as you have the right tools. Also, don't be like me and put it off for months

 

Nice! I still have to replace my transmission pan gasket. Mostly waiting for a good weekend where I can have the trans cool enough.