Changed my transmission fluid... what a difference

I followed these threads to change my transmission fluid:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/diy-full-flush-for-automatic-transmission.68462/

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/how-to-drain-refill-automatic-transmission.63851/

I used Valvoline Max Life, which meets the Toyota ATF spec. Instead of disconnecting the hose as described in one of the above links and letting the fluid pump itself out, i simply drained and refilled the transmission pan 3 times with short drives in between. I also used my scan gauge instead of the "wire" method to check the fluid temperature. The sensor on my scan gauge was "TF1".

I'm really happy with the way it turned out. Before replacing the fluid, when accelerating for the first time after sitting, the truck would do that awkward short pause, then lunge forward. I would have to be very careful with the gas pedal to not look like i was driving aggressively out of my parking spot. Now with the new fluid, this phenomenon appears to have almost completely gone away.

Also, while driving around town, the down shifts are much smoother. The gear feels like it just floats up to the next gear. Before it would pause, then move up to the next gear during hard accelerations, resulting in a much rougher shift.

I changed my fluid at ~99k miles. It was never changed before this. Wished I had done it right when i got the truck or much sooner. It was a bit messy when the hose would fall out of the fill hole, so definitely have some cardboard / paper towels handy. The Toyota ATF fluid is also a bit pricier, not sure if it's really worth the premium. Not much harder than an oil change if you have a scan gauge to check your transmission fluid temperature. Glad I didn't pay the $200-$300 for the dealer to do it!

 

That was the other thing... some manuals said 60k interval, others said 100k. I think you'll also find information that the fluid might be life time fluid... In my case, I did it at 99k. I towed a trailer maybe once every year or so. I thought doing it myself would have been much harder, so i delayed it until the 100k limit. my plan was to have the dealership do it but the last second, i just bit the bullet and did it myself.

Oil didn't smell burnt. Seemed dark / milky. It didn't seem particularly alarming when I looked at the oil that drained out.

 

How much did each flush take and were you pretty meticulous with the exact amount of fluid that went back in? Just me asking because I know certain trannies are very picky with the quantity.

 

I really need to do this also. 60K on the clock which I just hit the other day. I am not particularly fond about the way the tranny shifts when cold or in general at that. It just seems erratic all over the shift range.

 

About 3 quarts every drain/refill.

The last drain/refill was the one that I really dialed in the exact amount. Make sure the truck is running and the tranny is at the right temperature. Based on those threads, the correct amount is when the fluid drips out of the max-fill hole.