DIY: Full Flush for Automatic Transmission

I have a 2005 Toyota Tacoma with 142k miles. I just did a transmission flush. I drained out from the ATF cooler line. I would have start the truck and 4 quarts came out at a time and I would refill through the ATF cooler line going back to the tranny. I did this process 4 times so a total of 16 quarts came out. Every time the oil came out the same. It Didn't look any cleaner. Is that normal or my truck was that dirty?

 

I like the drill pump way better - that way the level is never down more than a few ounces. I had to run mine a good 20 minutes to get it up to temp. No revving - just waited and she finally warmed up to temp.

Maybe lots of gunk from the pan being stirred up? I dropped the pan and filter and cleaned them, and after 12 qts, I had clean fluid coming out. My old stuff wasn't as dirty as the pic you have there.

 

Am I right thinking that when you drop the pan you need a new gasket and if you pull the screen there is an o-ring you should replace?

If so, anyone got part #s?

 

The Gasket I would 100% replace; but the O-ring I don't really think its needed to be replaced; Usually if it remains soaked in ATF Fluid it shouldn't dry up or be harden.

 

Hi, newbie here. Would i be able to just drain only the fluid from the pan, replace the filter and fluid that ive removed without doing the whole flush? I'm worried about mixing old and new. My truck is at 64k miles... and i plan on doing this with the engine cold from overnight, would i still need to do the temp check method. Thanks for any help.

 

Yes, you can do just the drain and fill https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/how-to-drain-refill-automatic-transmission.63851/ You don't need to do the full flush unless you want to. I did the full flush since I was changing to the Max life and didn't want to mix fluids. If you are using the Toyota WS you will be good. YES you need to check the fluid level using the temp check method, while at the correct temp.

You weren't going to re-use the old fluid were you?

 

For whatever it's worth, I did a drain and fill a few days ago with Maxlife. I have a mix of WS and Maxlife in my tranny currently, its shifting great. I don't expect that I'll have any issues. I'll probably stay with the Maxlife from here on out, doing a drain and fill annually. The WS I removed looked like new after 4 years and 20k miles with a lot of short trips and heavy towing. The first time I serviced this tranny at 51k, the factory fill WS was black.

 

No i didnt not plan on using the old fluid again.

Did you do the temp check when you did the drain and fill?

 

Yeah, I check it every time. My ultragauge is dead on with the a/t temp light when I put my truck in temp check mode, so I'm gonna start using my ultragauge to check the fluid level from here on out.

 

So i just tried this, and it seems like i do not have a AT TEMP light. 2008 PreRunmer v6 SR5... is there another way to do the temp check..? Thanks for any help.

 

Yes, you do. Do the wire in the OBD port. Took mine ~ 15 - 20 minutes idling to get into range.

 

nice, thanks.

 

Here's a photo of my DIY ATF Fluid Pump; cost is about under $6 at your local Wal-mart; just get the cheap 1 gallon one in your garden center. Since they are so cheap I use one for ATF fluid and one for Gear Fluid. There are professional looking pumps design for the very same thing that cost about $50 plus dollars; some even reaching $100 more. This does the exact same thing for under $6 bucks.

You can fill your fluids up very fast with this thing; took me 30 minutes to flush out 12quarts of ATF, NO MORE HAND PUMPING! Those hand pumps are usually $8-10 so this is a no brainer.

 

Thank you for posting the pics!

 

Nice job on the flush and fill. I'm going to have to do mine. I was waiting till 100 thousand miles like the dealer told me too, but now I'm not waiting.

 

Thank you @Crom and @httuner and OP for your tips. After installing my hayden cooler in series with the oem one, I used the sprayer method and filled through cooler return line and it could not have been easier. The difference in color from old to new is night and day. The extra cooler is doing its job and while I don't notice too much of a change in performance of the transmission, I like having the peace of mind of having fresh fluid in the system.

 

I'm thinking about adding a second cooler too, do you have any pics of the install?

 

I would only recommend this if you live in an extremely hot location as too much cooling isn't a good thing either. When its cold outside I've notice that even the OEM cooler makes it difficult for the transmission to get to operating temperatures. Especially in the winter; I have to put cardboard in front of the cooler just to allow the transmission to work at operating temps.

In the summer time; while towing about 5500lbs_ I rarely see the temps hit past 160-165F with it being about 65-70F outside. So unless your in a really hot climate you'll be best to avoid the second cooler as it'll not really benefit anything.

 

I towed about 8200 lbs for 10 miles at highway speeds the other day, highest temp I saw was climbing a steep grade at low speeds, the pan got to a peak temp of 188°. I was seeing about 170° on the highway in 4th.