Where did the Trans Fluid change technique come from ?

I had mine changed along with the filter.

 

Oh, ok.
Didn’t know it changed on the 2020+ trucks.

 

this is on my "to do list" at 50000 miles, Im at 44000 miles right now.

 

I cycled 6 quarts out and refilled, 2 quarts at a time, a few 10,000 miles back. It is probably time for me to do that again.

 

It's "lifetime" fluid to Toyota warrantee division, but the transmission maker will have a different suggestion.

 

Car care nut has a video on this. My take away from it was to do a drain and fill every 30k miles. Maybe more frequent if you are harsh on the trans (towing, hot weather punishment, etc). Essentially change out 3 qts. No need to do several cycles of drain/fills in an attempt to get all of the old fluid out. He explains his rationale. Sounds reasonable to me. I trailer a bunch in cold weather, so I am going to do it every 20k. I waste $50 in worse ways.

 

Any tutorials available for the 2020+ trucks without having to use the wire? I'm familiar with the old process but was not aware the newer trucks don't need that

 

I copied this from a thread called '"3rd gen automatic transmission fluid level check diy". This is what I used and it worked as expected:

AC60F (AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION / TRANSAXLE): AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLUID: ADJUSTMENT; 2020 MY Tacoma

To enter automatic transmission fluid temperature detection mode:

• Depress and hold the brake pedal.
• Start the engine. [#1]
• Turn off electrical and mechanical loads
• Slowly move the shift lever from P to S, then move the shift lever to P. (~3 seconds each position [#2]
• While observing the D shift indicator on the combination meter, move the shift lever back and forth between N and D at an interval of less than 1.5 seconds for 12 seconds or more. [#3]
• Perform #1, #2, & #3 within 60 seconds
• Check that the D shift indicator comes on for 2 seconds.
• Move the shift lever from N to P.
• Release the brake pedal.
• Allow the engine to idle until the automatic transmission fluid temperature reaches 35 to 45°C (95 to 113°F). The D shift indicator will come on again when the fluid temperature reaches 35°C (95°F) and will blink when it exceeds 45°C (113°F).

 

auto makers have been touting that since at least 2008. Not actually sure when sealed transmissions came about but the FJ has it.

 

have any of you guys replaced the "check/overflow" plug that has the hex head with another drain plug ? To keep from having to use hex/allen wrenches and possibly rounding the plug off ?

 

Great, thank you.

 

I read somewhere the overflow plug is the same as the drain plug (difference only being the head type). So I plan on buying a replacement drain plug and using that when I do mine. That way, next time I will only need two tools for the three plugs (fill, drain, and overflow).

 

I did the drain and fill procedure 3 times. It is extremely easy and the longest part of the process is the draining. My first drain was done right around the 60k mark and as you can see from the picture it was a bit on the darker side. I do no towing and 4 wheel every few months on mild trails. On my 3rd drain and fill the fluid was red again. I only did the 3 drain and fills for my peace of mind but it may be unnecessary.

 

If you never change it, it'll last the lifetime of the vehicle.

 

Or at least the lifetime of the trans…..

 

Some trans don't even have a fill plug either, you have to backfill through the combined drain check plug.

 

Most auto transmissions I've worked on have 8-9 qts of fluid. Most of which is in the torque converter. So, is there something I'm missing or does this only change 3 of the 8 qts in the trans? Mine has 170K miles and I doubt it's ever been changed. Doesn't seem to be faulty yet and I want to keep it that way. Any one done a full filter and fluid change lately? How much was it? Thanks

 

when draining the pan you will only get 2-3 qts. I think the full capacity of our auto trans is about 11 qts total

 

as in how much was it to pay somebody to do it?

 

Yea, mostly because you need a suction device to evacuate all the fluid to get all of it. I did one fluid and filter change using the cooler lines once but, I was scared of running the trans dry cause you need to do it while running the engine in gear. I've since decided not to take the risk and hire someone with the right gear to do it.