Tacoma Transmission Flush 80k miles

Like I said ….. I am mechanically challenged
Just repeating what I have read .

 

Why, to keep it from falling off the ramps?

 

The dealership flushed mine at 80,000 miles about a month ago. The service manager is a good friend from high school and I don’t think he would steer me wrong on this. Haven’t had any issues since.

 

Anyone know anyone that just didn’t service it like the dealer said and still driving well? I just hit 100k and about to do the drain/fill but was just wondering.

 

Forums are great for DIY and enthusiasts, but I always take stuff with a grain of salt lol.
In my line of work, tech services for a motorcycle company, we call the issues “forum flare-ups” haha

 

I trust my dealer, they do top-notch work. They suggested flush, I said yes!

 

I hope I can change your mind here .
When you add new fluid with super detergents to the transmission pan , any junk laying on the pan gets sucked into the valve body .Particles of brass and aluminum are most common at the bottom of the pan as they dont stick to the magnets .
The detergents are so strong , they pull metal particulates off the magnets .
Its not about the flush machine , there is no additional pressure using a flush machine .
'Its all about the detergents in the fluid .

Are you basing your decision on 1 truck and what you found with that 1 truck ?

What happens at the dealership after you have the transmission flushed ?
You drive off the parking lot and now your transmission doesnt work properly ?
This could take a day or up to a week and yes this happens to many Tacoma owners with new trucks and old.
Its also happened to many Tacoma World members ? Ask me how I know lol

So you take the truck back to the dealership and explain to them that it was just flushed here 2 days ago and now its acting up .
They take it for a test drive with a scanner connected and verify your complaint .
The technician thinks its a stuck valve inside the valve body or possibly a blinded solenoid .
The technician reports his findings to the service manager .
Dealerships do not fix transmission internals .
The technicians are perfectly capable of fixing the stuck valve and solenoid , but Toyota doesnt fix internals

You get a phone call from the service manager and they quote you for a new transmission .

With the above being mentioned , and the audience we get at this website , it may be in your best interest to remove the transmission pan , clean the magnets and filter before adding fresh fluid .
This is the way I have serviced 5,000 transmissions and I beleive its worthy advice .
Why do I remove the pan first ?
because I have had to pay to rebuild a customers transmission in the past .

 

Me too.
I just did this on my GX 470 with 270,000 on the clock. The magnets, filter and the pan looked perfect. Fluid was still redish, magnets had a small amount of sludge. I have so much fluid left over and a new filter/gasket set I didn't use for the drain and fill. All for peace of mind. Pics of the GX trans.

As for the Taco I had mine done at around 70,000 at the dealer. I asked if it was a real flush or a drain and fill. They confirmed it would be a flush. After I got home, I checked under the truck and I could see where they disconnected one of the hard lines. So at least there was some confirmation they didn't just empty the pan. I want to say it was in the $180 range.

 

I'm at 100k and about to have the service performed.

One dealer quoted me $266, one quoted me $600. So I'm a little curious what's going on there. An independent transmission shop quoted me $275.

So I'm wondering what they're doing. It sounds like the full flush is the way to go.

I don't tow, I daily drive, mostly freeway. I'm not anticipating seeing really dirty or dingy fluid, and I plan to have the shop who does it collect a sample.

Anyone think the full flush is being done for $275 or is that just a fluid change?


Thank you in advance.

 

Read this before you do your full flush
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...e-2nd-gen-transmission-pan-and-filter.726329/

 

Looked over the thread, I'm not changing or flushing the fluid myself. Not sure what you're wanting me to see.

 

Trying to get people out of a bad habit of flushing the transmission for the first time at 100k miles .
100 k is a bit long to go directly to a flush .
Your transmission valve body is made out of aluminum .
Any steel floating around in the valve body gets hung up in your solenoids and spool valves .
Drop the transmission pan and change the filter on the first transmission service .
Its not about price , its about having the transmission serviced properly the first time . See post # 27 for details . Scroll back up to post # 27 gentlemen . Doing this for you not me .

After the first transmission service is performed by removing the pan , cleaning the magnets and changing the filter , you are good to flush after this

For those of you getting weird quotations $$$$$$
When calling to have a transmission service performed , ask the shop what they are doing .

Are they simply removing the pan bolt , draining the fluid and filling the pan back up ? That cost the shop $50 bucks in fluid and 1 hour of labor paid to the technician

Are they removing a transmission cooling line , flushing all the old fluid out until the fluid mixes to red ? That costs the shop $120 bucks in fluid and they have to pay a technician 1 hour of labor

Are they removing the transmission pan , changing the transmission filter , cleaning the magnets and replacing the transmission pan gasket ?

This service is very thorough but tends to be more expensive in labor . In the end , there are less problems servicing transmissions this way
Dont care if the transmission has 5 miles or 500,000 miles on it , this is the way the service should be done .
With the above being said , this opinion is being based on 5,000 transmission services , not 1 or 2 tacomas

 

Depending on driving conditions would you guys recommend anything sooner. I have about 45000 miles on my taco but during the summer I take fairly long road trips hauling a bunch of stuff for camping and the boat out to havasu

 

I will try and answer
Do you monitor your transmission temperature with a scanner ? Heat kills transmissions
If you are going above 200 degrees on a constant basis , your transmission service interval gets reduced .
The trans fluid in your truck was designed for perfect driving conditions . Those perfect driving conditions didnt include extra weight in your truck or towing
Most people dont follow perfect driving conditions .
A scan guage is a cheap tool to use to monitor your trans temp .
We all abuse our trucks
The gauge will let you know if you are overheating your fluid and possibly reducing the life of your fluid .
https://www.scangauge.com/products/...5xt_Z9jLTPE1_X7738KHuLkTTsY8F3XIaAlPDEALw_wcB

 

I’d just do a cheap n easy drain and fill. I just do it early and every 2-3 years to keep newish oil cycling in. My buddy is tech and he suggests the same, drain and fill early and often, rather than flushing after nearly 100k.

 

I plan on drain and refill on mine when it hits around 75k. If you do drop the pan do not tighten them with a battery powered ratchet I stripped two bolts on a Nissan last year doing this and luckily found slightly larger bolts that would tighten up. Resist the urge to quickly tighten them. Maybe it’s not an issue with this truck though.

 

@ just over 5 foot lbs, yea, it would be easy to over torque.
I used a 60 in lb T handle TR I absolutely knew to be accurate, and still felt like I was gonna wring them off.

WAY better system than the 5th gen 4Runner though, and less than half the number of bolts...

 

Yep I hit them with the electric ratchet not thinking that was way too much. Two of them just kept turning. I was like what the heck.
Lesson learned

 

Being a former dealership tech myself, plus hearing all the dealership horror stories posted here, my thoughts are having a dedicated transmission shop do the full service flush.

For starters, I would do the full flush service a whole lot sooner than 80k miles.
AFT is vastly cheaper compared to a new trannie or a rebuild.

Next, I would look for an ATRA member shop with experienced techs.
You want somebody who does this work all the time, rather than a kid or flunky who is given the task for the first time.
And for the same reasons so many here complain about their oil filters severely over torqued in place.

 

So what should someone do with a 4.5 and half year old 2019 Tacoma with 100k on it do? I don't tow anything, I'm not in harsh conditions of any kind, I live in a warm climate, I don't abuse my truck.

Flush or drain and fill?

One quote I did get was from a transmission shop and it was for $275, but I did not ask what they are doing per say. I'm assuming it's a drain and fill. But will call back and find out.