Transmission Fluid Temp Check Mode - Too Hot?

2017 SR5 Tacoma 2WD. I’m at 120k miles and need to do a drain and fill on the transmission. Last time, I used a local transmission shop due to time constraints, so this is the first time I’m doing it myself.

1. I drained the transmission fluid from the drain plug. About 2.75-3 qts came out.
2. I snugged the drain plug, fill plug, and level check plugs all back up but did not torque down.
3. I got back into the truck, connected a wire from port 4 to port 13 of the OBD2 port, which gave me the crazy blinking lights on the dash. I then went from N to D 10 or so times and the transmission indicator light went away. I pulled the wire out, put the truck in park, and almost immediately, the D came back and was blinking.

Does the blinking D mean that the fluid is too hot to be checked? It took me a while of shifting to actually get into temp check mode. Also, I’m in SoCal in the middle of a summer heat wave. It’s been 95 degrees here for the past week. I let the truck cool down for a half hour, tried again, and got the same thing. Am I doing something wrong? This temp check thing is a PITA.

 

Sounds like it's too hot.

Fluid temp must be 95-113F To check.

Honestly its much easier to just read the fluid temp with a scan tool than doing temp check mode.

 

I wish I had access to a scan tool like that. I just have a simple OBD2 scanner.

 

I have a Foxwell NT530 which came pre-loaded with Toyota software if you ever consider upgrading.

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Thanks for the tip. I ended up figuring this out. I just let things cool down overnight and it worked fine in the morning. It's been really hot here. If anyone reads this - if you live in a hot area, it's probably best to do this work first thing in the morning.

 

Science...

 

Or, do this in non-summer months.

 

Or do it in the summer on the days it's it 95+ degrees. You don't even have to turn the truck on.
The last week here has been hot. I think Tennessee moved to Texas.

 

Before someone takes your comment verbatim, we should point out the engine needs to be running to check the ATF level.

 

Yes it does. And for those that want to know why.
The fluid level will be lower when the truck is on. The pump will be pulling fluid out of the pan when running. (Valve body and converter will be full too)
And this is when you need to check the fluid.

 

And that is also the case with some, if not most or all, with a dip stick, at least on our previous 07 Corolla and 06 Camry. They had cold and hot marks on the dip stick, but you checked with the engine running.

 

Just checking. You said you drained fluid then snugged the plugs.

Did you just forget to tell us that you added fluid? Don’t see that listed. That would cause a hot temp check quite fast.

Again, just checking.

 

Was thinking same as this guy!