Transmission fluid change

New here so sorry if this topic has been exhausted. I have a 2011 with the 4.0L engine. It's got 542k on it and has never had the transmission fluid changed. I got everything to do it including a new filter but saw someone saying that if your vehicle has high mileage and the transmission fluid has never been changed before then you shouldn't do it because it can cause more problems i.e. clutch slippage. Any thoughts here would be appreciated.

 

Maybe made this post prematurely. Found some opinions in older threads. Still appreciate any thoughts.

 

A trans service is due every 40k.

me personally I’d do more than one service due to fluid remaining in the torque converter.

At that mileage I wouldn’t care if the trans crapped out tomorrow.

what do I know I’m just a professional mechanic.

 

I think you’re asking for trouble doing it now. If I did it though, I’d just do a single drain and fill now and again maybe 6 months from now. Adding a lot of fresh fluid at one time is going to clean off a lot of clutch material and then you’ve got bigger problems.

 

542k got damn

 

Generally periodic drain and fills of the fluid in the pan (~3 qt) should do you well. Maybe every 6 months to 1 year depending on how much you drive (estimating 10-15k per year) should be a good interval.

Generally there is nothing wrong with doing a full replacement (~11-13 qt I believe), but if you want to "ease" into it considering your miles (and have a simpler process), just doing the pain drain and fill should put you in a good spot.

And congratulations on the half million+ miles Taco!

 

Just do a drain and fill. I personally would not do a flush, I'd worry about doing more harm than good.

 

I have a 2006 Tacoma, with about 160K miles. I first changed the fluid at about 90K miles. It was absolutely black. I did the drain the pan, refill, and drain the pan again, system. I used 12 quarts of Valvoline Max Life, and still ended up fluid that was a dark cherry red in color.
So, installed an inline transmission filter which is supposed to be good for 30K miles. I’ve no changed it twice, and it is now cherry red.
With your mileage, I don’t think I would mess with the fluid without installing an inline filter.

 

If you change it can you take a sample in a clear jar and post it here? Very curious what it looks like after 500k. Have you owned it that long and know it hasn’t had a fluid change, or just have no record that it was done?

 

Bought it w 3k miles in 2011. Oil changes every 3k miles using Walmart supertech oil and filters. Some things that I've had to fix over the years:
Steering u-joint
Drive shaft u joint
Several coil packs
Spark plugs
Struts and rear shocks last weekend.
Brakes as needed
Rack n pinion repair
New frame on Toyota at 360k

 

Awesome to hear going that long, can't imagine the job that would be replacing the frame. I just did a full flush on my 2015 w/ 190k miles, seems to be shifting better than ever
I just bought the truck and all service items done except for any transmission service so I wanted to get that done, hopefully no harm done, and I didn't use any pressure flush, just through the bottom cooler line going into my AT cooler (12qts Valvoline Max life, and new WIX filter and gasket).

 

If your transmission is close to being worn out changing the fluid at this point will do nothing but speed up its demise. Which is a real possibility. Ride with what you have and save your money until it dies.

 

This is the issue I’m weighing now. Almost 275k and never seen a service. I need this thing to last. So torn.

 

So as I read through various posts here it looks like I have bigger problems than the need to change my transmission fluid. I've had heater issues in the past due to air lock but lately I'm losing antifreeze without any visual leaks. Earlier this month I had a cylinder 4 misfire so change the plug and coil pack and everything seemed good. But now check engine light is showing a misfire again in cyl 4. I suspect my head gasket is leaking. If so, that's it. Will be putting the old girl to rest. 542k so I can't complain but might sound crazy but really saddens me. That truck is a part of me. I slept in it 7 nights/mo for the past 10 years. Sick to my stomach thinking about it.

 

I wouldn't touch the transmission fluid personally. The theory is if the transmission is in bad shape there's enough debris in the old fluid to keep the clutch packs engaging and the new fluid will do its job and clean that out revealing a problem. Take that with a grain of salt though, just restating what I've heard rather than from experience.

Your coolant leak sounds similar to this: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/tacoma-overheating.849496/#post-30355594

Ended up being a head gasket. I wouldn't junk the truck just over that but not sure what shape it's in overall. Definitely got a lot of miles.

 

Rented a combustion block leak detector from Autozone on my way home from work today. No leak detected. Encouraging but not convinced. Taking it into the shop on Friday. Will post update once I hear what they come up with.

 

Shop said bad head gasket. I'm really bummed.
BTW drove a 2019 Nissan Frontier SV w 79k on it. Heard good things about them but not for me. I'll pay a little more for a newer Tacoma.

 

Over 500k on a head gasket is pretty impressive, had a good run for sure. I was thinking mine would let go at 200k so way better than I would have expected.

 

If the truck is in good shape otherwise, it may be more affordable to put in a low-mileage used engine and trans. 500K+ is an excellent run.