Massive screw up, transmission advice

Hey all, i messed up bad and am looking for any mechanics insight.

Was attempting to do my first diy oil change. Instead of draining the oil i pulled the transmission fluid plug. To add onto my problems I proceeded to fill the oil, doubling the amount in the engine. I thought the dipstick looked high but have always thought it tough to read from residue oil getting high on the stick.
Anyways i did a quick drive around the block to make sure everything was operating ok and there were no issues.
The next day i drove 100 miles total going to work and back. That’s when the transmission started knocking and i reevaluated what i did. Once i got home i filled the transmission fluid and drained the oil to the proper level. Everything is operating normally now. No more knocking or anything concerning.

I am wondering if i’ve done permanent damage to the transmission worth taking into a mechanic. Or if i can expect future problems. As of now it seems to be running fine.

Thanks for any input!

 

I would do another drain and fill on the transmission . Check for any metal debris .

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/halp.33318/

 

This happens more frequently than you would imagine. You'll probably be ok but it couldn't hurt to do a couple of drain and fills for the trans. The engine is fine.

Don't sweat it too much. Mistakes happen. Don't let this deter you from future DIY.

 

I bought full steel skid plates to keep me from doing that!


OP, if your tranny is running well you probably got by with just a small scratch. It’s good you caught that. Good suggestion to refill again- and double check your engine oil level as well.

And you’re right about the dipstick, it helps to take Emery paper and scrape it by sanding across the stick up past the oil level indicators, that helps the oil stick to it better.

 

Well, it will either live or die at this point so you might as well drive the damn thing!

 

there is a procedure for filling the trans. it involves warming up, shorting obd2 pins, click this, click that, magical incantations. you can read up on it in this forum for DIY. just dumping in some fluid is not correct and you could wind up damaging it. you'll probably survive your mistake if you fill it properly. i am only going on what i read here as far as trans fluid level check. never had the pleasure.

edit: i did a quick search for 3rd gen trans fluid level check and came across this video in one of the threads. hope it helps. READ THE UPDATE AT YOUTUBE REGARDING GETTING INTO TEMP CHECK MODE.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNqYpEpmUng

 

OP, you need to change your oil since you really never changed it. You only have new and old oil mixed together. I really don’t know how you will avoid transmission failure since you drove it dry for a 100 miles. Sorry to be negative just don’t want to give you false hope.

 

Curious how you filled the trans when there is no dipstick and a whole procedure behind getting the fluid at the right level. I mean I hope you found the procedure online and did it right, but confusing the drain pans leads me to believe otherwise.

 

Damage to engine: Unlikely - maybe gave the PCV valve a workout and sucked a bit of oil through the intake, but shouldn’t cause physical damage to the engine. But, I had this happen on a Honda Civic (dealer oil change / overfill) and it ended up killing the O2 sensor. Took about 500 miles till the sensor died. (Just something to be aware of / don’t be surprised if...)

Damage to transmission: Don’t know - defer to others. All depends on how far you drove before it started “knocking”. Possibly you were getting aeration of the fluid, getting chattering of the valves. But agree - change fluid / drive it a bit / change fluid again - sounds like good advice.

Then just slowly back away from the Taco…

 

You have way more fluid left in the transmission than you drained .

 

You probably shortened your transmission's life. By how much? Unknown, but you still have the balance of your powertrain warranty to find out.

 

Thank you, definitely makes me feel a bit better. I did a trans fluid change with temp check and all. Will do another drain and fill soon.

 

That's a hot tip! Thank you!

 

Thanks. I did a full drain and fill on the trans(with temp check) and everything seems ok!

 

I should have clarified, I did a full oil change after I realized. Trans seems to be operating fine after a drain and fill. Are you suggesting trans failure is in the truck's future?

 

Why even mention a dipstick if you know there isn't one? I used a youtube video for trans drain and fill with temp check.
Your comment is neither constructive nor helpful.

 

The remaining fluid in the tranny saved you big time. I would expect there to be some reduction in the life of the tranny but no idea how much.

 

Not necessarily if it’s shifting fine now you will probably be okay. You are very lucky!

 

Do as Mallcrawler20 says and time will tell.

Keep us posted