Automatic Transmission Flush or Fill Best Method

^Yeah many ways of accomplishment. If you have a large 12-qt jug with a tap, you can put the jug on a high shelf and gravity-feed the new fluid in as well.

 

I wanted to do this as well (mine was pretty black at 50k) but I didn’t have the cap for reservoir so just sucked some of the fluid out and replaced it x 3-4 times. It’s still black though. Should use your method.

 

I’m almost positive Toyota recommends changing the atf now. It’s no longer lifetime. Might be wrong though.

 

Owners manual says never - unless you're under heavy duty use (towing or off roading). Sealed transmission unit. I hope that is a trend that goes away though, I haven't heard about Toyota going back but if they are I'll be happy.

 

I don’t have a current service schedule but every dealer google result says it should be changed every 60-100k depending on use.

Does the manual have maintained schedules for 60, 100, and 120k I don’t have my truck with me so I can’t look. Plus mine is an older model where they pretended it was a sealed/lifetime transmission.

 

It only ever comes up as replace for "special operating conditions", otherwise it's never replace. And the special operating condition is only when you're loaded/towing.

So, according to Toyota, in my owners manual, unless you tow, you should never touch your ATF. The Toyota ATF WS also doesn't have a change interval defined, since it's intended to be in a sealed transmission for a lifetime.

Dealerships <> Toyota, they'll recommend a flush every 5k miles if it means $$$$$$





All that said - as I said above - at 60k it's a drain and fill, then every 30k a drain and fill for me.

edit - here's the manual I am using

 

IMO, it never was a sealed/lifetime fluid. Otherwise, why would the factory service manual have the procedure for fluid replacement?
I consider the published the maintenance schedule and conditions, ambiguous.

 

About to start this and one thing no one mentions outside of the flush.

I am doing the drain and fill x times. Should I pin open the thermostat to move fluid from the cooler as well? I’d assume yes but no one in the links or videos did that.

 

Thats what I did. It takes 5 seconds to pin. It won't do anything in the draining, but I imagine it helps with mixing the new fluid as you do the warm-up/overfill procedure.

 

yes, pin it

 

Starting at 50K miles I did the first drain and refill, after that every 5th oil change (25k miles) I do another flush. I did my 3rd one about 4,000 miles ago and the fluid looks great. I also use a syringe and empty the PS res each oil change and flush out brake fluid once a year. Never had an issue with any of those components.

 

fluid won't circulate through the external cooler unless it's pinned

 

Thanks dudes. That’s what I thought. Won’t circulate unless pinned. Dumb question, but figured I’d ask anyway.

Now to spend the rest of day changing fluids. Yay.

 

Side note looks like I got two quarts of the wrong ATF. I got Red Line D6 (2 gallons) and 2 Red Line high temp ATF. Oops. So only doing three drain and fills not four. I debated using the high temp since it’ll be diluted quite a bit at the end. Maybe I still will if I start with it. Haha

 

I pin it for the drain...
I do not pin it for the fluid leve/temp check.

 

Good call. Will probably get to temp faster that way.

 

what is the purpose of pining it?

 

As others had mentioned, to circulate the old fluid out of the air cooler. If you follow the FSM for fluid replacement, it has you start and cycle the gears between drains.

Some pin it during the temp/level check...
I don't because the FSM makes no mention of it...and there is no amended check procedure issued by Toyota, to pin it during the temp/level check, like there was for the Tundra AB60...that I am aware of.

 

I did several drain and fills to use up the 12qts of Redline I bought. Definitely pin the Tstat! Remove to check level. There are a few methods. I used and OBII to read the pan and converter temp.

Was actually very easy just a lot of pumping. Make sure you get a good hand pump that moves the fluid or you could go electric. I think I used a slippery Pete pump from Amazon.

Taco Trannys love the D6! My Temps are a few degrees cooler while towing since the fluid change. No issues so far in 20k miles

 

Done. Easy but holy tedious. Also did engine, t case, and both diffs. Filled a six gallon jug+.

Fluid was pretty dirty. Saved a bit for a black stone analysis. Obviously never got it bright red but it looked a bit better once done.

First drain



Fresh fluid