DIY: Full Flush for Automatic Transmission

He had his transmission fluid checked, not the oil.

 

Transmission fluid is oil...

 

so, did you do your first flash at 41K? Wow! You have almost new truck! lol I did mine at 124K!

 

ImpulseRed008, I have an '08 Tacoma sport with tow package. I check the front of the truck and I saw 2 others small radiators besides the main big one. I want to do a full tranny fluid flush and I'm going to fallow your pictures to make sure I disconnect the right hoses. If you have any advise let me know. Thanks.

 

I just followed the directions of others on here. used a drill pump and it was fast. Mainly followed these directions, https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...atic-transmission.68462/page-22#post-10989993 just used the different lines here https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...atic-transmission.68462/page-20#post-10615066

 

Thanks!

 

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there were a few posts on TW concerning longevity of WS fluid, especially it being marketed as "lifetime"..this is just showing the condition of the tranny fluid after 63k. did I need to change it? probably not. but I bought the vehicle used with just under 50k on it, and I have no idea how the previous owner ran it. changing fluid and getting it tested gives me a better idea of how the tranny was treated in the past.

 

Yea coz Toyota dealership said that you don't change it until 100k coz it's expensive like 13 quarts of oil. Maybe once than that of you want to flush done

 

yea I picked up 14qts of amsoil, it was a little more than WS but I hear good things about it and thus far it's been running pretty well. I plan on doin drain and fills every 15k or so from now on, maybe another flush in a 100k

 

Last week I took my truck (2011 2.7) in for the 120k check. Was told they only do drain and fill because they believe the compete flush only causes problems... Okay... Having read almost every page on this thread because I am very interested in DIY. There are two main suggested ways, either drain and fill 2-3qts or drain all the fluid or most of the fluid with cycling through the oil as described in this thread. My question is, could there be a middle ground. Could I do a drain and fill (1 cycle), drive the truck around the block or a mile and then do the same drain and fill. Repeat this process a total of 3 or 4 times. Would this have the same effect as pulling the tube off and draining 2qts at a time followed by the refill each time? Then at the end checking to see if the level is correct. Of course I would refill exactly what was removed each time so the level doesn't change during this process. Just trying to find the safest, easiest way for someone doing this the first time.

 

Rotational drains are recommended by Honda, you can do that with your truck if you'd like. I would recommend that you check the level every time though. It won't get as much old fluid out as a cooler line flush, but after about three drain and fills you should be close to having all new fluid in, say 85-90% new. There's a way to calculate how much new fluid you would have in your transmission following each drain and fill, you can look that up if you'd like to.

 

Thanks for your response! Your saying check the level after every drain and fill even if I were to do it all in the same day? Also if I were to do this how long would I need to run the truck for the fluid to mix. Would try to run it as least as possible so the temperature didn't get to high, causing a long wait period between checking the level.

I know this wouldn't get a perfect change but if I were to do this often it would keep the fluid in very good condition, overall it would be an improvement. I am so thankful for this site to give the confidence for doing these standard maintenance items. I plan on taking my truck over 400k, all this would help.

 

It would be a good idea to check the level each time, you could get by without doing that though. The fluid should be mixed well within just a few miles, some people like to do them on a weekend, then wait a week and do another drain and fill the next weekend, in that case I would check the level each time for sure. If you're gonna do them all the same day though you'll probably be ok just measuring what you drained out, assuming it was filled correctly at the factory or last service. The tacomas are known to be low on transmission fluid from the factory.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...atic-transmission.68462/page-22#post-10989993 just used the different lines here https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...atic-transmission.68462/page-20#post-10615066

did it all in one shot

 

I have read both of those, just didn't see anyone discussing what I had mentioned, at least not in the many pages I spent this last weekend reading. Another question, does it matter when you change fluids/oils from the standard to synthetic. Because you are sure not getting out all the fluid when doing the change. Do the different fluids mix okay?

 

Synthetic and conventional are compatible, they'll mix fine.

 

The only way that you will encounter problems with a full system flush is if the drained fluid is black and burnt... I heard what happens is that the AT clutch has particles in within and when new clean fluid is added (full flush) the clutch starts slipping. (watch the video on the link) In the other hand you will ended up mixing all the new AT with the old if you don't do a full system flush the way is noted in this thread.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o690DovjDAc

 

As previously stated I had the 120k maintenance done at the dealership, my first ever visit to a dealership on Friday, was difficult to do. This is my first Tacoma, have wanted one for a looong time, wanted to get the fluids changed this first time by the dealership.

After reading a ton of stuff on TW I went out to look at a couple things and checked the dipstick for the transmission oil and realized it was full up to the line if the oil is hot, but the oil was cool or cold. I started the truck to take it to the end of the driveway to get it level, less than 30 seconds of run time before checking. I hadn't driven the truck for at least 4 hours at that point and only did less than 10 miles all day. So I drove the truck to a parts store to look a couple things to get the oil up to temp. After getting back I checked it again and it was about an 1/8" - 3/16" past the full line when hot. Is this an issue, should I say something. Or do I need to wait to check it some day in the morning before I ever start it for the day?

The good thing about taking it to the dealership is I found out there is a recall on the catalytic converter. Getting a brand new CC next week for free, which is going to basically pay for the maintenance I had done. Anyone with a 2011 access cab 2.7 check to see if your CC is on recall, if so you can get a new one. Not sure how many models or years this recall affects but worth checking into. It also had the seat belt fasteners recalled also.

 

That is a middle ground attempt but not very effective. Driving the car around will completely mix the new and old ATF together. When you drain ATF the 2nd time, you remove 3qts of a mixture of old/new ATF. In the drain-3qts-refill method, each time you drain 3qts, you get 100% old ATF until about the last 10-12 qts where you will start getting a mix of new/old ATF. By then, you will have removed over 95% of the old ATF out.

You don't want to do a full flush on a high mileage vehicle with real dark or burnt ATF because the detergent agents in the new ATF may dislodge too much crud at one time. For these engines, doing it the modified method may be the best, with hundreds of miles between ATF changes.
http://www.aa1car.com/library/2004/bf100456.htm