DIY: Full Flush for Automatic Transmission

where do they sell the filter beside the dealership??? what the part number?

 

good job buddy. you are saving a lot of people some cash. thanks again

 

Went to the dealer today to have transmission fluid changed in my 06 taco(had drain/fill done last year 105k only because flush machine was broken), now appearently Toyota does not recommend changing the fluid, especially flushing. So, I had drain/fill done and I'll continue with drain/fill. I now have 121k. Has anyone else heard of this.

 

what the hell is this... it is mentionned in the manual.

They might have found that flushing the fluid would make the transmission last too long, coupled with a bullet-proof engine, they care not making enough money on car/parts changes in the future..

 

Just did this....only ended up with about 3 qts spilled on the garage floor and about a 1/2 quart all over the undercarage


From now on ill be removing/adding 3 quarts every 15k mi

 

should i flush or just drain and fill? i have an 05 DC v6 prerunner with 64000 miles on it.. i dont really offroad or tow at all.. what do you guys think?

 

Personally I think a annual drain and fill is the best way to go after about 60K miles.
This is what I do with my 02 Ford diesel once a summer, drain 6 quarts, add 6 quarts. So far so good and a lot less work.

 

This would be my philosophy as well if I had started with a low mileage Taco. Bought mine with 98k so I wanted it cleaned out, then drain/fill/yr.

 

Thanks for the tech info. Great writeup and aid while servicing my trans.

 

Well I got the balls to do it today. Everything went perfectly smooth and exactly as described in the tutorial. Took me about 3.5 hours with me being super anal and careful about everything. After getting the truck into temp check mode I idled for about 15 minutes and the light came on. Crawled under and removed the overfill plug and there was moderate flow but it only took about 20 seconds to get it to a small trickle. Sealed it up with a new crush washer and checked for leaks. I took her for a spin and it shifts just the same, but its all about the preventative maintenance. Im gonna take a picture of my old fluid and post it. To anyone who is sketched out...Read read and read some more until you are exactly sure on what to do. I went out and made sure I had all the supplies I needed so I wouldnt be stopped in my tracks with the tank empty. All in all I used 11.75 quarts of 12 purchased from the dealer. The parts guy gave me a super deal since I bought a case and sold it to me for $65. Win.

 

I think we are all overly scared by this process. I did it last night at 86k on my 06 double cab 4x4 Offroad with towing package. I also pulled the pan to inspect it. I used the Scangauge II to get it to operating temperature. Everything on the 4x4 is exactly the same as MountainLion described. Follow this method exactly.

My fluid looked and smelled great and I had minimal sludge on my magnets.

I think investing in a Scangauge II is worth it, because the AT temp is a really nice thing to know and it makes this process a lot easier.

I think under normal driving conditions that Toyota got it right the first time, 100k would have been fine, but I got nervous and did mine at 86k.

I initially under filled mine by about 1/2 quart. It seemed that it shifted hard into reverse when it was under filled.

I think it drives better after the fluid change. The truck seems smoother, more responsive and seems have more torque, but I could be dreaming.

Is it worth the effort over going to dealer for flush?

I guess it depends on if you like doing your own service. I just like knowing it was done right and actually seeing inside the transmission.

Thanks to everyone for the great information!

 

Great DIY! Just completed this on my 06 double cab 4x4 with 109k miles.

I used Amsoil synthetic. Things went fairly smooth except i started pumping te pump faster to speed things up and broke it! Luckily had an extra one lying around.

I actually unplugged the outlet hose from the other end of the metal pipe, near the drivers side, right by the radiator drain plug. I didnt have extra tubing so this hose went directly into my empty jug. While i was here, decided to do a radiator flush too.

This transmission flush completes my tune up. Did the rear and front differential and transfer case last week. Transmission and radiator this week.

Thank you TacomaWorld!

 

Thanks for your technical information in this post. Excellent pics and explanation of the process! Just got my used 2009 Tacoma not even a week ago. I was looking under the hood when I was considering buying it. I could not find the trans. dipstick. I asked the salesman and he had to go ask another one. Get this....he said the tranny is a sealed unit and is "lubed for life", so you don't need any access to the fluid! I am sooo glad to come across this information! Greatly appreciate it!

 

sub

 

Great post M Lion, used this method on my 00 Prerunner. In my case the return line is at the rear of the tranny and output is at front (A340A 19 bolt pan). I only required 2 gallons (8 quarts) of ATF. Book says 7.6 for full fluid change. The flow as you stated is correct and controllable (about 5-7 seconds a quart). Easily a one man operation here! I came across this link which shows return line locations for most vehicles, foreign and domestic:

http://www.hotflusher.com/Downloads/HFManual.pdf


As long as you've got a convenient place to tap into the output lines, I see know problems using this method on any vehicle. Just don't drain out more than 2 quarts at a time without refilling with new fluid, as stated, so as not to run the pump dry!

Thanks Again Mountain Lion, you saved me a ton of money and my baby is happy now!

 

How much did all that atl?

 

I want to extend a heartfelt thanks to members Mountain Lion and Fortech for detailing these procedures.

I did Mountain Lion's full flush yesterday on my 2007 Tacoma, and it went off without any snags, thanks to the detailed instructions and photos posted by these guys.

Was able to talk the Toyota dealer down to $7.93/quart (plus tax) for the transmission fluid...basically their wholesale price. (I did buy 15 qts.)

Only small issue I had was, I went to the hardware store to get some of the clear tubing, and asked for some 3/8" diameter tubing. Well, I didn't think about it at the time, but the tubing the guy gave me was 3/8", but it was 3/8" OUTSIDE diameter, lol. Luckily I had some 3/8" inside diameter fuel line in the garage (that I use to drain the oil filter boss), so that worked fine.

So, if you're wanting to do this full transmission flush, GO FOR IT! Mountain Lion has done all the real work for you...all you have to do is follow his excellent instructions. If you do, you cannot screw this up.

BTW, I used a fluid pump similar to the one below, and it worked great.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Custom-Accessories-Pennzoil-Multi-Use-Hand-Pump/16767856

 

Also, I'll say this: Be very careful how much torque you put on the fill, drain and check bolts. These are steel and the pan is aluminum, so it's very easy to strip the threads out of the pan on any of these locations.

The torque specs given are for "dry" threads...meaning no transmission oil on the pan or bolt threads. With the threads lubed with transmission fluid, 29 lb-ft, or whatever the torque is, will be too much. I found this out when I went to torque the drain bolt. Slick with transmission fluid, the bolt got tight long before I would have gotten an indication from the torque wrench. Had I kept tightening, I could have stripped the threads out of the pan.

 

Will doing this help my transmission from jumping??
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/6499-what-have-you-done-your-tacoma-today-1161.html#post5842417
Check here for more info...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gol5scxt3Eg&feature=plcp

 

I just watched your video but couldn't tell what it was you're wanting us to see.