Preventative trans work

Recently acquired an 11 dclb base model with 175k. Trans has no noticeable issues. Only known history was trans fluid service at 135k. I dropped the pan for a fluid change and saw signs of minimal wear. Small amount of debris on magnets and light black coating on pan bottom. Fluid was relatively red with only the slightest brown tinge.

I would like to take steps to make this last. From my research here, i am considering the sonnax zip kit to refresh worn vb parts and seal it up tighter for better performance. This is not to address a problem, but to increase longevity. Good idea or am i nuts? What started me down this path was looking at their line booster kit. It seems to me that the upped pressure would lead to a bit firmer shifts and that should reduce clutch wear. Also feel the shifting is a bit lazy and wouldn’t mind just a bit firmer shifting. Not wanting to go as aggressive as I would expect from the shift kits. They state that at low power the shift change is minor, but gets more aggressive when the power goes up. Sounds like a nice compromise.

any thoughts on this being a good idea? Not a lot of $ and enjoy the work.

also, any benefit to going all the way in and replace clutches and plates? No sense doing this if i will be getting another 100k or more before they wear out.

thanks for the input.

Larry

 

I wouldn't mess with anything. Put the pan back on and drive it

I have a 2015 DCLB with 160k miles. I did one spill and fill around 100k and I have zero worries about transmission

 

Drive it. I'm at 242,000 on my 07 Tacoma and it still has the factory fluid. Along with the Tacoma I have 3 other vehicles with a combined 600,000+ miles. I've never changed the fluid on them nor any other vehicle I've owned over the last 50 years. I've never had an issue nor seen any evidence that changing it makes the transmission last any longer.

I figure I'll be due for a transmission rebuild in another 100,000 to 150,000 miles. I'll just save the money I would have spent changing the fluid and apply it to a rebuild then and be money ahead.

 

Yeah, you've probably done too much already at this point. Probably shouldn't have disturbed a good thing.

 

Good the trans is set for now after a full fluid exchange.
Pan only changes like 2-3 qts the rest is in the converter and as yours is clean the exchange did what it was supposed to.
I had the dealer do mine at 120k as I tow things and after it shifted a little smoother and I could tell when the converter locked/unlocked.
The Toyota 5 speed auto is a proven Long-Life part so leave it alone now.
Enjoy.

 

Your thought process, in my opinion is sound. You got me thinking it is not a bad idea so I did a little do diligence on my own. By design, the Sonnax Zip Kit is designed to address common problems with valve body wear and pressure loss that can affect the shift quality and durability of your transmission. The kit contains drop-in parts that require no special tools or reaming for installation.

When looking at some customer reviews, the Sonnax Zip Kit can improve the shift feel and smoothness of your transmission, as well as prevent shuddering and slipping issues. Other customers reported that the kit caused codes to trigger and put the truck in limp mode, or that the part did not look like an official Sonnax product. This set off an alarms in my mind that there may be "counterfeit kits" on the market. One recommendation is I would ensure the authenticity of the kit by buying direct from the manufacturer or an Sonnax approved retailer.

Other Sonnax Line Booster Kit reviews confirm it to be an electronic harness that plugs in quickly and easily on the outside of the transmission case. By design, it seems to work just like a large-ratio boost valve for a progressive pressure increase of about 10 to 25 psi.

According to Sonnax, the Line Booster Kit can deliver crisp, clean shifts without harshness. They report the kit can also improve the clutch holding capacity and increase the durability of your transmission. However, the kit may not override any computer control designed into the Tacoma transmission, which means that the adaptive shift program may adjust the pressure and shift points to keep the shifts smooth. I am going to look into this. I would also want Sonnax technical support to explain how their product works with an adaptive shift program. At face value it seem adaptive shift programs would defeat the benefits the kit. This is another reason to buy directly from Sonnax or a Sonnax distributor and not some buy it cheap retailer with no skin in the game. I will want to verify how will you notice a difference in a shift unless you delete the adaptive shirt program which may require an ECM tune.

Based on the design and reviews, the Sonnax Zip Kit and Line Booster Kits are not a bad idea if you want to refresh and enhance your transmission but as much as I like the concept, I would need to do more homework and talk with a transmission pro. There is a guy I've spoken with here on TacomaWorld who lives in Canada and is highly knowledgeable. If you ask around, I'm sure others know of him. I'll see if I can find his user name. He would be a great person to consult. I would also be sure to tell him you have also already considered other factors like the condition of your transmission fluid, filter, solenoids, clutches, and torque converter.

I respect peoples right to their opinions but I also seek the feedback of "real" subject matter experts. I also very much believe in preventing problems rather than detecting them after it is too late. I have a 2014 Tacoma with 110K miles. I had the trans fluid backflushed at 50K miles, and 100K miles. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Toyota engineering but as an engineer I also know what the pressures of bean counters and marketing plans place on even the best engineers. Changing trans fluid before there are problems sure seems like a reasonable thing to do especially with a trans that doesn't have dipstick to monitor fluid condition. You can bet that was not an engineering decision.

 

300k and i only did one trans dump n fill
I have towed and drive it hard on the beach
no slipping and shifts great still

 

If it ain't broke...Fix it till it is!

 

Complete change on my 2014 last spring @118k. I had evidence of a prior change. At my request, the shop doing the work drained a cup of fluid and brought it over to me and showed me it was still nice and red/clear. It was my decision to leave the pan and screen alone to reduce the chances of dirt entry and marginal pan re-seal. It seemed to shift smoother afterwards and I can feel the converter locking, but not releasing. It's still a little clunky on the downshifts at times, but it's an "old school" unit, and I drove one with 75k on it that acted the same way.

Going forward it will be drain and refill every 60K. I would not open up a transmission that is performing perfectly well to change parts as a "preventative maintenance" procedure.

If you want to do something to extend its longevity and reliability, install an external transmission oil cooler: the biggest that will fit, even if you will never tow anything with the truck. If you already have the tow pkg with the aux cooler, it will be about an hour job to make the swap. I did this: an external stacked plate type that is about double the size of the stock tube-and-fin cooler. At this point I have no doubt the transmission with go at least 200k with no issues unless I start beating the snot out of it, or decide to tow it with some giant-sized boat or a ridiculous trailer. YMMV

 

Just do what feels right to you. Lots of wack information I wouldn’t follow. Best two facts for a transmission is clean fluid and keeping the trans cool.

 

Thanks for sharing your detailed thoughts. I am inclined to do it on the hope that fimer shifts (i.e. less slippage) will extend the life of the clutches. Seems the kit addresses areas of wear and restores stock pressures by sealing up known leakage areas. And the line booster takes it a bit further. The 750 is a tad slow and smooth on the shifts, which means longer slipping times and therefore more wear.

 

never heard of it

 

I did a complete pan drop, screen replacement, fluid flush and complete change to Valvoline MaxLife at about 85,000. The thought is that you do the pan drop first to see if there is any debris on the magnets/in the pan so you don’t cycle that through the transmission. Fast forward to 120,000, I did a pan drop, screen replacement and added 10 oz of Lubeguard Platinum, for preventive maintenance and MaxLife and then I drained it about two weeks later without a pan drop and filled it back up with MaxLife. The transmission is running great.

 

ALL FLUID has a useful life. This is not wise.

 

Was hoping to get gearcrucnchers opinion, so bringing this back to top, as i saw him post something.

 

Drive it. I’m sitting at 218k on factory fluid in my 05 that has not been babied. Just save up money and put it in a safe for the day you *possibly* need it replaced. Doubtful. just run it. And make sure to keep it topped off.

 

the shit in the fluid may be the only thing keeping it running. We don’t all buy new and keep things fresh. Sometimes you run what you have. And changing the fluid in transmissions is playing Russian roulette, when you factor in mileage.

 

I’ve been driving since 1978 and have never changed tranny fluid on any vehicle. I drive between 40-50k mikes annually, have driven some vehicles way past 200k mileage, and have never had a tranny fail.

I have owned a 1986 F-150, a 1998 Dakota, a 2000 Dakota, a 2003 Ram, a 2004 Ram, a 2008 Ram, a 2011 Ram, a 2013 Silverado, a 2015 Tacoma and a 2019 Tacoma. (All of them except for the Ford were company vehicles). Damn, I’m OLD!

OP, don’t overthink it, just ignore all the “sky is falling” stuff you read on the internet and enjoy your truck without worry…

 

I could be wrong, but I believe you are mixing up changing the fluid with flushing the fluid. If there is clutch material up in the trans a flush could create a situation where the material is dislodged and then the trans may start slipping or having trouble shifting gears. Dropping the pan and changing the 2-3 qts in the pan is not the same as a high pressure flush.

I hear you. The only vehicle I own that is not 40+ years old is this Taco.