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Should I change my tranny fluid?

Discussion in '1st Gen. Tacomas (1995-2004)' started by bunkerboy, Feb 22, 2012.

  1. Feb 22, 2012 at 5:10 PM
    #1
    bunkerboy

    bunkerboy [OP] Well-Known Member

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    My manual says it never needs to be done, but I'm over a quarter million miles now.

    Hmm?
     
  2. Feb 22, 2012 at 5:13 PM
    #2
    TRDBen

    TRDBen Mall Crawler of the Year

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    I was going to write some clever innuendo here about only if the tranny's penis is starting to show. But since you're new and looking for honest advice, then sure. Might as well?
     
  3. Feb 22, 2012 at 5:19 PM
    #3
    AZBACKCOUNTRY

    AZBACKCOUNTRY Well-Known Member

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    I changed mine at 45k last weekend. Why not it cost 28.00 and I removed a few micro shavings. Oh and it shifts like a dream. Redline mt-90.

    Mines a 6 speed... A little more involved or automatic.

    I would do it.

    Az
     
  4. Feb 22, 2012 at 5:20 PM
    #4
    04trd

    04trd Well-Known Member

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    is it a pain in the ass? or just as simple as drain and fill up from the dip stick tube
     
  5. Feb 22, 2012 at 6:02 PM
    #5
    Robertgeejr1

    Robertgeejr1 Well-Known Member

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  6. Feb 22, 2012 at 6:04 PM
    #6
    crf69

    crf69 scraping my emblems off my plasti-dip

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    ummm yeah
    prolly doesnt need it.....:eek:



    yeah i say do it.:cool:
     
  7. Feb 22, 2012 at 6:14 PM
    #7
    scocar

    scocar hypotenoper

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    Have you even checked the level?

    I see you're a Prerunner, but do you drive it offroad, into water/mud, tow anything? The maint. manual says change it every 30k for "special operating conditions."

    Are you the original owner? Do you know its whole service history?

    Hell, just change it. That's some old, worn out oil.
     
  8. Feb 22, 2012 at 6:28 PM
    #8
    hossmaster

    hossmaster Well-Known Member

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    Auto or manual?
     
  9. Feb 22, 2012 at 7:17 PM
    #9
    bunkerboy

    bunkerboy [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Auto.

    You know what, it was a stupid question. Sorry. WTF was I thinking. DEFINITELY gonna change it ASAP.

    Now that I think about it, I think I did at least get it done at about 100K or so.
     
  10. Feb 22, 2012 at 9:06 PM
    #10
    scocar

    scocar hypotenoper

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    Good question. I assumed manual. Derp. Why "fluid" in the title did not register in my mind I don't know.
    So what color is it? Is it still red? Is it shifting fine?
     
  11. Feb 23, 2012 at 5:15 PM
    #11
    hossmaster

    hossmaster Well-Known Member

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    drain and refill about 3 or 4 times over the course of several hundred miles and it will flush out a lot of the old fluid.
     
  12. Feb 23, 2012 at 6:39 PM
    #12
    JSFoster75

    JSFoster75 Well-Known Member

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    Too many to list.
    Does anyone know if the 2.4L '04's have a drain plug, or do you have to drop the pan and replace the gasket when you drain it? I have 113,500 on mine, but no idea if it's ever been changed...
     
  13. Feb 24, 2012 at 8:40 AM
    #13
    96Taco

    96Taco Well-Known Member

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    So is that a myth that you shouldnt change really old tranny fluid because the shit thats caked in there actually stops the clutch from slipping?
     
  14. Feb 24, 2012 at 9:58 AM
    #14
    Hillingdoner

    Hillingdoner Well-Known Member

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    I'd heard flushing a high mile auto trans was were issues could come in.

    If the fluid is high mile then I'd change it. As previously posted I'd use the drain an refill a few times (that is if your trans has a drain plug in the pan lol).

    My thinking would be the old fluid would have been through many heat cycles and would have lost some of its essential properties.

    Using the drain and refill would be the mildest solution in my opinon. I don't have an auto in the Tacoma, but our Camry is. On that I was fortunate enough to have a simple allen wrench drain plug and it supposely just uses a screen inside the pan so no filter to change. Each drain will not get all the fluid in the trans so each refill is only adding some new to the existing old fluid. I did the drain and refill. I then drove it a few weeks and then did another drain and refill and repeat.

    On the Camry it drains and refills approx 4 quarts at a time so with each change your calculated percentage of new fluid gets higher. I had an excel program I jotted together to map it out at one point (yes I can be that nerdy) and just found the point of deminishing returns and stopped at that.

    What I mean by that is each drain and refill after the first is also draining some of the previous new fluid you just put in. As such your change and refill initially is creating a higher calculated percentage of old fluid being replaced, but at some point the gain in the amount of new fluid added to the trans makes less impact to the total percentage of new fluid in the transmission.

    Cheers
     

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