Should I change my transmission oil?

I got a 2013 Tacoma V6 a couple years ago, I don't know the prior maintenance history on the truck but it seems well kept. I have 160k miles on it right now.
Should I get the transmission oil changed? I heard some people say that it could damage the tranny at this mileage.

 

Check out the Maintenance Tutorials. It’s all there and then some.

 

Assuming this is an automatic transmission, based on youtube videos I've seen, if it hasn't been changed in the first 100k miles then you're better off not changing it.

 

I’d absolutely change it.
If nothing else, a drain and fill.
Better would be pan drop, filter, w/drain and fill.
Even better a full system evacuation w/filter.

There’s a right and wrong way to do it.
Doing it right, the risk is minimal.
Doing it wrong, is where it gets expensive.

 

I wouldnt go to sleep tonight till it was changed...

 

I would do drain and fills over the next several years.

 

Just do a drain and fill but don’t flush it.

 

Changing the fluid after a certain point doesn't damage the transmission, but if the transmission is already worn past a certain point keeping the old fluid in there will extend its life.

There is abrasive on the clutches inside the transmission. As the transmission ages the abrasive wears off and is suspended in the transmission fluid. Once you reach a certain point the old dirty transmission fluid is actually helping the clutches do their work. If the clutches are worn past a certain point the new transmission fluid is too slippery and your transmission starts to slip. Keeping the old fluid in there will buy you some time before you have to rebuild the transmission.

No reputable shop will touch your truck. There is no way to know how much wear there is inside. If there is very little wear, then changing the fluid won't hurt a thing. But if it is compromised your transmission will fail within a few days. No shop wants to try to explain that to customers who come back complaining that their transmission died less than 500 miles after being serviced. I wouldn't touch it.

I've never seen any evidence that changing the fluid extends transmission life anyway. It isn't like engine oil; lubrication is secondary, and you don't have combustion inside the transmission. Your transmission is a hydraulic pump. I started driving in 1974 and have never changed transmission fluid on any vehicle I've ever owned. There is over 1/2 million combined miles sitting in my driveway and all of them have the factory transmission fluid in them. Almost 240,000 on my Tacoma and I expect at least 400,000 out of the transmission as it is.

That's pretty common for those of us who don't ever change it. This is one of those things that isn't cost effective. The money spent on changing the fluid every 30-50K up to 400K will almost pay to have the transmission rebuilt. And at about the same mileage either way.

 

Please link the videos. This advice is beyond my comprehension as all fluids have a useful life.

 

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

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

 

These click bait clowns don't know what they are talking about.

It's old hat to say don't change it at all.

It's never too late. I have never ever flushed a healthy old transmission and had it fail. Never.

The reason people say it causes damage, is because the trans already has been neglected, it's already at high risk of failure.

Change it. Get the contaminants out.

 

At this age I would still change it. I wouldn't risk a powered 'flush', but would for sure do pan drop/filter/fill.

Furthermore, I just bought vehicle with 160K miles and unknown maintenance history, I would change all the fluids to have a baseline for going forward.

 

they say not to after a certain amount of time because the clutches lose their grit overtime but stays in the fluid which allows reinforcement of the clutches still without overheating and burning. when you drain the fluid, you drain the grit from the transmission and overtime this reduces vital clutch material. i flushed my entire trans at 50k miles and i now have 123k miles and will never do it again. to each their own though

 

at that amount of mileage i would leave it alone.

 

Yeah, but the fact remains, as @Bishop84 said.
The transmission already has issues. Draining the fluid isn’t what causes the issue.
If anything, it lets you know there “was” an issue.

And all that grit talk?
I don’t buy it, if it is gritty enough to help the clutches “bite”.
What’s it doing to the valve body and solenoids?

But I can understand if one doesn’t want to change it.
If you aren’t prepared to fix an issue, it can buy you some time to save up some cash for when it finally does show up.

 

The only people in the industry that say leave it due to clutch friction are over 50 years old. No one I work with would say otherwise. It's old thinking.

Clutches aside, its still a lubricant and has severely broken down and lost many of its properties. Increasing the likelihood of failure of any hard components.

I change transmission fluid on 2 year old cabs with 200,000km no issue. It prevents more issues than it can possibly cause. Plus who knows what the level is. With sealed transmissions you may as well change it if you're checking it. It's likely low.

People can do as they please, but don't buy into this time bomb crap.

 

touche

 

I would say change it because then you have a baseline going forward for the maintenance timeline down the road ahead.

I bought a 2014 with 104,000 on it in 2021. (avg = +- 14k/year) It appeared to be well maintained judging by the fresh looking coolant of the right color, Carfax oil change and maintenance intervals every 5,000 or so, and I found many additional service history records when I opened up an account on my.toyota.com; No mention of the transmission fluid though. The diffs and xfer case plugs show evidence of being removed, transmission: "maybe"...hard to tell. No way to prove it though. So I had it changed at the dealership (flush and fill) where I purchased it at 118,000. It shifts fine after, maybe a little better with the new fluid. No surprise: it's an Aisin transmission. (I always suspected that Toyota WS transmission fluid is synthetic but I have no definitive knowledge if this is so... (My Dad's 2009 Cadillac SRX automatic had factory-fill synthetic though) I had them flush and fill the coolant at 120,000. Next are the plugs, then the diffs and xfer case.

Then I'll have a base-line for the major stuff for the rest of the time I'll own it. Bottom line though is that I'm only putting about 10-12k per year on it now so I should be done with the major maintenance like this for the rest of the time that the truck is in my hands. The oil and Toyota OEM filter get changed every 5k.

This should be my last vehicle unless somebody makes me an offer I can't refuse.

 

Machine flush, hell no, but a complete trans fluid replacement via gravity flush (running truck with hose detached into bucket, evacuate, fill, evacuate, fill…. , repeat….) absolutely!
More than a few threads on how to to do this correctly. Change your filter, replace gasket and clean pan magnets while you’re at it.


Drain plug torque: (15 ft.*lbf)

Overflow plug torque: 20 N*m (15 ft.*lbf)

Refill plug torque: 39 N*m (29 ft.*lbf)



fill plug 24mm socket or wrench

drain plug 14mm socket or wrench

overflow plug 5mm hex socket or allen key

Drain pan bolts 10 mm 65 in.*lb

Transmission strainer bolts 10 mm 84 in.*lb.


Transmission temp when servicing fluid level

97-115F

 

Agreed.