Transmission Fluid Change

This thread has blown my mind in more ways than one .

 

If you're able to do an oil change....then you aren't far away from a drain and fill on the tranny.

I purchased 12 quarts of WS from my local dealer for $7.50 each. I bought 4 drain/check plug gaskets (they're the same) for a few bucks (used 2 of them). You don't necessarily have to replace them. Lots of people don't. I didn't until the last DAF.

At 55k miles I did 4 DAFs over the course of a couple of weeks. Every 15-20k I'll do one to help keep the fluid fresh. At around 100k or so I will drop the pan for a magnet cleaning and a new filter. I may go with Valvoline Maxlife, as it's affordable and works great in higher mileage Toyotas we have in the family.

This is the OBDII jumper I made for easily getting into temp check mode. A wire will work just fine as well.



Here's the gasket number. #

$10 35178-30010

35178-30010



And here's the link for the how-to. Don't be afraid of this. And don't let people tell you it's a waste of time and money.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/how-to-drain-refill-automatic-transmission.63851/

 

Changed both diffs and transfer case fluid already

 

Awesome reply, thanks!

 

OP, here is the deal. Your getting conflicting input. Changing the transmission fluid etc in these trucks is not strait forward to your average Joe or your average gear head used to building hot rods, etc... But it's not 'rocket surgery' (that's a local joke, combo of a rocket scientist and brain surgery, lol)

Here is the thing... When it was new it had minute imperfections. In the first few thousand miles those miniscule pieces of metal wore off and became loose into the transmission fluid. If you flushed the ATF at recommend or I recommend sooner, those particles are gone. If you run it 140,000 miles with those particles in the oil, they ware on all the moving parts creating greater tolerances. Over time, the same particles of metal start to fill those tolerances.


You do a full flush at that point and you flush out those particles holding your internal moving parts close together.

That is a really simplified explanation, but it's real world.

Do I change the ATF in my truck, myself in my shop? Yes, about every 30,000. Engine oil, every 3,000, differential oil changes at 300 miles, 500 miles, 1500 miles, then 30,000.

Would I change untouched original ATF at 144k miles absolutely not. Just my $0.02 worth

 

Thank you for the info! I think I will just hold off then since I haven't noticed any transmission issues and don't want to damage my perfectly well running truck.

 

Get a sample of the fluid onto a paper towel. Even half a teaspoon or less. The color will tell you all you need to know.

 

I wouldn't say that this was great information.

 

It'll be dark red. That's all you'll see. A lab like Blackstone or Oil Analyzers could run it through a computer but even analyses are only good for noticing TRENDS. A one time analysis would have little value.

 

A lot of conflicting info in this thread, I'm at 100k and recently found out that Toyota now recommends replacing the fluid. I guess I should check the fluid color first, if it looks good then drain and fill? or if it's brown then just leave it?

 

Just change it. I change it every 60k. It's like $330 at dealership if you don't want to do it yourself.

My brother's 2007 tacoma never got changed until it started slipping at 130,000mi. So just save yourself some anxiety and do it early.

 

There's a lot of conflicting information because changing ANY fluid after 100k miles is a risky proposition. There's no simple answer to this.

 

Just do it. $330 fluid vs $5,000 transmission.

 

Would something like this kit make doing a drain and fill any easier?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Toyota-Lexus-Sealed-Transmission-Fluid-Replacement-Kit/222731930378

 

No, That’s a gimmick to get your money. You just need to read some more on the subject.

 

I spoke to the local dealership 2 weeks ago, they do not recommend a full flush, they only do drain and fills, $150. Go figure

 

If you haven't had a bath in 6 months - why bother?

 

$150 for a drain and fill is obscene. We’re talking $15-$20 worth of fluid. And I am skeptical that they do a proper fluid level check since that takes extra time. Probably just put back in how ever many quarts they took out.

 

Yea, I did it myself....

 

Poor analogy, unless not bathing means your skin is rotting away and taking a bath would cause a bunch of open sores to appear on your body.