Transmission flush vs drain & fill

How's it going everyone. I have a 2002 tacoma 4x4 automatic trans. that has a little over 141k miles. Planning to do a full fluid renewal on my truck. Just wondering what do most of you guys do for the transmission. I wanted to do a transmission flush, but I've heard that isn't good for our trucks? If i was going to do the flush I'd be putting the engine on idle with the return line disconnected and routed into a empty container let it drain about 4 quarts , turn off engine, refill, and repeat till new fluid starts to come out... Open to input to whats best.

 

I'm sure I'll get taken to the woodshed on this one but what you stated is old tech. The total fluid swap is a very good idea,,, IF,,,, you find some shop that does a BG fluid flush, nothing else,,, just the BG flush. Check it out, go to BG products. com and read up on it. I use their products on all my vehicles, I did it to my 07 dodge diesel, if you do their flush on whatever part,, ie,, coolant, tranny, diff,, transfer case,,, anything with a fluid they will warranty that item for the life of the car or truck, and it's transferable,,,
My .02

 

I've read about it but as of right now i'd rather do the work myself and save a good amount of money. Is there anything wrong doing the "old tech" way?

 

I've done a drain and fill twice on my 2003 V6 at like 115k and then again at 120k miles. Next time I plan on taking the pan off and cleaning the metal screen "filter" as well as new fluid. That should be good for several thousand miles. I probably won't do anything but monitor the fluid level/color for another 15-20k after that.

Just my $.02

 

For what it's worth, I've also read on here in the 1st gen forum more than once that you shouldn't flush a high mileage transmission if it hasn't been flushed regularly (or in a long time). I wouldn't want to take the risk if it were me but to each their own.

 

I've read this too. Also read the same thing about jeep XJ cherokees. They have the same aisin transmission as our trucks. They same if it hasn't been changed, do not do a power flush. It could knock loose sludge buildups into the valve body and cause more problems. That's why I recommend a few drain and fills. Plus it's pretty cheap.

 

That's what I've been reading too. My transmission fluid doesn't to be bad in color. Still reddish pink. Just thought I should do the flush since I'm planning to do all the fluids. If I were to do a drain in flush how many quarts am I looking to get to replace ? I've been reading 2-4?

 

I have a manual trans so I can't help you there, but if you're going to drain and fill it I imagine you'd want to fill it until the dipstick reads full...the ATs have dipsticks on these trucks right?

 

yes we do. I wondering if i can call the toyota dealership i bought truck from and see if they have any records to show for it. Surprisingly when i bought the truck, it was bought and pretty much serviced at the same exact toyota dealership the previous owner bought it from that they so happen to sell it to and i bought the truck from.

 

Had my dad's 98 tacoma do a flush by toyota. I dunno what they did but after driving away from the dealership the tranny started slipping. We had to take it back to the house and check fluids.

Going forward I rather do a drain and fill.

 

oh wow ok... alright i guess my best bet is to drain and fill. Probably do it once and then probably spend the extra money to do it again when i do my oil change, then do it again once i hit another 25-30k.

 

Unless your fluid is really dark and nasty looking, you will be fine with a full flush. Dark burnt smelling fluid means the transmission fluid hasn't been changed in a very long time and excessive wear to the transmission has occurred as a result. That dark fluid could be holding suspended clutch material in it that the trans is relying on to not slip. When you drain out all the old fluid and replace it with fresh fluid, the transmission ends up slipping on you.

I wouldn't drain out 4 quarts at a time because your pan would run almost dry and it's not good for the pump to be sucking air. Start with a drain and refill of what's in the pan. Then, remove the return line and follow a procedure of draining 1 quart and replacing 1 quart until the fluid coming out of the return line looks new. It's best to have a friend help you with this so you can watch what's coming out while they start and stop the motor for you.

Here's a video my buddy Sean and I did for doing a trans flush on a 3rd Gen 4runner which would be the same for 1st Gen Tacomas.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RumPXivBlk8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

I've seen damn near all your videos! watched this video about 3 times ahha. Anyways, the fluid doesnt seem to be burnt or discolored. still looks good pinkish/red color. I have a feeling that the previous owner has done the transmission before tho. Just really scared of ruining the transmission over something that i want to prevent from happening to have it actually happening.

 

you can get service records from Toyota online as well.
https://www.toyota.com/owners/parts...em&gclid=CImZhovur9QCFUlcMgodZREGOw&gclsrc=ds

 

Need subtitles for the last few minutes.

 

this is a huge help! I appreciate it

 

Sub

 

I had this exact same BG flush done on my 04 4Runner (same transmission) about a year ago. I could tell immediately on the way home that it shifted smoother. This was done at 110k having never had a previous flush. I usually do every type of service myself but I felt it was worth the $190. The guy that owns the shop explained exactly what @Timmah! explained in his post when I asked about being at 100k+ miles. I think it was totally worth it and I'll do it again in another 75k miles.

 

I did the same thing at 210k miles on my 04 DC 4x4. And everything has been fine. No problems whatsoever. I'm at 256k miles now.

 

How much fluid should I expect to fill the trans with when I do a drain and fill?
And I'm ok to run Valvoline MaxLife?