I have a 2005 SR5 V6 4runner with 150,000 miles. Purchased it new.

I had the Toyota dealer service the transmission at 100,000 miles - as Toyota recommends.

The dealer service drained 5 quarts of Toyota ATM and changed (i.e., added) the new ATM fluid; and the transmission has worked fine. They changed the transmission filter - and the cost was on their invoice.

I'm now at 150,000 miles and wonder when should I do another 5 quart drain and fill. The transmission doesn't slip and works perfectly, and I'm afraid to cause an issue by servicing it.

Can I do this D/F myself by draining and measuring what comes out the drain plug, and just refill with that exact ATM, or

Should I bring it to the Toyota dealer? In the Bahamas the dealer will charge me $300.

I only use/have genuine ATF from Toyota for my 4 runner.

Do I need to do the filter again?

Thanks for the advice.

You can do it yourself using the tutorial on here, just do a quick search and you'll find a number of threads. And if it were me I'd skip the filter but your call, there are threads on here as well if you're gonna DIY it.

Much easier & cheaper to do it yourself. Don't bother with the strainer if they just replaced it. I have 180k on my original.

lift it up just enough to get under the truck. The truck needs to be level for checking afterwards. Crack the fill plug. Remove the drain plug. If I remember, only about 3.5qt comes out, not 5. You will only get that much if you drop the entire pan.
replace the drain plug but don't fully tighten. run some tubing from the engine bay on the pass. side down into the fill port. Add a little more fluid than what came out. (~4qt). remove the tubing and tighten the fill plug. Start your truck and let it reach operating temp. Supposed to be 134F when checked. Just let it run about 15 min. You can cycle through gears or rev the RPMs to make it go a little quicker.
Once at temp, pull the drain plug again and let any extra drain out. You're looking for it to go from a constant stream to a very minor dribble. You can collect/measure the drained fluid if you care to. Once you get that slight drip, replace & tighten the drain bolt.

One thing to clarify here is that there are 3 plugs/bolts.

The fill plug is up by the driveshaft on the passengers side. Use this to add ATF.
The drain plug is on the transmission pan and uses a socket to remove. Use it to empty the pan.
The fill level check plug is also on the transmission pan and uses a hex key (allen key). This is for checking the fill level once new fluid is added and up to temp.

Remove the fill plug.
Get something to be able to measure the volume of ATF that comes out of the drain plug, then remove the drain plug. Once it stops, attach the drain plug again.
Add new ATF using the fill plug. A manual pump with a long outlet hose works well. I got one at Walmart for less than $10. Make sure to add back the same amount that came out of the drain plug previously, plus about another half quart. You can leave this plug off until you're done, unless you're going to forget to put it back on. I leave the my pump hose in the fill plug until I'm finished so that I remember to replace the fill plug.
Get the car up to temp. I use a OBD2 Bluetooth that shows me the temps. One measures the temp at the torque converter and the other measures the temp returning from being cooled. Both need to be between 115F and 130F. I've heard lot's of conflicting numbers. The surefire way involves a song and dance routine with the car where it lights up the dash to indicate the proper temp is reached, and that isn't for me...
With the engine running and at temp, remove the fill level check plug. If fluid comes out, let it drain until the flow is slow but still flowing. Add back the fill level check plug and you're done.

If the fill level check doesn't drain any fluid when removed, the pan is too low on fluid and you need to add more ATF using the fill plug and try again.

All in all, you just empty the pan, refill it, and check for level once it's up to temp. Each one of those things has its own bolt.

x4 on doing it yourself. curious, what is ATM? & thank you to the members that posted to use the fill plug to add more fluid & not trying to add fluid via the trans cooler lines.

technically, & if the dealer filled to the proper level, you can do a drain & measure the amount & add that same amount back in if you do it at the same temp, preferably when cool. most people dont have OBD scan tools so that is an easy way to add back what came out. you can also check the temp how the toyota manual says, which is not a song & dance at all, you simply jumper 2 terminals with a piece of wire & move the shifter between drive & neutral 6 times (i think but please verify) until the trans temp light flashes & then wait for it to come back on verifying its at the proper temp to check fluid. very easy to do & much more accurate than using a temp gun.

as for the time/mileage, its usually based on how it was used, i.e. if you towed heavily or abused it in other ways, if abused toyota says 60k, if not 100k. but, if the dealer only did 1 drain & fill there is still a large portion of the old fluid in the trans that wasn't changed. because of that i would suggest doing a drain & fill now & maybe even do 2 or 3 a few days apart to get as much new fluid in there as possible. its a very easy process once you do it & unless you are 400lbs, most guys can get under their 4runner without jacking it up, but it does make it easier to get to the fill plug.

another option so you arent doing it multiple times is to just do a full exchange yourself asap & be set for the next 100k. lots of videos on youtube or tutorials here of how to do that... just dont follow the "easy peasy" thread unless you read all the way to the end, the initial instructions have you fill new fluid via the trans cooler lines which takes FOREVER. use the fill hole on the trans, you can use a hand pump or even easier & cheaper is to run a funnel up near the passenger side engine bay with a hose to the fill hole as urbanrunner explains above, takes 2-3 minutes to fill ~2qts, which is what you do in about 5-6 cycles... drain 2qts then refill 2 qts using the trans pump to pump out the old.

but the exchange is more involved & some find it a little intimidating, so if you have limited tools & want to keep it simple, just do a few drain & fills a few weeks apart & you should be fine. & no need for a new filter or to drop the pan. hope that helps!

Yes, do it. Whether you DIY or have the dealer do (nothing wrong with that, if you, like me, don't have the time, by all means.......). I remember seeing that a tranny service should be a drain/fill/whatever first 100K, then every 50K after that.

You are correct, I forgot there are two separate ports on the pan.
Also with the 115-130F, not sure where I got the 134F from..

Hi, what is your car is left over night and have room temperature. you can simply fill the same amount of fluid that has drain out. if do this, can you skip the temperature check step ?

Hi, what if your car was left over night and had room temperature. you could simply fill the same amount of fluid that has drain out. if do this, can you skip the temperature check step ?

I replied why you can't use this method if you want it filled properly in your other post.

Well I’ll be a monkeys backside. Are you back again? Why dont you let your mechanic with 5 bays do it for you?

not sure if this is the captn back, no mention of type IV or Bahamas

Here's a video showing how to do a DIY flush on your sealed transmission. If you have a 4wd model, you have the A750F transmission. Reading some of the earlier comments, the suggested temp to check the fluid at is wrong. You check it via the overflow plug between 97 - 115 degrees fahrenheit.

Its in the side bar

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oh this original thread is almost 2 year old lol. someone just commented on it, which brought it back to the top. The captn has been banned for a while now