Yesterday I drained and flushed my '04-V8 with the sealed transmission, thanks to all of the help from posts here that describe the process. However; when I first removed the check level plug, I noticed that it drained approximately one quart of ATF. It was parked in my garage, which is perfectly level, and there have been no mods to the suspension, and the transmission was only barely warm (105 F). So it was quite a surprise to see that much fluid come out, indicating it was overfilled. I bought the 4runner new, it has 102,000 miles and this is the first drain/fill, so this condition had to come from the factory.

When I removed the drain plug, I only got two more quarts, so a total of 3 qts drained out by gravity. That seems about right from what I read here, but all of that should have come from the drain plug, and none from the fill check plug. I also flushed some using the oil cooler lines, and I replaced the same amount that I removed in total. When I warmed it up and cycled the transmission; and then checked; it was still pouring out of the check level plug. I drained maybe 1/3 qt that way but then decided to stop and leave it apparently overfull. If it came from the factory that way and it has run over 100K miles without a flaw, then maybe there is something else going on with the level check.

Has anybody else seen this, any ideas on what is going on here?

The tranny needs to be fully warmed up, drive it around the block a few times, and the engine needs to be running in park when you remove the check plug.
Not sure from your description if this is the way you did it or not.
If so, then nevermind.

OK, so I refilled it with the same amount that I removed. I started the engine, cycled it through the gears, warmed it to 115 F and put it in Park. Then I cut off the engine, crawled under and checked the level. My bad, I should have remembered from the old days when we had dipsticks, it said clearly to check the level with the engine running, in Park. It just seems counter intuitive to crawl under the car with the engine running, but that is what you have to do. I had to add a 1/2 qt to get it to dribble out the check plug (with the engine running).

Thanks for the help.

No problem.

I wasn't too crazy about crawling underneath with the engine running either.
I just got it done quickly and got outa there.

So I just did a transmission flush and refilled with Amsoil using the method described in the service manual shorting jumpers 4 and 13 and waiting for the A/T Oil Temp light to come on. I waited for a few minutes after the light came on to drain to get closer to standard operating temperature but before the light flashed.

After finishing it I started the truck and the check engine light came on. I drove it around a bit and it seemed to shift fine up through the gears but when I move the shifter from D to R there is a very faint rattle.

Anyone have the same or similar experience? I have some oil left over so I'm going to try refilling half a quart and checking oil level at operating temp.

Like a noob I posted before doing a search. Turns out that check engine + VSC off + VSC error is a common problem that can be remedied by putting the gas cap on tight or in my case disconnecting the battery for 30 seconds.

God I love this forum.

I'm hearing what I think is the same sound. I only recently started noticing it when I shift from park to reverse and then start to move. Within 5-10 feet it stops. Only thing I did recently was grease the zerks on all of the driveline points for the second time since I bought the car used back in November 2010.

Found another good link on the Tacoma forum detailing the drain and fill:

How to Drain/Refill Automatic Transmission - Tacoma World Forums

Cheers!

Wanted to add a couple notes. Some of this is repeated from Mike's instructions about the non-sealed transmission.

crush washer for drain and overflow: p/n 35178-30010 approx $2.50
Fill plug gasket (re-usable, but if yours is damaged): p/n 90301-15004

Remember that you will need 2 crush washers if you are replacing for the drain plug and the overflow plug. Overflow uses 5 mm allen, drain is 10 mm socket. Torque both to 15 ft-lbs (180 in-lbs).

If you replace the filter, the bolts holding the filter in place require 10 mm socket and torque of 7 ft-lbs (84 in-lbs). The bolts holding the pan require 10 mm socket and torque of 65 in-lbs.

Fill plug requires 24 mm socket and 29 ft-lbs torque.

If you have a v8, you will need to remove the exhaust crossover pipe that runs directly under the trans pan. You can remove it by disconnecting at the flange interface on both ends of the crossover pipe. Soak the bolts/threaded rods in penetrant. On the driver's side, loosen the nuts screwed into the threaded rod. On the passenger side, loosen the bolt, not the nuts. The nuts are welded in place. Each requires 14 mm socket. There is an 02 sensor that can be unplugged. When re-installing, torque the bolts/nuts to 46 ft-lbs. Might want to put some anti-seize to make it easier to remove next time.

Each flange of the exhaust pipe has a metal gasket listed as not re-usable.
Exhaust flange gasket (for v8): p/n 90080-43036, $10 each, qnty 2 will be needed.

I drained a total of 12 quarts (4 by dropping my pan, another 8 at the heat exchanger). I put in the same as I took out, and when I checked the level (at correct temperature), between 1/4 and 1/2 of a quart drained out of the overflow. It took me about 20 minutes for the A/T light to come on indicating that the operating temperature had been reached. I was wondering if it was working since it was taking so long, but if you are just idling on "P", it will take a while.

Get a pump for the fluid. I managed without one, but made a mess.

Hope that helps.

My AT light also didn't work as expected. Mine came on & stayed on right as I ran through the D/N sequence & then never worked as it says. If the truck is in a gear, then the light is off. In Neutral or park, the light is always on.

Every other light on the dash was flashing like crazy though??!?!? Strange.

In the end, I guesstimated the temperature from putting my hand on the pan.

Finally, on a 2008 V8 4x4, the exhaust crosspipe has been moved behind the structural member, so there is no issue removing the pan. I got about 5qts from the pan & another 0.5 or so from blowing out the heat exchanger with ~30psi compressed air. Most of that ended up all over the bottom of the 4runner, floor and on the Audi parked next to it. Yay!

I have a 2006 v8 with 108,000 miles on it and I don't think the tranny fluid has ever been changed. I know I'm not supposed to flush it but to do a "drain and fill" every so miles till its red and sweet. Would you guys consider it to be a safe option if I just took out the tranny drain plug and measured the fluid that came out and then just put the same amount back in through the fill hole and called it a day? If i just replace the same amount of fluid that came out is getting it up to proper temp and checking it really necessary?

Tucktuck, I'm in nearly the same boat as you mileage wise with no evidence of tranny svc before I got it. I guess I should've done it sooner. But the 60k recommendation is for primarily towing conditions which I don't do, and the interval used to be 100k. I think the drain and fill with dropping the pan and changing the filter ought to be fine, that way I can clean the pan and check the magnets. Then I may do it again in like 20k later the change out more fluid, just omitting the filter change. I understand high mileage flushing is where the danger lies relating to stirring up debris which is why I want to drop the pan to clean it.

To the members: what brand filter/gasket kit do you like? Napa/O'Reilly/etc. Alright? Should I go for one with a cork gasket? Or am I over thinking it?

You both need a flush in my opinion. Forget the drain and fill, it only replaces like 1/4th of the old fluid. There isn't any risk that I know of even if you flush after 100k miles. In fact, I view that as even more reason to flush... you *know* that 3/4th of the ATF is old and nasty. Me personally, I'm not confident in that old fluid being able to absorb heat anymore, which is one of it's main job(s) to prevent a tranny failure!

If you want a story from experience, I flushed after 100k, and after 200k -- with no issues in my 3rd gen.

After the flush in another 40-60k miles or whatever, you can do drain and fills then.

For a filter, only use OEM, it really isn't that expensive and you will be sorry for putting in aftermarket on the transmission filter just to save a few bucks.

I do not own a 4th gen, but I know there is a transmission flush DIY on this site for the 4th gen because I've read it. If you *really* aren't up to the DIY, you can still pay for this service with a shop that has a flushing machine. (I believe Jiffy Lube has one).

http://www.jiffylubesoutheast.com/pr...ion-ttech.html

amalik, thank you for the opinion. I remember reading somewhere that it is not safe to perform a flush with high miles. can anyone confirm this?

Here's my 2 cents on some of the questions:

1. Is it ok to just drain and fill instead of flushing?
It is probably fine. But really, flushing the fluid is easy, so why not? As amalik pointed out, you can only drain about 1/4 of the fluid through the drain plug, so even with a lot of drain and fills, you will still have a lot of dirty/old oil. If you are concerned, send a sample to Blackstone labs or elsewhere and have it analyzed. For $35 or whatever it costs, it will give you peace of mind.

2. Is it bad to flush it?
I've heard that, but it doesn't make much sense to me. The fluid circulates normally anyway, so I don't see how you would be dislodging contaminants or particles, unless you are flushing it under pressure with a machine. The method to flush I used is to just disconnect the hose from the trans oil cooler and drain into a pan. If you don't have a trans oil cooler, just find a low pressure line that is going back to the trans oil pan and drain from there. Run the engine until about 3 quarts is drained, then turn off (this will prevent the trans pan from running empty). Then fill 3 quarts and repeat. Do this about 3 times and you will have replaced everything.

3. Is it ok to replace what I drained, or do I really need to check the overflow at the operating temperature?
Mine was about 1/2 quart overfilled from factory. Is that a big deal? Probably not. But again, it is not hard to check the overflow - the instructions sound complicated, but once you actually do it, its pretty easy.

4. I don't tow - do I need to replace trans fluid at all?
The owners manual seems to say that you do not need to replace differential or trans fluid unless you tow. I don't tow, so did not replace diff fluid until 45k miles. It looked and smelled horrible. Therefore, I figure it should be changed regularly whether you tow or not. I changed trans fluid at 60k, and it looked and smelled like new. So if you don't tow, maybe you can go longer before flushing trans fluid, but I still think it is worth flushing periodically. Trans fluid is expensive, so again, if you are concerned, send a sample for analysis before replacing the whole 12 quarts.

Hope that helps.