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Old 10-04-2008, 05:49 PM #1
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Post DIY: Non-Sealed Transmission Service for 4th Gen T4R's and Prior

As many of you know when the forum software was updated some posts were truncated. This post by "Mike the Wino" is a terrific and informative thread. Thanks to J.B.'s character flaws he had the foresight to save it on his computer and reposted it below. Through the magic of my super powers as a moderator I have copy/pasted Mike's thread via J.B. to restore this thread. Thanks to both Mike and J.B.



Mikes original thread:

DIY: Non-Sealed Transmission Service for 4th Gen T4R's and Prior

Howdy all! After much reading on this forum, and in discussions with other members, it was thought that a DYI on this subject was in order. Our fleet of '03 and '04 4Runners are going to see a lot more fluid changes coming up, and most who read these pages have the DIY genes in their blood anyway. So if this is helpful to you, or helps set your mind at ease as to just how easy it is to do, great! If not, well just ignore this and move on!

How to Change the Transmission Filter and Perform a “Flush and Fill” Procedure on 4th Gen TR4’s (and prior) With “Non-Sealed” Transmissions.


This DIY guide is designed for the 4Runner owner that has at least rudimentary mechanical skills, and who wishes to save at least $300 over what most foreign auto repair shops and Toyota dealers charge for the same service. It is only applicable to those vehicles that don’t have “sealed” transmissions; i.e.: those with dipsticks for checking the transmission fluid. It is written with the fledgling garage mechanic in mind…the one who needs true step-by-step instructions.

The following instructions assume you’ve already been to the parts store and have everything you need to perform the task at hand. You may need more than a case of fluid, depending on how nasty the stuff is in your transmission. Many repair facilities say they use up to 18 quarts for a complete flush and fill.

Note: I bought the transmission filter kit at my local NAPA dealer (approx $35 with tax), and I picked up a case of ATF Type T-IV at the Toyota Stealership for $5.35/qt plus tax (about $70), for a grand total of $105. Make sure you buy the fluid specified in your owner’s manual.

Those of you that don’t imbibe in beverages comprised of C2H6O (otherwise known as ethanol, or “grain alcohol”) may wish to skip steps 1, 3, 9, 13 and 15d. (Or substitute for some other beverage of choice).

1. Grab a six pack (or more) of frosty cold malted beverages from the fridge, throw them into a cooler with some blue ice, and head for the shop, garage, or driveway. Conversely, if you’re one of those lucky bas****s that already has a fridge in the shop, you may bypass this step.

2. Ensure the vehicle is at normal operating temperature, and raise the front end on either jack stands or ramps. Turn the engine off.

3. Grab yourself a frosty, cold malted beverage and enjoy. You’ve gotten this far, you deserve it.

4. If you’re going to “flush” the transmission of all the old fluid, then from under the vehicle remove the front skid plate (between the radiator and front suspension). This will give you access to the transmission cooling return line. Determine which line is the return line by feeling both of them, both at the radiator and where they go into the transmission; the cooler one is most likely the return. In my case, the one that plugged into the aft end of the transmission was the return.

If you’re just doing a filter change, skip this step.

5. Remove the drain plug (14 mm) and drain fluid onto the floor, or into a drain pan if you’d prefer not clean up the mess later. You should get about 4-5 quarts.


This shows the old nasty fluid draining from the sump pan.......

6. Remove the transmission dipstick, and then the upper section of the transmission dipstick tube by removing the bolt that holds it to the right cylinder head (see photo). Once the bolt is removed, rotate the tube back and forth while pulling up on it until it separates from the lower section.


Remove this bolt in order to separate the upper section of tube from the lower...

7. Remove all but two of the bolts (preferably closer to the front of the pan) holding on the transmission sump pan. Loosen the two bolts you left in a couple turns. Due to the type of gasket material the factory used, I had to tap a gasket scraper with a hammer at the seal plane to separate the pan from the case. Once the pan is loose, hold onto the pan and remove the two remaining bolts and “drop” the pan.


The sump pan, sitting forlornly under the car.........

8. Remove the filter. You’re going to get more fluid pouring out as you remove the filter, so make sure the drain pan is positioned accordingly. Note: The aft bolt is the longest, followed by a shorter bolt in the middle, then two shorter yet at the forward end.


The as yet un-removed filter.........

9. Grab yourself another frosty, cold malted beverage and swill it down, because you’ve reached a milestone. Whew!

10. Clean the gasket material from the sump pan. I had to remove it by using the wire brush wheel on my bench grinder. The residual dust can be seen in this photo. Also make sure there isn’t any gasket material left on the transmission case.


Shown here is the pan with the gasket material remnants, and the old dirty filter....

11. Remove the magnets that the factory left in the sump pan and wipe them clean. If you notice metal shards/shavings on any of them, you’ve got issues requiring further investigation. If not, clean out the sump pan thoroughly, and replace the magnets into the recessed areas of the pan.

12. Install the new filter, and reinstall the sump pan with the new gasket provided. Don’t use gasket cement; it’s unnecessary. I also reinstalled the upper half of the dipstick tube at this point.

13. Time for another beer!

14. Pour (4) quarts of transmission fluid in through the dipstick tube. Hopefully you’ve got a transmission fluid funnel, i.e.: the type with the long gooseneck. If not, you’ll need to improvise one. Go slowly, because for whatever reason the transmission can’t accept the fluid as fast as you can pour it in, so it backs up the tube and can spill out.

15a. If you’re going to do so, now you’re ready to start the “flushing” process. It’s easier than you think! In the case of my ’03, the transmission lines are metal tubes for the first 18” or so aft of the radiator, then have a rubber section that clamps to metal tubing again where the lines cross over the front suspension and motor mount. It is at this connection where the rubber tubing meets the aft metal tubing that you want to disconnect the cooling line that you previously identified in step (4). Once you’ve separated the line, hang a ¾” or so box-end wrench over the rubber line to keep it from flopping around like a runaway fire hose, and point the line downward into your drain pan. It helps to have an assistant at this point, preferably someone who shares your passion for frosty cold malted beverages.

15b. Have said assistant start the car while you watch the disconnected cooling line up front. In a moment or two (after an initial “sputter”), you should get a steady flow of fluid draining into the pan. When the fluid again starts to “sputter” and the flow reduces, have your helper turn off the motor. You should have 3-4 quarts of old fluid now in the drain pan.

15c. Refill the transmission with about 3 more quarts, and repeat the process. You want to continue this “flush and fill” process until you get nice, fresh red fluid coming out of the return line. It may take up four cycles to achieve this state. When that’s the case, re-install the return line and securely clamp in place. Be sure to top off the transmission, and you’re done!

15d. See, that wasn’t so hard! Congratulations are in order, so bore yourself another peer……uh, pour another beer (HIC!). And don’t forget the helper!

This whole procedure took me only two hours, including potty breaks and cleaning up. And I saved enough money to stock my beer fridge for weeks!

OBLIGATORY DISCLAIMER ALERT!!!: The procedure noted above is what worked for me, and should also work for you assuming all things being equal. I assume no responsibility for anything that may go wrong if you attempt this task on your own. If you’re unsure of your mechanical abilities, or are otherwise worried about the ramifications of screwing something up, by all means spend the extra money and have it done professionally. But really, in all honesty, this is a very simple job, with low risks and high rewards.

Cheers!

Mike the Wino

"Life is too short to drink bad wine."--Unknown
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Last edited by CJ3Flyr; 09-24-2009 at 12:44 AM.
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Old 10-04-2008, 05:55 PM #2
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AWESOME!

Glad the flush trick worked for you. Once you do it you'll never go back. To me it just makes too much sense to flush it the way you described


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Old 10-04-2008, 06:03 PM #3
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Thanks Chris!

I forgot to mention, these are the only parts I had left over when I was done:







I keed, I keed! :bugeye:
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Old 10-04-2008, 06:15 PM #4
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Awesome, the MPG should go way up with that kind of weight savings! Excellent post, thanks....

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Old 10-04-2008, 07:53 PM #5
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Good work on the beer consumption, oh..., um..., tranny service.

On a more serious note, I have some questions...
I know you mentioned this in the earlier thread, but how many miles on the tranny and what was the condition of the fluid?
Did you notice any metal on the magnets? How much other debris was in the pan? Can you see how much debris the filter caught? What is the filter part #?
Also, was the gasket that tough to cleanup because the factory used some kind of sealer or does the gasket come with some kind of adhesive? What is the gasket part #?
How many quarts of T-IV did you end up using?
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Old 10-04-2008, 08:34 PM #6
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Quote:
Originally posted by Kmvreter


...I know you mentioned this in the earlier thread, but how many miles on the tranny and what was the condition of the fluid?
Did you notice any metal on the magnets? How much other debris was in the pan? Can you see how much debris the filter caught? What is the filter part #?
Also, was the gasket that tough to cleanup because the factory used some kind of sealer or does the gasket come with some kind of adhesive? What is the gasket part #?
How many quarts of T-IV did you end up using?
Thanks for the feedback. Answers to your questions, in order:

My 4R has 60k miles, so I assume the transmission does, too (bought the car used a couple years ago). The fluid was not purple, not brown, but somewhere in-between. It didn't smell burnt, just "off". I'm guessing the previous owner towed something, often.

I had no metal on the magnets, nor an inordinate amount of junk in the pan. The only thing I saw was the usual semi-light film of gray matter, i.e.: sludge.

Without actually dismantling the filter, there's no way to see what it picked up. Must have been doing it's job though!

I have the 4-speed transmission (V6 engine), so I bought a FRAM filter kit, P/N FT1216A, which includes the filter and new cork type gasket. I never could find an OEM part number on the original filter.

The gasket material used by the factory appeared to be a "paint-on" goop that hardened after it set up. They probably used a release agent on the transmission case side because there was very little residue there when I dropped the pan. I couldn't scrape the material from the pan using a gasket scraper (it was too hard), so I reverted to a trick this crusty old mechanic showed me years ago and used the wire wheel on my bench grinder. With that, it came right off. If you have a wire brush adapter for a drill motor, that would work, too.

I ended up using 12 quarts of fluid, but I probably could have done another 3 quart cycle on the flush. If the fluid is real dirty and smells bad, I'd go with at least 15, maybe 18 quarts.

Hope this helps!
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Old 01-11-2009, 08:13 PM #7
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I just got my transmission fluid flushed and refilled but now each time I "put the pedal to the floor" I smell a bad odor coming from the vehicle. I checked the fluid levels from the dipstick and all seems normal. Is this common after you flush out the tranny fluids? The smell is like a bad skunk or burnt smell. It has been two weeeks and at first I thought it was other vehicles in traffic but now came to a conclusion it is my 4runner. Any input?
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Old 01-24-2009, 10:04 PM #8
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Quote:
Originally posted by gotpakalolo
I just got my transmission fluid flushed and refilled but now each time I "put the pedal to the floor" I smell a bad odor coming from the vehicle. I checked the fluid levels from the dipstick and all seems normal. Is this common after you flush out the tranny fluids? The smell is like a bad skunk or burnt smell. It has been two weeeks and at first I thought it was other vehicles in traffic but now came to a conclusion it is my 4runner. Any input?
It sounds like this is the infamous sulfur 'rotten egg' smell coming from your catalytic converter. Its a problem with pretty much all 03 and up 4runners. Are you sure you've never noticed it before?

And great write up! I'm going to do this within the next few weeks!
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Old 01-24-2009, 11:11 PM #9
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You're brave, Mike. It takes lot of courage or beer to set off for that kind of maintenance...
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Old 01-28-2009, 05:46 AM #10
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This needs to be STICKY. Thanks Mike
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Old 02-22-2009, 12:56 PM #11
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Mike the Wino,

Thank you very much for sharing this knowledge!!

This definately needs to be a STICKY.
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Old 02-22-2009, 06:44 PM #12
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Quote:
Originally posted by K.C.
Mike the Wino,

Thank you very much for sharing this knowledge!!

This definately needs to be a STICKY.

I edited the first post in the sticky to have a link to this thread. It's now linked from the newly re-titled 'T4R Transmission Fluid Servicing (sealed & non-sealed)' sticky. I did it that way in the interest of limiting stickies.

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Old 02-26-2009, 04:16 PM #13
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CJ3Flyr,

What else can I say...it's an understatement. You're awesome!! :awais:
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Old 07-31-2009, 01:18 AM #14
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I can't seem to read the entire first post.....
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Old 07-31-2009, 12:05 PM #15
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Quote:
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I can't seem to read the entire first post.....
DAMMIT! It was a great post. We recently did a major software upgrade and many posts got clipped. I don't know if Mike's around anymore but I'll try to rebuild this over the next day or two...
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