A vehicle without a trans dipstick??

[NoDak]

I guess, like the guvmint, Toyota thinks we're all pretty stupid! Not smart enough to take care of ourselves or control our own lives ... I guess I find that attitude a little more than insulting .. especially since my dear old Dad taught this boy to think for himself without outsiders sticking their nose into my affairs.

God save me from people who want to save me from myself!

Thanks to all for their thoughts. Sorry, but this attitude rubs my fur the wrong way!

nope Toyota just caters to the 95% that are not so informed/could care less.

and I am one of those 95%, I am informed but could care less until the 60k/100k service. that's why I use the maintenance tab and configure it to my setup within the head unit along with a few personal entries.

you can have a lot of reminders based on mileage and/or time based.

LOF I set to 10k, wipers at 6 months (winter is hell on them), wiper fluid 6 months (so I don't have summer stuff freeze like last year), tire depth 10 months, etc.

anyway each person on this forum is not what keeps the 4runner in the black and why less involvement by the customer saves Toyota money in the long run.


but on the flip side, at least I am hoping they do an undercover assignment with a 4runner and some xxx brand quick lube says your transmission oil is dirty and needs replacement.

I like to see the face of that person when they try to explain that on a sealed transmission.

op2:

 

[Jetboy]

The only real evidence I have is empirical. I've personally never seen or heard of a A7xx transmission failure. Not one that I'm aware of. It probably has happened, but the failure rate is exceedingly low. I don't know what it takes to kill one, but it must be very hard to do. They have practically no secondary market value because no one needs them for replacement parts. I'd bet 90+ % of them would go 400,000 miles without ever changing the fluid.

And FWIW - my Allison 1000 (you know the "super heavy duty" GM automatic) failed at 75k miles. And it has an actual twist on oil filter and oil changes every 25k miles as part of the service schedule. Not impressed in the least. Didn't make a damned bit of difference for mine other than that I found a future invoice for $5,000 in transmission filter that looked like a pile of metal shavings. So many of these go bad that the core was worth IIRC almost $2,000.

 

[BlacknTan]

Well, I guess we can learn something new every day!

Glad to hear it's such a stout transmission. So, provided it was originally filled properly, I feel somewhat better not being able to verify it myself..

The key word is somewhat ...

 

[cbreze]

I love it! One less thing to worry about.

 

[Kennyr44]

Since I get a new 4 Runner every 9 months I guess this topic is a non issue for me. Seriously if at 60k I think I will keep it I will change the fluid myself just because Im a freak. It cant be any harder than doing it in my ml350 and that is a clusterfunk to say the least. The procedures for all sealed trannys are similar. The fluid temp is important when filling. You fill the Mercedes through the drain plug. A hollow plastic tube sits in the pan straight up from drain plug. When you drain you stick a thin screwdriver up there and tilt it to knock in over to allow the fluid to drain so you can get the pan off without a bath. Then you snap a new tube in place before reinstalling the pan. They sell a screw in fill port to clamp your fill pump tube to. This only get you 5 quarts out after all that. You put in 6 qts, run the car while fluid drips out till correct trans pan temp with a laser thermometer then remove the fill port and plug it. They say no service needed but the fluid get real dirty. Did you follow that engineering marvel?

 

[DesertCanyons]

Auto trans fluid change

All good info here. Thanks for all the replies.

The trans fluid cooler is integrated within the engine radiator. So one option is to add a separate trans fluid cooler radiator in front of the engine radiator and abandon the lines running through the radiator. This is recommended for pulling trailers, IIRC.

One question I have about a sealed transmission: Does it have a breather port? And if so is it place high enough to keep it out of the water during stream crossings? Or do they rely on a one way valve like the rear differential has? :ranger:

 

[Jeremy556]

All good info here. Thanks for all the replies.

The trans fluid cooler is integrated within the engine radiator. So one option is to add a separate trans fluid cooler radiator in front of the engine radiator and abandon the lines running through the radiator. This is recommended for pulling trailers, IIRC.

One question I have about a sealed transmission: Does it have a breather port? And if so is it place high enough to keep it out of the water during stream crossings? Or do they rely on a one way valve like the rear differential has? :ranger:

I don't think it is needed, but if you add an additional trans cooler, it should be in addition to the one integrated with the radiator. The radiator also serves to warm up the trans fluid in cold temperatures.

The transmission does have a breather, it is located near the top of the driver's side wheel well, by the fuse box.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

I don't think it is needed, but if you add an additional trans cooler, it should be in addition to the one integrated with the radiator. The radiator also serves to warm up the trans fluid in cold temperatures.

The transmission does have a breather, it is located near the top of the driver's side wheel well, by the fuse box.

I would actually say to go for a non-radiator integrated transmission cooler. Seen way too many trucks of various brands suffer "Pink milkshake" when the radiators start getting old and seeping into the transmission lines. Not to mention it will be a bit more efficient.

 

[oljedi11950]

05

Did the dealer flush & fill on the 05 at 104k , lucky enough to watch them & it looked nasty ! Now IDK if it was still good or what but I did notice it was smoother on acceleration thru shift than before . Probably will do same on 11 :lookout:

 

[stir_fry_boy]

The only real evidence I have is empirical. I've personally never seen or heard of a A7xx transmission failure. Not one that I'm aware of. It probably has happened, but the failure rate is exceedingly low. I don't know what it takes to kill one, but it must be very hard to do. They have practically no secondary market value because no one needs them for replacement parts. I'd bet 90+ % of them would go 400,000 miles without ever changing the fluid.

And FWIW - my Allison 1000 (you know the "super heavy duty" GM automatic) failed at 75k miles. And it has an actual twist on oil filter and oil changes every 25k miles as part of the service schedule. Not impressed in the least. Didn't make a damned bit of difference for mine other than that I found a future invoice for $5,000 in transmission filter that looked like a pile of metal shavings. So many of these go bad that the core was worth IIRC almost $2,000.

The tranny on my 15' TRDP failed at 4700 miles. Replaced with reman unit.

Look at YouTube and type in "TRD PRO transmission won't go into gear" and that's mine.

 

[stir_fry_boy]

I have changed the fluid according to factory specs on a sealed transmission in my 08' Camry V6 (previously owned). I performed 3x drain and fill at 60k miles. It can be done without TechStream, and be done perfectly.

 

[T4R2014]

Don't bother changing if you plan on dumping the vehicle after a few years. If you want keep it a while, change it. There is no such thing as a "lifetime fluid". It's a long life fluid as stated before.

 

[Lester Lugnut]

Collection of threads that discuss the business of draining & flushing transmission fluid. Both 5th Gen 4 Runner and 2nd Gen Tacoma use A750E(2WD) and A750F(4WD) transmissions:


http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/186930-transmission-temp-check-mode.html

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-g...flush-vs-transmission-fluid-drain-refill.html

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

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/diy-full-flush-for-automatic-transmission.68462/

 

[DesertCanyons]

Trans cooler

I don't think it is needed, but if you add an additional trans cooler, it should be in addition to the one integrated with the radiator. The radiator also serves to warm up the trans fluid in cold temperatures.

The transmission does have a breather, it is located near the top of the driver's side wheel well, by the fuse box.

Thanks Jeremy,

Here in So Cal we have more trouble with heat than cold. For that reason I might add a trans cooler.

Driving back from Southern Utah two weeks ago it was 105 to 110 in Las Vegas, Nevada and 116 in Baker, CA. The traffic was stop and go southwest of Vegas and the Jeep was overheating, nearing the top of the temp gage whenever we weren't moving. I'm sure everyone around me had the same problem. In those conditions a trans cooler would reduce the trans fluid temp and the radiator fluid coolant just a bit as well.

In very cold weather the radiator doesn't heat up for quite a few minutes. By then you're already driving down the road. The trans temp will be as cold as the radiator until the engine warms up.

One thing you can do in winter weather is cover part of the radiator. I recall trucks doing this with vinyl covers over the grill. You could cover the trans cooler if you had one by applying aluminum foil to all or part of the trans cooler. It's never a problem here in So Cal, unless you live in Mammoth (eastern Sierras) or Big Bear (local mountains).

Thanks again.

 

[nevada]

I like the idea that there isn't one. It sounds like a step forward - less maintenance. Kinda like having a sealed bearing vs one that needs regular greasing. Less work to look after, and likely less to go wrong.

sealed bearings have a much shorter service life than standard greaseable bearings.
I don't consider sealed unit bearings to be an improvement, or step forward.

On average, car owners in the US are holding onto their rides for 93 months or 7.75 years. Averaging 12,000 miles a year for 7.75 years would put someone at 93,000 miles. By these statistics, what Toyota claims about its transmission fluid is somewhat true. The sealed transmission has "lifetime" fluid which should be serviced at 100,000 miles... which is past the mileage the original owner will make it to owning that vehicle for 7.75 years. Aka for the lifetime they own that vehicle, they won't need to worry about servicing the transmission. Durable, reliable and maintenance free for 7.75 years.

Cars are engineered for the people who buy them new. Not for those of us who are the second, third, or fourth owners...

about the "lifetime" moniker Toyota uses for this fluid. I agree that's its 100k.

in fact, I have some documentation from Toyota that mentions a lifetime warranty on some part, and it later clearly defines "lifetime" as 100k miles.

 

[1engineer]

sealed bearings have a much shorter service life than standard greaseable bearings.
I don't consider sealed unit bearings to be an improvement, or step forward.

about the "lifetime" moniker Toyota uses for this fluid. I agree that's its 100k.

in fact, I have some documentation from Toyota that mentions a lifetime warranty on some part, and it later clearly defines "lifetime" as 100k miles.

Sealed bearings are a vast improvement over greasable bearings that don't get greased!

The whole key here is "lifetime." To me a "lifetime" is around 8,000 hours. At an overall average of 40 mph that is 320,000 miles. Will a bearing, shaft, transmission, etc go 320,000 miles before completely wearing out? I don't know and neither does anyone else (except one) who posts here.

Lifetime, contrary to popular belief, is not the "life" of the vehicle it's the life of the component. I bought a 4Runner new in 1984. I'm sure it's still running around somewhere at 31 years old so it's still "living" right? I'm also sure it's had many transmissions and probably a few engines along with numerous other components.

I know when we test our stuff we run the living hell out of it in the lab and I expect Toyota does the same with their major components. So to me 8,000 hours would be my expectation of a transmission or a bearing before it gets rebuilt. That is only my expectation of a "lifetime" and I'm sure most people think it's as long as that vehicle runs on this earth lol.

 

[Engineer]

Sealed bearings are a vast improvement over greasable bearings that don't get greased!

The whole key here is "lifetime." To me a "lifetime" is around 8,000 hours. At an overall average of 40 mph that is 320,000 miles. Will a bearing, shaft, transmission, etc go 320,000 miles before completely wearing out? I don't know and neither does anyone else (except one) who posts here.

Lifetime, contrary to popular belief, is not the "life" of the vehicle it's the life of the component. I bought a 4Runner new in 1984. I'm sure it's still running around somewhere at 31 years old so it's still "living" right? I'm also sure it's had many transmissions and probably a few engines along with numerous other components.

I know when we test our stuff we run the living hell out of it in the lab and I expect Toyota does the same with their major components. So to me 8,000 hours would be my expectation of a transmission or a bearing before it gets rebuilt. That is only my expectation of a "lifetime" and I'm sure most people think it's as long as that vehicle runs on this earth lol.

I hope my lifetime is more then 8,000 hours :bigok:

 

[NoDak]

In very cold weather the radiator doesn't heat up for quite a few minutes. By then you're already driving down the road. The trans temp will be as cold as the radiator until the engine warms up.

One thing you can do in winter weather is cover part of the radiator. I recall trucks doing this with vinyl covers over the grill. You could cover the trans cooler if you had one by applying aluminum foil to all or part of the trans cooler. It's never a problem here in So Cal, unless you live in Mammoth (eastern Sierras) or Big Bear (local mountains).

Thanks again.

usually this is mostly done to diesels. if your doing this on a gas engine vehicle you have other/bigger issues.

in the 20yrs being in ND, I have yet to cover a grille.

1. if you maintain correct mixture of coolant
2. maintain the heating system
3. don't mess around with the temp bypass on the cooling system
4. radiator plugged/clogged/etc

and I've seen gas cars in -20F catch on fire due to letting run while the owner runs inside to go shopping, eat, etc.

those plastics/rubber gets hot under that hood and will melt/catch fire.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

sealed bearings have a much shorter service life than standard greaseable bearings.
I don't consider sealed unit bearings to be an improvement, or step forward.

about the "lifetime" moniker Toyota uses for this fluid. I agree that's its 100k.

in fact, I have some documentation from Toyota that mentions a lifetime warranty on some part, and it later clearly defines "lifetime" as 100k miles.

If you ever find that document I'd love to have a copy.

 

[DesertCanyons]

...
1. if you maintain correct mixture of coolant
2. maintain the heating system
3. don't mess around with the temp bypass on the cooling system
4. radiator plugged/clogged/etc
...

[MENTION=1032]NoDak[/MENTION]
Thanks North Dakota,
I didn't think about the distinction between diesel and gas engines.

If I had any trouble with #1 thru #4 I would have overheated in Vegas for sure. The air temp was 110, traffic was at a stand still and the temp gage read 240F, just under the red line. Once we started moving the temp dropped back 20 degrees, near normal (~200F). :surfer:

So Cal