Dealership overfilled ATF fluid??

[Zuke]

Got a 2003 V8 4x4 with a serviceable (dip stick) transmission. 2 years ago I had a minor leak at the transmission pan's gasket. Took it to the dealer to have it replaced. Had the transmission filter replaced too. The work sheet shows they added 4qts of Toyota-IV ATF.

Fast forward a few years to this weekend. I decided to do a few ATF drain and fills over the course of the next 2-3 oil changes. I went to do my first this weekend and the owners manual says it should drain and refill 3.2qts. Other "how to" guides on this site and others say its about 3.5 to 4.0qts. I got 4qts from the dealership and got my trusty 4-5qt ATF drain pan out.

I pulled the plug and about 5.5 to 6 qts of ATF drained out... It was hard to tell since some spilled out of catch pan. So I refilled it with 4qts, drove it up and down the driveway and checked the dipstick. It read in middle of the 2 cold notches.

So should I add more ATF or just chalk it up to dealership error?

 

[hkollie1]

Well I can't say for sure....I just did the drain and fill myself on my 2003 V8 with the dipstick...

I put the front on jack stands, checked level, seemed good with my google app leveler, and drained the pan, got 4 quarts out.....manual says 3.2 qts?

So I put in 3.5 quarts and it is showing over-full on the dipstick when hot...

oh and I tried to use my scan tool to check tranny temperature, which messed up the computer so I had to do a zero point calibration....not sure....may drain alittle out in a few days....

 

[hkollie1]

Question

Did you refil through the dipstick??? I could not find the check or the refil plug on our tranny.

When I refilled, I had some spillage, didn't like the dipstick filling method.

 

[JB.]

Got a 2003 V8 4x4 with a serviceable (dip stick) transmission. 2 years ago I had a minor leak at the transmission pan's gasket. Took it to the dealer to have it replaced. Had the transmission filter replaced too. The work sheet shows they added 4qts of Toyota-IV ATF.

Fast forward a few years to this weekend. I decided to do a few ATF drain and fills over the course of the next 2-3 oil changes. I went to do my first this weekend and the owners manual says it should drain and refill 3.2qts. Other "how to" guides on this site and others say its about 3.5 to 4.0qts. I got 4qts from the dealership and got my trusty 4-5qt ATF drain pan out.

I pulled the plug and about 5.5 to 6 qts of ATF drained out... It was hard to tell since some spilled out of catch pan. So I refilled it with 4qts, drove it up and down the driveway and checked the dipstick. It read in middle of the 2 cold notches.

So should I add more ATF or just chalk it up to dealership error?

Sounds like you got a good cold reading. I'd drive it 10 or 15 miles and see if the hot reading looks just as good.

 

[Whitebeauty]

Well I can't say for sure....I just did the drain and fill myself on my 2003 V8 with the dipstick...

I put the front on jack stands, checked level, seemed good with my google app leveler, and drained the pan, got 4 quarts out.....manual says 3.2 qts?

So I put in 3.5 quarts and it is showing over-full on the dipstick when hot...

oh and I tried to use my scan tool to check tranny temperature, which messed up the computer so I had to do a zero point calibration....not sure....may drain alittle out in a few days....

Did u drop the filter??? More comes out when u do...

 

[hearno]

Where'd you check level? What was the phone or whatever resting on?

 

[Zuke]

Refilled through the dipstick using the slow pour through a long funnel method.

I did not drop the filter or the pan. I just pulled the drain plug. It wasn't on perfectly level ground. Probably 1-2 degrees lower on the rear end. Didn't think it would make that much of a difference. I never had any issues with the tranny.

Will check hot level at lunchtime.