Drain/Fill transmission fluid problems

[19963.4lsr5]

How many quarts did you put in when you did the fluid change? If the answer isn't 4 you need to make sure enough it in their. With the stupid dipstick it's easier to just drain it hot again and just put in 4 quarts and don't bother with the dipstick at all.

A new drain plug with gasket is only 6 dollars at my local dealership. Get a plug and gasket and 4 more quarts of oil and do it over.

 

[atalarico]

Hey all,

I really appreciate all of the advice. Work and life have been way too busy (in a bad way), and I've been avoiding dealing with this unfortunately.

I've taken it on some longer drives in the last few weeks (>200 miles), and while it's not shifting "perfectly", it's actually still running decently enough. There's still a burning oil smell, but I'm still not positive that it's coming from the tranny and not just the same valve cover gasket leak I've had for the last two years. It still accelerates and doesn't search for gears more than it has in the past, and my mileage is unchanged (and pretty decent).

Before this last drive, I started it, checked the tranny dip-stick. The fluid was way over the hot mark, but I chalked it up to the uneven driveway issue. After we got back from the trip a few hours later, I checked the dip in the same spot, and it was below the cold mark. Weird, right? I never have a puddle under the car, so I don't know where it would be going (the skid plate has a pretty thick layer of caked oil/gunk, but it's usually from my oil changes).

I have a shop I like (ATLR in Denver), but I work long days and don't have anyone I know who would be willing to pick me up after I drop it off for the day. If I could, I'd drop it off, see what he thinks and recommends after checking it out, and go from there.

 

[atalarico]

How many quarts did you put in when you did the fluid change? If the answer isn't 4 you need to make sure enough it in their. With the stupid dipstick it's easier to just drain it hot again and just put in 4 quarts and don't bother with the dipstick at all.

A new drain plug with gasket is only 6 dollars at my local dealership. Get a plug and gasket and 4 more quarts of oil and do it over.

I actually like this solution too. It wasn't 4 qts right away, but I didn't drain it hot either. Over the course of the following few days, it was 4 qts, and then drained again, and repeated the process.

One question; how do you drain it hot without burning yourself? I have gloves, but I can't envision a way of getting that stripped plug out of there quickly enough to avoid a good scalding or melting of my gloves.

 

[jgue467]

I'd give it 30 mins to cool some then remove the drain bolt. Mine has to be torqued up to full spec or it leaks. Luck.

 

[induna]

Before this last drive, I started it, checked the tranny dip-stick. The fluid was way over the hot mark, but I chalked it up to the uneven driveway issue. After we got back from the trip a few hours later, I checked the dip in the same spot, and it was below the cold mark. Weird, right? I never have a puddle under the car, so I don't know where it would be going (the skid plate has a pretty thick layer of caked oil/gunk, but it's usually from my oil changes).

It sounds to me like your fluid level is still low. It would be best to get that sorted before doing anything else. The way I check my fluid, as specified in the Service Manual, is as follows:

With the engine running and the fluid at temperature (158-176 F.) and the vehicle, more or less, level:

With engine idling, shift through all the gears one at time from P to L and back to P.
Remove the dipstick and wipe it clean.
Re-insert the dipstick fully
Pull it out and check the level. It should be within the HOT range. If it is low add fluid.

This procedure has always worked for me and I get consistent readings all the time. If you don't know how much fluid you have and whether or not you are loosing fluid and at what rate, you really don't have a baseline from which to begin troubleshooting a potentially very expensive problem. Good luck.

(I have a Land Cruiser 95 with an a343f, but it is essentially the same.)

 

[StreetCreeper]

For anyone considering doing this, I think a good lesson from this is that if you plan to do a transmission drain and fill (especially for the first time) drain your oil into an open-top catch pan and then use a cheap measuring cup to measure exactly how much oil you removed. Then simply ad back the exact same amount of new fluid. This is assuming you have the proper amount of oil inside to begin with of course.

I recently did this and had no issues at all. I just drained and filled; I didn't worry one bit about the dipstick.

So simple and no stress or F'ed-up transmission.

 

[atalarico]

It sounds to me like your fluid level is still low. It would be best to get that sorted before doing anything else. The way I check my fluid, as specified in the Service Manual, is as follows:

With the engine running and the fluid at temperature (158-176 F.) and the vehicle, more or less, level:

With engine idling, shift through all the gears one at time from P to L and back to P.
Remove the dipstick and wipe it clean.
Re-insert the dipstick fully
Pull it out and check the level. It should be within the HOT range. If it is low add fluid.

This procedure has always worked for me and I get consistent readings all the time. If you don't know how much fluid you have and whether or not you are loosing fluid and at what rate, you really don't have a baseline from which to begin troubleshooting a potentially very expensive problem. Good luck.

(I have a Land Cruiser 95 with an a343f, but it is essentially the same.)

Yeah, the trick for me is the level part. I'm going to do this, but I'll be that weirdo in the Home Depot lot. Hah!

 

[atalarico]

For anyone considering doing this, I think a good lesson from this is that if you plan to do a transmission drain and fill (especially for the first time) drain your oil into an open-top catch pan and then use a cheap measuring cup to measure exactly how much oil you removed. Then simply ad back the exact same amount of new fluid. This is assuming you have the proper amount of oil inside to begin with of course.

I recently did this and had no issues at all. I just drained and filled; I didn't worry one bit about the dipstick.

So simple and no stress or F'ed-up transmission.

Funny thing is that I re-use old and empty 4 or 5 qt oil containers with demarcations on the side. So, when I did the initial drain, I put the drain plug back in, took the oil catcher and a funnel, and emptied it into one of these old containers. It was less than 4 qts, and I knew that I was supposed to have 4 and had a nagging doubt that I was low for some reason, so I figured I would add 4 back.

*sigh* I really do have terrible luck with everything I put my hands on in life. I feel like nothing ever goes normal, whether it's with something like my truck or something like my computers, there's always an issue, and I just end up wasting so much time compared to other people.

I know this isn't always the case, but it's hard not to feel like this sometimes. :sad:

 

[StreetCreeper]

Funny thing is that I re-use old and empty 4 or 5 qt oil containers with demarcations on the side. So, when I did the initial drain, I put the drain plug back in, took the oil catcher and a funnel, and emptied it into one of these old containers. It was less than 4 qts, and I knew that I was supposed to have 4 and had a nagging doubt that I was low for some reason, so I figured I would add 4 back.

*sigh* I really do have terrible luck with everything I put my hands on in life. I feel like nothing ever goes normal, whether it's with something like my truck or something like my computers, there's always an issue, and I just end up wasting so much time compared to other people.

I know this isn't always the case, but it's hard not to feel like this sometimes. :sad:

I hear you man, I'm the same way! If there's a way to **** it up, then rest assured that I will find a way to **** it up. I have learned to really pay extra attention to the details because of this.

When it comes to working on the truck, I've learned to not be in a hurry and to be methodical in everything I do.

 

[StreetCreeper]

Yeah, the trick for me is the level part. I'm going to do this, but I'll be that weirdo in the Home Depot lot. Hah!

Could you (if you don't already) get a set of ramps and wheel chocks? Then just put your truck as far up the ramps as needed to achieve a flat level. Then chock the wheels to prevent any movement? Just a thought...

 

[atalarico]

I hear you man, I'm the same way! If there's a way to **** it up, then rest assured that I will find a way to **** it up. I have learned to really pay extra attention to the details because of this.

When it comes to working on the truck, I've learned to not be in a hurry and to be methodical in everything I do.

We're a special breed for sure. Why do we do this to ourselves!? I mean, the hilarious/sad thing is that I was just doing this as "Preventative" maintenance. My transmission was probably fine and just being 212,000 miles old. *sigh*.

Yeah, I've thought about getting ramps and chocks. It's on the list somewhere...