drained transmission fluid instead of oil

[fedranko]

hey guys, its my first post.
i have a 2006 4runner and i decided to change the engine oil myself instead of taking it to a shop for the first time. i was a little hesitant in the beginning since i never done anything myself expect put on a spare whenever i got a flat. anyway after i drained the oil and, i put on the filter and added the oil.
after i put in 5 quarts i checked the dipstick and it was way over the limit. so i checked it like ten more times and the result was the same.
i measured the amt of oil i drained and i drained about 3 quarts.
im thinking that i didnt drain the oil but something else, like the transmission fluid.
couple questions:
1. is there a way to check my transmission fluid level?
2. where is the engine oil drain plug and transmission fluid drain?
3. what color should the oil and the transmission fluid be?
im an idiot...

 

[Steven94]

Haha. Don't worry, I am not laughing at you. I am laughing at the memory of my friend doing that to my old Subaru. My friend is a mechanic and one night he was doing an oil change on my car. Because it was dark, when he finished draining it he pulled the oil pan into the light of the parking lot. He said "Why is it red!!!" in totally confused voice. This was a few years ago, but I still laugh about it when I think of it.

To answer some of your questions

The transmission flood I have used has always been red.

There should be another dipstick that measures transmission fluid. The one on my 94 is orange and my oil one is yellow. Yours is probably different. Big gap between 94 and 06.

The trans drain plug should be just under the transmission. Here is a pic of mine. Hope this helps you.



Pics of your engine will help us figure it out.

 

[JB.]

hey guys, its my first post.
i have a 2006 4runner and i decided to change the engine oil myself instead of taking it to a shop for the first time. i was a little hesitant in the beginning since i never done anything myself expect put on a spare whenever i got a flat. anyway after i drained the oil and, i put on the filter and added the oil.
after i put in 5 quarts i checked the dipstick and it was way over the limit. so i checked it like ten more times and the result was the same.
i measured the amt of oil i drained and i drained about 3 quarts.
im thinking that i didnt drain the oil but something else, like the transmission fluid.
couple questions:
1. is there a way to check my transmission fluid level?
2. where is the engine oil drain plug and transmission fluid drain?
3. what color should the oil and the transmission fluid be?
im an idiot...

Oops. Hey, at least you caught it.

It's good that you measured what came out. 3 quarts matches what is expected for a transmission pan drain. The fluid may be dark, but should have a definite reddish-brown tint to it.

The engine oil pan is further toward the front underneath a skid plate. There will be a large hole in the skid plate to allow access. The hole might possibly have a plastic cover over it but usually they fall off.

So, after double checking these things, you'll need to drain the oil and add transmission fluid. The easiest thing to do would be to add 3 quarts of Toyota WS transmission fluid and leave it at that. If you really want to check the level, add 4 quarts and see this thread. Here are a couple of pics showing where to add it. Bolt is 24mm or 15/16 inches. You'll need a socket and you may need a little leverage to get it off. You can also see the transmission drain bolt in the upper right. Look familiar?

Pay no attention to that bottle. It's Toyota WS fluid but I used a different bottle to fit my pump.

 

[20034RunnerV84x2]

Guys, he has a 2006. He has a sealed transmission, no dip stick.

 

[JB.]

Guys, he has a 2006. He has a sealed transmission, no dip stick.

No way!

I was totally just guessing about how to put the fluid in and you mean it was right? :hug:

 

[fedranko]

Thanks for the replys guys!
okay so i just drained the oil, and im 90% sure that it was the same thing i drained the first time. i plug that i undid was in the hole in the front skid plate... the thing that kinda surprised me was it took like 30 seconds for the whole oil to drain. i checked the dipstick and it was empty..
so im giong to get more oil and put it in later today.

how do i add transmission fluid just incase i have to do that? and is there a way to check the transmission fluid level since it is sealed?

id put up pics but i dont have a smartphone and my computer is like 15 yrs old so i dont think it can handle uploading pics lol.

edit: i measured how much came out and it came out to be a little more than 4 quarts... i put 5 quarts in last time. im so confused, i didnt know engine oil change was this much pain in the ass..

 

[JB.]

how do i add transmission fluid just incase i have to do that? and is there a way to check the transmission fluid level since it is sealed?

:doh: