Easy Peasy transmission fluid exchange V6

[4Runner4Runner4]

yes, i would change the rear diff fluid too. manual calls for 80/90 if you drive in winter temps, but 80/90 or a 75/90 synthetic is what most people use regardless of temps. also change the front diff if its 4wd & the transfer case. both call for 75/90 which is a synthetic. front/rear diffs & x-fer case are very easy to do, buy a hand pump for less than $10 to make filling the fluid easier... & undo the fill plug first to be sure it will come out.

for the loss of coolant, check the radiator upper/lower corners for signs of leaking or dried pink residue, also be sure to check the level at the same temp, usually when fully cooled since hot temps show higher levels than cool. i had a slow reduction of coolant in the reservoir, turned out to be the radiator had a very slow leak that wouldn't leave any drips because the skid plate was catching it. bad head gaskets will usually have other signs like misfires, waterfall sounds behind dash or throw a code for a misfire in 1 cylinder.

hope that helps.

Thank you!

I went to the local Toyota dealership and had them drain/fill the trans, brake fluid, and rear end (it's a 2Runner, so no front differential/transfer to mess with).

I'll continue to keep an eye on my radiator and coolant level. I great, greatly appreciate your help!

 

[Mantilgh]

Well my old rusty oil cooler line finally started leaking.

Does anyone no the proper way to get it back to the correct fluid level after I have replaced the lines?


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[firebirdguy]

Well my old rusty oil cooler line finally started leaking.

Does anyone no the proper way to get it back to the correct fluid level after I have replaced the lines?


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do a search on here or youtube or google or the service manual for the proper procedure to check trans fluid level...

but the jist of it is to bring the trans to proper temp, then pull the check plug & let drain until its a trickle.

 

[Mantilgh]

Sorry, found it but can’t link it.

I just replaced the hard lines and the short hoses with about 4’ of new hose and zip ties to secure. Added a quart for now starting to get it back up.

Man it goes so slow adding fluid through the cooler line!!!

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[firebirdguy]

Sorry, found it but can’t link it.

I just replaced the hard lines and the short hoses with about 4’ of new hose and zip ties to secure. Added a quart for now starting to get it back up.

Man it goes so slow adding fluid through the cooler line!!!

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i would not suggest using zip ties for the connections, re-use the factory metal clamps or buy some real hose clamps.

do you know how much fluid leaked out? if not, adding a full qt has likely overfilled the trans... a slight leak will take a long time to lose a full qt. even a 6" puddle on the ground will only be about 1/2 cup.

yes filling trans fluid through the cooler line takes a long time because it has to run through the very thin lines & the cooler tubes itself, then all the way back to the trans... the best way to fill trans fluid is through the fill hole on the side of the trans as it was designed for.

 

[Mantilgh]

Zip ties just keep the hose in the general area that it should be in. Used spring clamps on the hoses.

Yeah, hard to say on the amount of fluid. Getting ready to check cold first to see if any come out. If not, I’ll do the warm up and see what happens.

Here’s my lovely hard lines

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[Drift Monkey]

There should be a plug to check fill level on the transmission pan from the videos I've seen.

 

[firebirdguy]

Zip ties just keep the hose in the general area that it should be in. Used spring clamps on the hoses.

gotcha, thought maybe you meant the zipties as clamps.

 

[xtremewlr]

So I did this today. It took a ridiculously long time to complete. Definitely won't be doing it this way again. It does work but is far too slow, at least for me. I don't have the sealed trans so will be draining the fluid and dropping the pan next time around so I can change the filter/screen, which you can get replacements for, at least in my case with my 2003 A750F.

 

[Drift Monkey]

So I did this today. It took a ridiculously long time to complete. Definitely won't be doing it this way again. It does work but is far too slow, at least for me. I don't have the sealed trans so will be draining the fluid and dropping the pan next time around so I can change the filter/screen, which you can get replacements for, at least in my case with my 2003 A750F.

It took longer than advertised for me too, a decent hand pump woulda made it much faster...or filling it via the fill port like you’re supposed to lol.

 

[xtremewlr]

It took longer than advertised for me too, a decent hand pump woulda made it much faster...or filling it via the fill port like you’re supposed to lol.

Fill port in my case is the dipstick tube. I ended up using both just to finish faster. It was ridiculously slow otherwise, like 4 or 5 hours.

 

[firebirdguy]

Fill port in my case is the dipstick tube. I ended up using both just to finish faster. It was ridiculously slow otherwise, like 4 or 5 hours.

4 or 5 hours? how were you filling the fluid?

 

[xtremewlr]

4 or 5 hours? how were you filling the fluid?

Per the first post, from the top port on the radiator. There is apparently a check valve in the system somewhere that makes the gravity feed/IV very slow.

 

[firebirdguy]

Per the first post, from the top port on the radiator. There is apparently a check valve in the system somewhere that makes the gravity feed/IV very slow.

ok just wondering. i dont think theres a check valve, its just all the hose & tubing & bends & gravity that makes its very slow to fill that way as you found. the same funnel & hose set up straight into the fill hole on the side of the trans takes about 2-3 minutes to fill 2 qts. for the non sealed trans the dipstick is the obvious way to fill it.

 

[xtremewlr]

ok just wondering. i dont think theres a check valve, its just all the hose & tubing & bends & gravity that makes its very slow to fill that way as you found. the same funnel & hose set up straight into the fill hole on the side of the trans takes about 2-3 minutes to fill 2 qts. for the non sealed trans the dipstick is the obvious way to fill it.

Yeah, never doing this shit again!

 

[firebirdguy]

Yeah, never doing this shit again!

dont blame ya! i never understood why anyone would do it that way, whoever came up with that approach to filling the trans obviously didnt know or understand how to fill the trans the proper way.

no offense to the OP of this thread, its a great write up aside from how he tells you to fill the trans. i was late to the party & didnt change mine until late last year, but knew not to fill the way he explains. if hes still a member here, i suggest editing the post to show the right way to do it & not have anyone else fighting it & spending hours to simply fill the trans.

 

[gimlithepirate]

Sorry for the newb question, but if you do it "properly" and fill from the side of the trans, aren't you going to end up mixing the good and bad fluid? I thought the whole point of filling from the emptying point is that you get all the old stuff out of the system, just leaving the fancy new stuff? I get emptying from one of the radiator pipes, as that flushes the entire system, but I guess my concern is if you fill at the trans, aren't you eventually going to empty the cooler?

 

[Drift Monkey]

Sorry for the newb question, but if you do it "properly" and fill from the side of the trans, aren't you going to end up mixing the good and bad fluid? I thought the whole point of filling from the emptying point is that you get all the old stuff out of the system, just leaving the fancy new stuff? I get emptying from one of the radiator pipes, as that flushes the entire system, but I guess my concern is if you fill at the trans, aren't you eventually going to empty the cooler?

You're using the trans pump to pull out all the old fluid a few quarts a at time and refilling. The mixing is gonna happen regardless and the lines should stay filled the entire time.

 

[gimlithepirate]

I used this guide to do the swap today. A couple of notes:

1) Make sure you put the drain hose on the right side. I initially set it up so it was draining into my input funnel. Lost a qt of atf that way. Oops.
2) Gravity feed is extremely slow. That said, if your doing other stuff outside/on the 4runner,its not a bad way to do it. If your 4runner isn't lifted, not getting under it is nice.
3) it takes 12 qts to do a full swap. And yes, you need all 12 qts. I lost 1 qt in my reversing incident, and it was still dark when I finished the 12 qts I bought. It was red instead of black, but still pretty dark.
4) The Valvoline bottles use a weird thread. Walmart had a spout that was supposed to attach, but it didn't fit. It was still useful, as it let me build a gravity feed tank from a 2L soda bottle.

Agree that you want 3/8 ID tubing, and a brass hose barb to connect everything. If you decide to go gravity feed, you need to hang it from above the hood of the 4runner. Just not enough height difference to make it work quickly otherwise.

 

[firebirdguy]

I used this guide to do the swap today. A couple of notes:

1) Make sure you put the drain hose on the right side. I initially set it up so it was draining into my input funnel. Lost a qt of atf that way. Oops.
2) Gravity feed is extremely slow. That said, if your doing other stuff outside/on the 4runner,its not a bad way to do it. If your 4runner isn't lifted, not getting under it is nice.
3) it takes 12 qts to do a full swap. And yes, you need all 12 qts. I lost 1 qt in my reversing incident, and it was still dark when I finished the 12 qts I bought. It was red instead of black, but still pretty dark.
4) The Valvoline bottles use a weird thread. Walmart had a spout that was supposed to attach, but it didn't fit. It was still useful, as it let me build a gravity feed tank from a 2L soda bottle.

Agree that you want 3/8 ID tubing, and a brass hose barb to connect everything. If you decide to go gravity feed, you need to hang it from above the hood of the 4runner. Just not enough height difference to make it work quickly otherwise.

curious why you used a hose barb? the drain line should be from the bottom trans line port on the radiator, when you pull the bottom rubber trans line there is a 3/8 port/nipple that the drain hose will connect directly to & then run it into a jug with 2 qts marked on it.... no need for a adapter barb.

then the gravity feed fill hose should go directly into the side fill hole on the trans & does not take a long time at all. & when using the funnel it can be hung from the hood like "xtremewlr" shows if youre by yourself but if you have a helper it can just be held above the passenger side fender, doesnt need to be above the hood. & as i explained in my last post, using the fill hole on the trans lets the fluid gravity feed very quick, takes about 2-3 minutes to fill 2 qts.

also curious what you used the valvoline jug threads for? when filling the new fluid you just pour it into the funnel & let it gravity drain into the trans fill hole. not sure what or why you needed to make a gravity feed tank from a 2 litre bottle.

in the future, i hope anyone reading this thread reads the whole thing & sees my posts & realizes that the procedure in the initial post by the OP is NOT the correct way to do this... there is no need to use an adapter & try to splice into the tans lines, just use the bottom trans line port on the radiator, it is the output for the trans fluid. & do not fill via the trans lines, just use the fill hole in the side of the trans as its designed to be used. or the dipstick if you have a non sealed trans. the rest of the write up & comments are fine... but why make this harder than it needs to be?