Easy Peasy transmission fluid exchange V6

[gimlithepirate]

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?

Yeah I missed your post. I used the upper transmission cooler port not the lower one -_-. If I'd used the lower one, it would have gone a LOT smoother/faster in retrospect.

The valvoline threads were from a bad idea to use the adapter from Walmart to directly connect to the valvoline bottles. Don't do this because air pressure is a thing.

 

[firebirdguy]

Yeah I missed your post. I used the upper transmission cooler port not the lower one -_-. If I'd used the lower one, it would have gone a LOT smoother/faster in retrospect.

The valvoline threads were from a bad idea to use the adapter from Walmart to directly connect to the valvoline bottles. Don't do this because air pressure is a thing.

lower rad port is just to connect the drain hose to. then fill via the fill hole on the side of the trans.

 

[Honda pc]

I did the the transmission flush by copying this guy on youtube. He is really good and camerwork is excellent. I didn't make the clear hose direction indicator.. Can use pump for other jobs too. I used walmart valvoline maxlife big jugs.

YouTube

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[firebirdguy]

I did the the transmission flush by copying this guy on youtube. He is really good and camerwork is excellent. I didn't make the clear hose direction indicator.. Can use pump for other jobs too. I used walmart valvoline maxlife big jugs.

YouTube

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

wow, thats a whole bunch of extra complicated steps he does in that video! thats great if that way worked for you but its sooo much easier to do the drain of 2 qts from the bottom rad port with a short piece of hose to a pan, then fill 2 qts via a funnel & hose to the fill hole on the sealed trans or in this guy on the videos case, through the dipstick with a funnel!

he made a basic trans flush way harder than it needs to be! i quit watching when he broke out the electric pump...

 

[Honda pc]

Really.. 2 quarts is a full flush of transmission?? Its more like a dran, refill job..
Most full flush are 10 quarts or more, which the video did. Atleast on gen 3 or others. My seinna van took 2.5-3 gallons.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[patkelly4370]

Really.. 2 quarts is a full flush of transmission?? Its more like a dran, refill job..
Most full flush are 10 quarts or more, which the video did.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

No.
Drain 2 qts, fill 2 qts.
Drain 2 more, fill 2 more.
Repeat for about 10 qts.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[firebirdguy]

Really.. 2 quarts is a full flush of transmission?? Its more like a dran, refill job..
Most full flush are 10 quarts or more, which the video did. Atleast on gen 3 or others. My seinna van took 2.5-3 gallons.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

if you read this thread or watched any other vids of how to do a FULL exchange... its done ~2qts at a time using the trans pump by starting the engine to pump it out, then stopping & refilling 2qts. you do that 5-6 times & youve done a FULL exchange.

if you're using an external elect pump or filling through the rad/cooler ports you are doing it wrong & making things way harder than they need to be...

 

[Wmyend]

Nice thread!

 

[stormrunner925]

Great info

Thanks OP! This will definitely save me some money as I need to do a full exchange when I hit 150k. Hope its the same for the 4.7 as the 4.0

 

[firebirdguy]

Thanks OP! This will definitely save me some money as I need to do a full exchange when I hit 150k. Hope its the same for the 4.7 as the 4.0

read the last couple pages before doing it like the OP shows....

 

[sandpic]

I'm the original owner of my 2003 v8 limited that now has 190,000 miles and I decided to tackle this today. I tried the gravity feed method at first and then realized there has to be a better way. Hooked my power bleeder and was done in an hour. I can definitely feel the difference, the shifting is so much smoother.
I appreciated the help from the members here.

 

[MT Runner]

Tackled this yesterday afternoon.
Definitely an easy overall process.

Unfortunately I couldn’t get one of the fittings undone for the return line that went directly back to the transmission like I had planned. So I had to use the inlet into the radiator instead.

I have an aux trans cooler installed too, so anything I pumped into the radiator would go through there and then through the aux trans cooler mounted on the radiator before finally returning to the trans. The bottom line is, gravity wasn’t going to work for me on this project, so I had to use a hand pump.
That part ended up being a pain in the ass, hand pumping 12 qts back into the trans wasn’t a quick process...

Glad I did it though, old trans fluid wasn’t black, but it was definitely a few shades darker red than the new stuff I put in. Transmission shifts like new again.

Can’t beat the piece of mind for the next 50k or so.

 

[firebirdguy]

Tackled this yesterday afternoon.
Definitely an easy overall process.

Unfortunately I couldn’t get one of the fittings undone for the return line that went directly back to the transmission like I had planned. So I had to use the inlet into the radiator instead.

I have an aux trans cooler installed too, so anything I pumped into the radiator would go through there and then through the aux trans cooler mounted on the radiator before finally returning to the trans. The bottom line is, gravity wasn’t going to work for me on this project, so I had to use a hand pump.
That part ended up being a pain in the ass, hand pumping 12 qts back into the trans wasn’t a quick process...

Glad I did it though, old trans fluid wasn’t black, but it was definitely a few shades darker red than the new stuff I put in. Transmission shifts like new again.

Can’t beat the piece of mind for the next 50k or so.

I'm the original owner of my 2003 v8 limited that now has 190,000 miles and I decided to tackle this today. I tried the gravity feed method at first and then realized there has to be a better way. Hooked my power bleeder and was done in an hour. I can definitely feel the difference, the shifting is so much smoother.
I appreciated the help from the members here.

why didnt you guys just use the fill hole on the side of the trans to fill? & the bottom port of the radiator to drain??

 

[patkelly4370]

why didnt you guys just use the fill hole on the side of the trans to fill? & the bottom port of the radiator to drain??

Ease of access was my takeaway from the original post.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[firebirdguy]

Ease of access was my takeaway from the original post.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

that way is no easier than using the fill hole on the trans... & as you found it took a lot longer with a hand pump or power bleeder. you can fill 2-3 qts via the fill hole with a funnel & few feet of hose in about 2-3 minutes!

sorry for all the replies on this, just trying to help & make life easier on guys doing this....

 

[MT Runner]

that way is no easier than using the fill hole on the trans... & as you found it took a lot longer with a hand pump or power bleeder. you can fill 2-3 qts via the fill hole with a funnel & few feet of hose in about 2-3 minutes!

sorry for all the replies on this, just trying to help & make life easier on guys doing this....

Ease of access was my thought too. I know the fill hole is an option, but it can be a little more of a pain to get to underneath the vehicle and access it. Using the original method you can do it all by standing next to the engine bay.

It took longer than anticipated, but oh well. Wasn’t a huge deal, just had a few beers and had music going in the garage. There are worse ways to spend a couple hours.

 

[patkelly4370]

If I could roll under the truck on a creeper I might go for the fill hole.
But I have dirt and gravel. Acres and acres of it. (I miss my shop at our last home)
So the alternative choice to do it without being poked with sharp rocks is appealing to me.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[Inv4drZm]

Sounds like the best way is to drain/fill 3 qts at a time directly from the trans using a funnel and a long tube. Then once its all replaced to my satisfaction, even maybe over a full week period, do what the manual says to more officially check the fluid level by jumping a pin, letting the trans get up to temperature, and opening the inspection port?

Any issues with this?

 

[firebirdguy]

Ease of access was my thought too. I know the fill hole is an option, but it can be a little more of a pain to get to underneath the vehicle and access it. Using the original method you can do it all by standing next to the engine bay.

It took longer than anticipated, but oh well. Wasn’t a huge deal, just had a few beers and had music going in the garage. There are worse ways to spend a couple hours.

If I could roll under the truck on a creeper I might go for the fill hole.
But I have dirt and gravel. Acres and acres of it. (I miss my shop at our last home)
So the alternative choice to do it without being poked with sharp rocks is appealing to me.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

fully understand if getting under the car is an issue or you're on gravel... mine is at stock height & i have a clean driveway or garage floor, most stock 4runners sit high enough theres no need to really even jack it up to get to the fill plug on the trans & insert the end of the hose.

whatever works best for you is all that matters.

 

[Jrrrrr]

Does The fluid come out from the torque converter, or straight from the Pan?