How many guys are still on original transmission fluid? Come on in!

[Edatkins]

2007 fluid change

2007 249000 miles. Changed fluid and filter. Used WS fluid. it's still shaking between 1st and 2nd when accelerating, and can feel it a little between 2nd and 3rd. First 4runner. First Toyota in about 40 years. LOL. So is this a fatal issue or a solenoid issue? Or something else?

 

[firebirdguy]

do some research before posting more jibberish, junior. there are numerous WS rated fluids today like maxlife etc etc that cost about $20/gallon & countless people have used it in 4runners, tacoms, & many other toyota vehicles without one single issue. & WS can be found for $7-8/qt if you shop around. are you now a lubrication engineer, or do you just know a guy?? LOL! going 3x over the maintenance intervals on any component is just plain ridiculous, do you do that with the diffs, transfer case & coolant too??

& again you keep leaving out the INSTALL costs. tell us what your dealership quotes to install a used transmission... or an engine for that matter!!! or what your time is worth to do it yourself... its all part of the cost to replace any part.

if you've been working on cars since 97, you are probably about the same age as me unless you count working on them when you were 5 years old handing your dad a wrench! & yes, 10 trans & 15+ engines is for restoring, modifying or building them, not because they broke or because i used a different fluid..

call any trans shop & ask about changing fluids for normal maintenance, none will say you are pouring out clutch friction material, that is for very high mile trans that are severely worn out & barely hanging on & need that broken down friction material to work, not for good condition maintained transmissions. that supports the fact that you are quoting myths or info you heard someone say about a shot transmission. clutches dont wear to an extreme like that when they are healthy! & i would never buy a almost 300k mile vehicle, but if i did i would probably approach the maint a little different, but still would do at least a couple drain & fills on the trans & definitely change all the other fluids.

i suppose thanks for the compliment on my cars, im a diehard pontiac guy & today they can be built for almost the same cost as SBC's, BBC's or LS1's etc. ive also worked on & done "maintenance" to friends cars that run into the low 10's & into the 9's on NOS. they just write checks for the cars & drive them, when it comes time for maint or things like brakes etc they dont have a clue.

hopefully we are done with this :deadhorse:

 

[Drift Monkey]

Legitimate??? you say I can swap my fluid for $60-75? I guess we're not going by the owners manual now where it says genuine WS fluid?? It's $10/qt average. You're not getting it for half that.

It won't cost $1000+!!! what is so hard to believe, here I'll show you....
V-8, AUTO, 4X4 151,206 A 015717 $325 Brickyard Imported Cars USA-IN(Brooklyn) 317-831-2627 / 800-247-9273 call them and ask gramps!

Even after gas to drive 4hrs round trip, a meal, fluid, maybe some seals needed too, i'm still way under $1000...

Also, engines with the same mileage as the transmissions I listed are $600 or less. But I do change my oil every 2500 with a D3 and mobil 1 thank you. Keep pouring out all your friction material from the clutches and get back to me when you're at close to 300,000 ok?? ironic that I've been working on cars since 97 and only replaced 2, you say "probably 10+"....hmmmm Maybe you should use the fluid recommended in your owners manual and you wouldn't of swapped 5 times as many transmissions....haha I know, they were probably for others, but I couldn't pass that up. Good job on the firebirds. That's hauling for an old bird! And impressive you're using a pontiac engine, not a buick or small block. Now go buy a vehicle with 270k on it without a trans fluid service ever done and swap it out and let me know how it goes....

The Valvoline is WS rated AND synthetic?

D3 and Mobil 1? WHERE IS THAT IN THE MANUAL?

 

[HIMILESV8SPORT]

D3 is the toyota oil filter. D3 is the oil filter any 4th gen 4runner gets with a VIN in Toyota's catalog. Toyota's oil is/was? Mobil formulated to Toyota's spec. I've been running Mobil1 for over 20 years. Toyota's 5w30 is conventional and I personally like synthetic oil.

If you're willing to save a few bucks buying maxlife instead of Toyota WS, don't even try to say when I should change my fluid. Why don't you go throw some autolite plugs in yours, or maybe a bosch o2. I was Toyota certified for 9+years. I'm now certified with another automaker. I am the expert in this area. Next time you find Toyota WS for $7-8, don't forget to add shipping.

Install cost for me is time and beer. I told you customer pay is 10 hours at my dealer...read please! Have lifts at work and one less than 50' of my property line I can and do use any time. THERE IS NO INSTALL $$$

even you say "that is for very high mile trans"??? so 174,000 on a 4L60E and 270,000 on an A750F qualifies:closed_2:

 

[arlantazmin@gmail.]

Around 290k (reason: Transmission wire pin got corroded i had to drain "lifetime" fluid, to run new wire), 2003 A750F, I will be replacing it every 50k (not only 4runner but other cars in family, I used to change oil but now I think it is good to change transmission fluid in general after doing it first time on 4runner). I used Valvoline MaxLife with 5 drain and refills (dilution, from my understanding machine flush is not recommended if fluid is older than 50k but I don't know for sure, dilution seem to make more sense for mileage I had and I also don't have flush machine access) (~5 gallons, $17 for 1 gallon at walmart), from what I read for 2003 is ok (from what I remember WS is recommended for those that don't have dipstick, and maybe I would have went with WS if I didn't plan to drain again at 50k and go another 290k) to use this fluid, also changed metal filter, car now has 322k, transmission works great (it worked good before drain and refill but I think it is even better now, I remember the fluid I drained was very runny consistency unlike the one I put in and seems to have lost most its needed properties). I would say 2hr job (if without replacing transmission filter ) next time I do (since this would be 2nd time I do), drain from bottom, refill from dipstick (put as much as drain), using a funnel, drive 5 mins (shift through all gears), repeat 5 times or whatever is needed, I didn't have to jack the car, at 4th time the fluid that was being drained was almost same as new I was putting, so I stopped. I work on car for fun if there is time, this is not expert opinion but what worked for me. After 4runner I did change on Acura MDX and that one I used OEM Acura fluid (from what I read Acura/Honda I better go with OEM or else), and Subaru Forester I used also Valvoline Max Life, and pretty much any future cars we will have I will be change fluids at some point, I don't know if I believe in lifetime fluid idea for transmission after seeing what type of fluid that comes out when I did the drain.

 

[Drift Monkey]

D3 is the toyota oil filter. D3 is the oil filter any 4th gen 4runner gets with a VIN in Toyota's catalog. Toyota's oil is/was? Mobil formulated to Toyota's spec. I've been running Mobil1 for over 20 years. Toyota's 5w30 is conventional and I personally like synthetic oil.

If you're willing to save a few bucks buying maxlife instead of Toyota WS, don't even try to say when I should change my fluid. Why don't you go throw some autolite plugs in yours, or maybe a bosch o2. I was Toyota certified for 9+years. I'm now certified with another automaker. I am the expert in this area. Next time you find Toyota WS for $7-8, don't forget to add shipping.

Install cost for me is time and beer. I told you customer pay is 10 hours at my dealer...read please! Have lifts at work and one less than 50' of my property line I can and do use any time. THERE IS NO INSTALL $$$

even you say "that is for very high mile trans"??? so 174,000 on a 4L60E and 270,000 on an A750F qualifies:closed_2:

But do you run the Toyota branded oil? If not man....tsk tsk.

 

[jbtvt]

Transmission failures we saw came with a "I just had the fluid flushed recently". If you change it every 60,000 miles then you're probably ok. If it wasn't changed in the 268,000 miles before you bought it, you let it go.

This is the oldest myth in the auto book, terrible advice. Of course a lot of transmission replacement jobs are going to have just had the fluid flushed, because 99/100 people don't give the trans fluid a thought until it starts to shudder or slip, so they start with changing fluid, and then when that doesn't magically repair the damaged bearings and clutches they blame the fluid rather than their own inability to follow recommended service intervals. Even quite a few dealers ignore the RSI for trans fluid, and if they do it it's often just a drain and fill, because that makes them the most money with least effort. The engineers at Aisin know a good deal more about how to maintain the equipment they designed than any mechanic, and no, they don't get a cut of fluid sales

I know I didn't think about trans fluid on my first 4runner ever, an '88 V6, until it started hesitating and jerking more and more and when I changed the fluid with Maxlife it still soldiered on for years until I sold it (yes, I now use T4 and WS but it's not like Toyota is making this fluid themselves, any brand meeting the specs is better than old fluid). Did your tech friends tell you about that rig? Of course not, because I didn't bring it to them. The technical term for the fallacy you're citing is "sampling bias".

You can do a search on this very site and see loads of transmission replacements where the fluid was never flushed, and loads of people who flushed fluid and put plenty of miles on with no issues, just like I've done on almost every vehicle I've owned. There's been at least one guy just in between your posts.

So you know one of the many guys who have done a UZ swap, that means nothing. Send in a sample of your fluid to Blackstone and see what they have to say about it - promise you it won't be good. Obv you're too locked in to change your mind at this point, I'm writing this for any newbs who might get taken in and be spouting this same myth in yet another 10 years.

Change your fluids!

 

[Berty_K]

YouTube

3:30- “It’s just common sense. When we know the design of the automatic transmission. When we know how many parts are moving and touching each other ... and operating in extreme heat”

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[Captsolo]

My parents live in a small town, so my step mom's 2007 RX goes into the local lube shop to get the oil changed, tires rotated, etc. On her last visit they recommended the trans fluid be flushed, so I went down and flushed the system for her.

I found that with about 115,000 miles the fluid was still bright red and actually looked new. I also noticed a sticker on the dipstick that read something about lifetime fluid, don't change, yada yada.

The fluid was so clean that I literally could not tell when the old fluid stopped being pushed out and the new began. I had to make a "calibrated" (I made lines on the side) bucket to be able to tell when I had flushed out about the right amount.

Now, I know the RX and 4Runner are not the same beasts, but this made me feel pretty confident in Toyota's "lifetime" fluid. I'd leave it be unless you've got reason not to.

Can't hurt to do a 5 quart drain and fill at 100,000 miles.:bash:

:cheers:

I did my 2005 V6 at dealer at 110,000 miles:thumb3:

Now at 150,000 miles and shifts great. It's a Toyota FGS

 

[3s1kill]

I bought "Blackie Chan" in December of '16. He had 167k miles when purchased.

Lol Blackie Chan is an awesome name for your 4runner. Anyways, I was lead here by my curiosity on when to change the ATF fluid on my 2006 SR5 V8 with 95k miles on it.

Dealership recommended I change it at the last oil change but they wanted $700+ for just a train a fill. I figured I'd do some research before I commit to that. We never tow anything with it and drive it like a grandma in town.

I checked the service records through the Toyota website and it looks like ATF was never serviced but had regular oil changes all it's life.

 

[SeaTowner221]

I changed mine at 200k (changed all fluids at 200k -- 4Runner spa day).

 

[AuSeeker]

Lol Blackie Chan is an awesome name for your 4runner. Anyways, I was lead here by my curiosity on when to change the ATF fluid on my 2006 SR5 V8 with 95k miles on it.

Dealership recommended I change it at the last oil change but they wanted $700+ for just a train a fill. I figured I'd do some research before I commit to that. We never tow anything with it and drive it like a grandma in town.

I checked the service records through the Toyota website and it looks like ATF was never serviced but had regular oil changes all it's life.

WOW, where is this world is this ripoff stealership?
$700 is at least twice or maybe more than twice what most dealerships quote to do a complete fluid exchange, for just a drain and fill should be a little more than a $100 or so, but IMHO I would do a complete fluid exchange, go to a few more dealerships and get more quotes!!

 

[smeister]

good for you... care to elaborate as to why you would do that when toyota clearly says otherwise? hmmmm.

Just never thought about it I guess. I have since installed a transmission cooler and replaced all the fluid. I am at 335k miles now.

 

[Jpfrancis]

I've got 180k on my 04. As far as I know it's still the original fluid. Still looks clean. I've been thinking of changing it though as I'm getting close to the 200k mark.

How much have some of you paid to have it changed? I'd rather pay someone, because I don't believe it's too expensive.

 

[SurferUK]

My gut reaction to some of these mileages is just because you can, does it mean you should? ATF is cheap (Even WS) in relation to a transmission. But that's my OCD nature!

 

[46runner]

For those thinking of changing the ATF, I wrote up how to do a 100% fluid exchange (not a flush and not a simple drain and fill). There should be a link in my signature. Hope you find it helpful.


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[Bluesky 07]

For anybody wanting to use WS, $8.50 a quart with free shipping is about the best I've found. I'll also vouch for Cobb County Toyota's Parts Department, they're reasonably near my commute and I buy many OEM parts online b/c the online prices are competitive (and even better on occasion) than aftermarket. I pick the parts up and am usually out the door in under a minute. Golden. Sad thing is that I drive right by Cherokee County Toyota but they're stuck in the old dealer pricing model with no online option so it's not practical to buy there.

FYI, not sure if I just erred somehow during my fluid exchange but I ended up using about 14.5 quarts when all was said and done.

 

[theoutbackdream]

I was running the original Trans fluid up until around 170k and ended up doing multiple drain and fills as I was having issues with the transmission holding gears, shifts being sluggish and shifting hard sometimes.

I ultimately decided to go with Valvoline MaxxLife ATF and couldn't be happier with the results. So far, I've spent about $60 for 3 drain and fills. Can't beat that.

I documented how to to the drain and fill here and my results 6k miles later here


The original fluid as quite dark (not burnt), and wish I had done it sooner. I ultimately decided not to drop the transmission pan since I saw a few youtube videos and threads about owners who did drop the pan, only to find barely any material caught up in the filter.

 

[jbtvt]

Still looks clean.

Was the '04 not a sealed unit?

For anybody wanting to use WS, $8.50 a quart with free shipping is about the best I've found.

Damn, my dealer wanted almost 13 and wouldn't budge much below $12. Wound up getting Aisin WS for 6something but it's not the same, little more viscous. Maybe better in the heat and worse in the cold

The original fluid as quite dark (not burnt), and wish I had done it sooner. I ultimately decided not to drop the transmission pan since I saw a few youtube videos and threads about owners who did drop the pan, only to find barely any material caught up in the filter.

I had quite a bit in my filter at 165k recently, and always do. It's very fine, hard to tell apart from the mesh when soaked in fluid, wonder if they're missing it. Even my Chevy at under 100k recently had a decent coating of powder caught in it

 

[HIMILESV8SPORT]

309k update

still shifting great....WOT at least a few times a week!