maintenance schedule?

[triangles]

I have a 99 2.7 4cyl. I could not believe the truck did not come with a maintenance schedule. I bought a Haynes manual but some the suggested maintenance seems rather extreme and unnecessary. 3 areas of concern are:

1) Automatic Transmission, I've always had manual so auto's are somewhat of a mystery to me. How/what do I need to do to keep it running? I've read about dropping the pan and changing a filter? Is this necessary if things are working fine? I would think I'd be ok just changing fluid ever 60-100K miles and only "dropping the pan" when it starts to shift funny.

2) Engine coolant. I've never seen RED engine coolant. What is this stuff? I had to do a double take to make sure I actually had the coolant. Manual is worthless just says use Toyota approved coolant. Can I just use the standard green stuff or extended life yellow coolant? Or is there something specific that I have to use this fancy red stuff that I've never seen before.

3) Engine valves? I read the Haynes manual and it said to check/adjust the valve clearances every 30K! WTF? I thought this was a modern vehicle. The only other vehicle I've ever had to adjust valves on was my 1968 VW beetle. Is this a mistake in the Haynes manual? How necessary is it to do this? The truck has 100K miles on it and I'm fairly certain this has never been done and certainly not something I want to DIY.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[blue4r]

If you have the A340F tranny, its a solid reliable autobox so just check the fluid color and level periodically. If you need to change the fluid, just drain and refill 2 or 3 times coz not all the ATF comes out when you drain.
As far as the coolant goes, I dont think the motor gives a darn which type is in there, as long as its good quality and the right amount. My truck came with the pink stuff and thats what I top up with.
Lastly, the 2.7 has hydraulic valves that don't require adjustment every 30k miles. I think the Haynes manual you have covers other earlier four cylinder motors too and you prolly looked at the wrong motor. The 2.7 also has a "lifetime" timing chain rather than a belt, and overall the internals of the 2.7 motor are designed to last the truck's lifetime with proper regular preventive maintenance.
Cheers.

 

[triangles]

If you have the A340F tranny,

Excuse my ignorance but what does A340F mean and how would I tell? I'll just drain/fill the ATF a few times. It's looking a little dark.

I had planned on flushing an filling with the long life yellow coolant. I didn't look to closely but all I remember seeing at the auto part store was orange, yellow, and green, no pink/red.

I would have thought the motor would have hydraulic valves not the shim/bucket as indicated in the manual. I'll double check what the haynes manual says.