Tranny Filter

[ObeseFieldMouse]

I have an 03 4R v8, and i was going to service the transmission, because it has close to 85,000 miles on it. I call the parts department, and they tell me the filter is a cleanable filter, and I shouldn't replace it. How do i clean it?

Also, does anyone know of somewhere to get the transmission fluid for it that isn't $4.98 per quart? It holds almost 13 quarts, plus I plan on flushing out the cooler lines, so I figure I'll need at least 15-16 quarts.

 

[greasefingers]

I like the idea of dropping the pan to clean the magnets so they can attract more metal bits and pieces. The filter/strainer is incased inside a metal housing, so it will be difficult to clean.

Every 30,000 miles I drain and refill my AFT twice over two weekends. I have not removed the tranny pan yet. There are 20 bolts to remove and don

 

[ObeseFieldMouse]

The parts guy at the local toyota dealership told me the tranny filters are cleanable, kinda like a k&n air filter. What he neglected to tell me was how. I plan to flush the system, then drop the pan and clean the tranny filter, or replace it, and also add and aftermarket cooler. The filter cleaning thing kinda put a kink in those plans.

 

[TechWrench]

The parts guy at the local toyota dealership told me the tranny filters are cleanable, kinda like a k&n air filter. What he neglected to tell me was how. I plan to flush the system, then drop the pan and clean the tranny filter, or replace it, and also add and aftermarket cooler. The filter cleaning thing kinda put a kink in those plans.

I believe the Toyota trans uses a screen type filter. Basicaly it is a fine, metal mesh type screen mounted in a metal frame which is bolted to the bottom of the valve body. You have to remove the sump pan to get to it. You mention that you intend to 'flush' the trans first. Are you doing a complete power flush, or just draining the pan? If you are doing a power flush, it would seem to me that dropping the pan after the flush is wasting a lot of new fluid you just put in it. I would suggest you drop the pan first. Also, unless you find a lot of material in the pan when you drop it, I would think the screen filter is probably just fine. Cleaning the magnets in the pan, as others have suggested is a good idea. But if your trans is generating metal or material particles, there is probably something bad going on inside it that a fluid flush isn't going to fix.

 

[greasefingers]

I have never seen clean magnets in any trannys pan. I don

 

[TechWrench]

I have never seen clean magnets in any trannys pan. I don

 

[greasefingers]

Off topic but

 

[TechWrench]

Off topic but

 

[greasefingers]

I hear ya loud and clear. This tranny/Jeep was brought back to the Chrysler dealership! Do you know if dealerships actually tear-down trannys, on their own or do they send them out?

 

[TechWrench]

I hear ya loud and clear. This tranny/Jeep was brought back to the Chrysler dealership! Do you know if dealerships actually tear-down trannys, on their own or do they send them out?

That depends on the dealership, and what level of technicians they have on staff. When I worked in a dealer shop (quite a while ago), we did just about all our own rebuilds in house. From what I hear now, many shops don't want to invest the time and money in training their technicians to the level necessary to do serious major unit rebuilds. Many dealer shops just order rebuilt, or new units from the parent organization and install them. It's quicker for them to swap out a unit, than do a tear down, order parts, and rebuild it. A good transmission rebuilder can make a lot more money in a speciality transmission shop than working in most dealers. So, it's not surprising that they don't want to invest a lot of time or money training someone who will probably leave them.