tranny fluid change

[kanekz]

hey guys i wanna flush and change my tranny.

got a 97 4x4 5speed

i bought mt-90 wen i was gonna swap it into my runner, never got to it. i was wondering if this could be used for our tranny?

i was reading 18qts to flush? kinda a lot to me, is there a cheaper alternative to flush it as well?

 

[IanB]

Power flushing can knock loose deposits and lead to blockages, and expensive repair bills. Lots of people (myself included) recommend a series of drain & fills instead.

-drain tranny fluid from the pan, replace drain plug with new washer
-measure how much fluid drained out
-replace fluid via dipstick tube (spend a few $$ on a funnel that will reach)
-with engine/tranny warm, move the shifter through the gears, then check the fluid, top up as required

This method will replace roughly 1/3 the fluid in the tranny. If the fluid was really dark or burnt smelling, drive it for a week and do another drain & fill. Once you have done this a couple times, and you are happy with the condition of the fluid, you are good to go. It doesn't take long, and if you do a drain & fill once a year going forward, you should always have good fluid in the tranny. The detergents in the new fluid will break down any deposits gradually.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Do MTs even need "flushing?"

On my 1990 Montero I just drained and refilled. :shrug:

 

[brian2sun]

You are confusing auto and manual trannies here. Flushing is for autos. On a manual, you simply have a drain plug and a fill hole. Yes, you can use the same gear oil that your diffs and t-case use in your manual tranny so the MT90 will work.

If you want to "flush" a manual, you just drain and fill the gear oil again in a week or so.

18 qts to flush is also for an auto. I don't know the exact amount, but your manual only holds a few qts at the most.

 

[sportscarfan]

hey guys i wanna flush and change my tranny.

got a 97 4x4 5speed

i bought mt-90 wen i was gonna swap it into my runner, never got to it. i was wondering if this could be used for our tranny?

i was reading 18qts to flush? kinda a lot to me, is there a cheaper alternative to flush it as well?

The 5-speed only takes a few quarts. Use the Redline MT-90 for sure. Remove the FILL plug first so you know it'll come out. New crush washers and maybe new drain/fill plugs are recommended. I had a pretty difficult time removing my fill plug. After rounding it off, I ended up welding some beads onto the face of it and using a drift punch and ye-ol' swing press to loosen it.

 

[IanB]

I totally missed that this was a 5M.

For the manual you remove the fill plug FIRST, then drain the fluid. Replace the drain plug, and fill till it starts coming out the fill hole, wipe it off, replace the fill plug, done.

 

[kanekz]

I totally missed that this was a 5M.

For the manual you remove the fill plug FIRST, then drain the fluid. Replace the drain plug, and fill till it starts coming out the fill hole, wipe it off, replace the fill plug, done.

Best way to fill will be from the dipstick area? I couldn't find where to out the fluid in. I have 2qts of mt90. Is that enough?

 

[brian2sun]

Best way to fill will be from the dipstick area? I couldn't find where to out the fluid in. I have 2qts of mt90. Is that enough?

Welcome to the forum. I typed "4runner manual tranny fluid change" in google and the 5th one down was this:
4Runners.org - Changing Your Front, Rear, Tranny & Transfer Case Fluids
It tells you everything you need to know and more.

Search dude and read your owner's manual.

 

[steezemcqueen]

Read this

4Runners.org - Changing Your Front, Rear, Tranny & Transfer Case Fluids

EDIT: DAMN IT BRIAN!!!

 

[kanekz]

Welcome to the forum. I typed "4runner manual tranny fluid change" in google and the 5th one down was this:
4Runners.org - Changing Your Front, Rear, Tranny & Transfer Case Fluids
It tells you everything you need to know and more.

Search dude and read your owner's manual.

thanks dude

 

[TheDurk]

One comment on the otherwise excellent above write-up:

His table says GL-5 only for the manual transmission, then he recommends MT-90 which is a GL-4. Our manuals actually say GL-4 or GL-5. That said, a lot of smart people have written that GL-4 is preferred in MT's with brass synchronizers such as ours as sulfur additives in GL-5 are not good for them. This makes sense to me.

Redline MT-90 is about the only synthetic GL-4 75W-90 out there. I use it and recommend it for the 5-speed.

If you get all the old fluid out, 2 quarts may be a little short. I bought three, and I had to use some of the third. (I did spill some, however.) Official capacity is 2.3 quarts.

 

[kanekz]

One comment on the otherwise excellent above write-up:

His table says GL-5 only for the manual transmission, then he recommends MT-90 which is a GL-4. Our manuals actually say GL-4 or GL-5. That said, a lot of smart people have written that GL-4 is preferred in MT's with brass synchronizers such as ours as sulfur additives in GL-5 are not good for them. This makes sense to me.

Redline MT-90 is about the only synthetic GL-4 75W-90 out there. I use it and recommend it for the 5-speed.

If you get all the old fluid out, 2 quarts may be a little short. I bought three, and I had to use some of the third. (I did spill some, however.) Official capacity is 2.3 quarts.

great info added... thanks