Transmission fluid change, Good or bad idea for 2010 Sr5 I want to take to 250K miles

[mountainair26]

I have a 2010 v6 4.0l with about 140k miles on it. Previous owner never had tranny fluid changed per the carfax. I know these are the sealed ones that toyota claims wont ever need to be changed. I've got a reputable transmission guy in town who told me he'd do it for $160 if the trannsmission isnt having any problems. He said if it already had issues, changing the fluid might make it worse. It drives really well with no real noticably jump when shifting and no slippage, so I'm hoping he says to change it because its fine. Either way, did anyone change the trans fluid and regret it? Is this a good idea to do purely for longevity of the vehicle? I don't do heavy towing the and the 130k miles were mostly highway. Thanks

 

[Jeffy]

I have a 2010 v6 4.0l with about 140k miles on it. Previous owner never had tranny fluid changed per the carfax. I know these are the sealed ones that toyota claims wont ever need to be changed. I've got a reputable transmission guy in town who told me he'd do it for $160 if the trannsmission isnt having any problems. He said if it already had issues, changing the fluid might make it worse. It drives really well with no real noticably jump when shifting and no slippage, so I'm hoping he says to change it because its fine. Either way, did anyone change the trans fluid and regret it? Is this a good idea to do purely for longevity of the vehicle? I don't do heavy towing the and the 130k miles were mostly highway. Thanks

Yes you should do it, but it depends on how it's done. If he uses a machine that forces the fluid through the system (the same way the dealership would do it), then yes there's a chance that something could be funky afterwards.

The best way to do it is like in this write up (that's on a Tacoma, but same thing). To summarize it, you just turn the engine on with the transmission line draining into a bucket, then refill the tranny with new fluid, about 2 quarts at a time. Repeat the process until it's all fresh fluid. It's a super easy process and perfectly safe for the transmission. If you can change your oil, you can do it yourself. I would recommend the OEM Toyota WS fluid. It'll only cost a bit more money, but that's worth it on a tranny that costs 3 grand

 

[Judd94]

These transmissions have to be done at a certain temp I think 93 degrees. Plus they have to have the Toyota world standard fluid. It’s a little bit more involved than just flush and refill. People have tried doing it on their own or with other fluids and it’s nothing. It problems. This is one service item I think the dealership should do and no one else. You already gotta go buy the fluid at dealer just let them do it and be done with it.

 

[Jeffy]

These transmissions have to be done at a certain temp I think 93 degrees. Plus they have to have the world standard fluid. It’s a little bit more involved than just flush and refill. People have tried doing it on their own or with other fluids and it’s nothing. It problems. This is one service item I think the dealership should do and no one else.

I'm not sure where you got that info from. The fluid only has to be at a certain temp when you're checking the fill level. It doesn't matter how hot or cold it is when you're draining it. Also, there's tons of people on this forum (myself included) who did it using the method I linked above and it worked perfectly. However, you're right in saying the world standard fluid should be used (like I said above, Toyota WS. It's available on Amazon, and often cheaper than you'll find at a dealer).

Doing it at the dealer is where people run into problems because the dealer uses a machine to force the fluid through the system. This can mess up gaskets/ seals, and also has potential to push any metal particles around into places they shouldn't be. If you do it the way the write-up states, you're just using the engine to push the fluid for you, exactly how it does every time you drive anyways. There's virtually zero risk.

 

[willo]

Yes, it's definitely a good idea to change that fluid. The linked process is actually a good method as it doesn't fully drain and refill the transmission. The best practice as I understand autos is to do a fluid replace that mixes old fluid with new fluid to prevent what's called 'shocked seals' from the fluid change.

 

[1jzgte]

do it at the dealer for 250 dollars and forget about it for the next 100k.

"shocked seals" arent really a thing anymore.. but here's a shocked seal for your enjoyment

 

[FrenchToasty]

These transmissions have to be done at a certain temp I think 93 degrees. Plus they have to have the Toyota world standard fluid. It’s a little bit more involved than just flush and refill. People have tried doing it on their own or with other fluids and it’s nothing. It problems. This is one service item I think the dealership should do and no one else. You already gotta go buy the fluid at dealer just let them do it and be done with it.

You think it's 93 degrees?
It's the fluid level check that has to be done at a certain temp. I KNOW it's 104-113 degrees.

 

[Judd94]

I remember the Tacoma at one point was like 93 degrees, sorry I’m off a few degrees on this trans. Get the thong out of your asses, no need to be douches. There’s particulars so just pay and have the dealer do it.

 

[Judd94]

I KNOW it's 104-113 degrees.

Good for you, enjoy a cookie

 

[catrains]

well at 140K miles the fluid should be changed . on other manufactures fluid changes are much much lower... like 40K miles.

what I would do is drop the tranny pan clean up the pan and screen and the magnets... put it back on .. fill it with what came out I think it is 2QTs approx.. then start the engine open the over flow fill plug/check plug .. when the tranny temp is 110F range fluid should leak out the fill hole if not pump the fluid in until it flows out ..

before you do this use a level on the pan bottom so it is level.. also I have scan gauge II to read the tranny temps all the time ... works great for me...

I should have said when you add the tranny fluid amount that drained out you must use the upper fill plug .. the lower overflow fill check plug is only used when the engine is running so you add the fluid to the lower fill check plug when its is running and at temp 110F..

I messed up on that instruction ..

 

[nglayton]

CarFax is not the be all end all. Contrary to what they would have you believe there is no possible way they can know for certain if the fluids where changed.

They only know what they can scrape from public records and what "participating" dealerships/shops report to them.

Not all shops sell your personal data.......

 

[Jeffy]

well at 140K miles the fluid should be changed . on other manufactures fluid changes are much much lower... like 40K miles.

what I would do is drop the tranny pan clean up the pan and screen and the magnets... put it back on .. fill it with what came out I think it is 2QTs approx.. then start the engine open the fill plug .. when the tranny temp is 110F range fluid should leak out the fill hole if not pump the fluid in until it flows out ..

before you do this use a level on the pan bottom so it is level.. also I have scan gauge II to read the tranny temps all the time ... works great for me...

Just want to clarify that fluid should come out the check/ overflow plug, NOT the fill plug. If it's coming out the fill plug you're overfull by a huge margin.

Also, the only reason I didn't drop the pan and clean the filter also is because most people who did, even after 100k+ miles, started that there was hardly anything to clean in there. That's a lot of extra work for very little reward. Just my two cents

 

[Jeffy]

IN my comment on this I did not say to mess with the upper fill plug..

reason is the engine is running so you only mess with the check . lower fill plug basically its like doing the gear box ..

another reason not to mess with the upper plug another gasket seal deal...

so I guess many do not check tranny fluid level so no knowledge on what plug to remove to check the fluid ...

I remember one member drained the transmission when doing the engine oil change so he added 6qts of oil into the engine that had 6 qts so 12 qts in engine LOL....

I know it's just semantics but that can cause confusion. There's no "upper" and "lower" fill plugs. There's only one fill plug, one check/ overflow plug, and one drain plug.

Sucks to be that guy who drained the tranny and filled up the engine with double the amount. Hopefully he realized before he drove it. I'm surprised you can even fit 12 quarts in the engine without it overflowing.

 

[catrains]

I know it's just semantics but that can cause confusion. There's no "upper" and "lower" fill plugs. There's only one fill plug, one check/ overflow plug, and one drain plug.

Sucks to be that guy who drained the tranny and filled up the engine with double the amount. Hopefully he realized before he drove it. I'm surprised you can even fit 12 quarts in the engine without it overflowing.

TRANSMISSION PLUG GASKETS
Drain plug gasket - Toyota part # 35178-30010 $2.50
Overflow plug gasket - Toyota part # 35178-30010
Fill plug gasket [O RING] REUSEABLE - Toyota part # 90301-15004

ya 3 plugs .. over flow is the check plug .

 

[Rmack]

Yes, it's definitely a good idea to change that fluid. The linked process is actually a good method as it doesn't fully drain and refill the transmission. The best practice as I understand autos is to do a fluid replace that mixes old fluid with new fluid to prevent what's called 'shocked seals' from the fluid change.

Your point is valid about mixing old with new, especially when that many miles have been driven since a fluid change was done. The main reason is the amount of detergent (trans fluid is very high) introduced all at one time.

A pan drop, screen and gasket change, clean pan and magnets, then fill are what I would do.

 

[83Mule]

I have dropped the pan, measured the amount in it and dumped it.....cleaned the pan and put in the new filter ($22 Autozone) then dumped in the same amount of new oil into the pan and put it on. I think Toyota should be kicked in the nuts as hard as possible for making checking a simple dipstick into a science project on an otherwise old fashioned vehicle:ybrick:

 

[Jeremy556]

I have dropped the pan, measured the amount in it and dumped it.....cleaned the pan and put in the new filter ($22 Autozone) then dumped in the same amount of new oil into the pan and put it on. I think Toyota should be kicked in the nuts as hard as possible for making checking a simple dipstick into a science project on an otherwise old fashioned vehicle:ybrick:

Why would you need to check the dipstick? It's a sealed system, so unless there is a leak, the fluid level will not change.

Keeps people from pouring random crap in a bottle they find at autozone into the very robust and reliable A750F.
Prevents people overfilling their engine oil while checking their trans dipstick.
Trans fluid color and smell are not really very good indicators of modern synthetic oil, so it keeps the old school, change oil every 3000 mile, types from messing with it.

 

[Lester Lugnut]

Prevents people overfilling their engine oil while checking their trans dipstick.

OR...vice-versa.

Over at the Tacoma web site, it seems like every week, someone mistakenly drains their transmission pan thinking it is the oil pan. Maybe Toyota needs to remove the tranny pan drain plug from the tranny pan. Isuzu and others never had one on some of their Rodeo models.

 

[willo]

I cannot describe how much I hate dropping the pans. This is Ford's fault. I did a filter and fill on my RV with the old C6 transmission. Just when you think you've got all the fluid - BOOM there's another quart or so all over. The Toyota pans are much smaller but the experience still makes me shudder.

Your point is valid about mixing old with new, especially when that many miles have been driven since a fluid change was done. The main reason is the amount of detergent (trans fluid is very high) introduced all at one time.

A pan drop, screen and gasket change, clean pan and magnets, then fill are what I would do.

 

[Lester Lugnut]

I cannot describe how much I hate dropping the pans. Just when you think you've got all the fluid - BOOM there's another quart or so all over.

In order to reduce the big splash, 1st drain the pan as usual; then elevate the front of the truck as high as it will go.
You'll end up draining approx. 1 more qt. of ATF. When you elevate, you get a lot of what's on the other side of the filter.
Now when you pull the filter, there's just a small amt. left vs. the 1 qt. splash.