JoeT4R
Senior Member
Would this be a good way to do an AT flush and refill?
transmission fluid flush/replacement
- Thread starter noex318
- Start date
Would this be a good way to do an AT flush and refill?
kball
New member
If you want to drop the pan, yes. If not just use the cooler lines.
quicksilvr
New member
My 4Runner has Valvoline MaxLife and a bottle of Lubegard Red in it. I did a full flush with a BG flush machine (like a t-tech) at 186k miles. I also dropped the pan, changed the factory filter and added an inline Magnafine filter. I have 212K now. In 26k miles, the truck has continued to drive and shift better as time goes on. I'll leave this fluid in for another 5K miles or so, then i'll change the Magnafine filter, and simply drain and refill the pan with 4-5 qts of MaxLife. I might add some more LubeGard Red. With a clean internal filter, and a magnafine filter for the fine particulate, I doubt I will ever need to do a full flush again. My 26k mile fluid looks brand new right now.
Oh, and the factory trans cooler has been bypassed, in favor of the B&M 70264 cooler, for most of those 26k miles.
Oh, and the factory trans cooler has been bypassed, in favor of the B&M 70264 cooler, for most of those 26k miles.
Fluid Change Question
Good afternoon, folks!
I am new to this board (and 4Runners in general) and am finding all of the information incredibly useful, so thank you for that. I just purchased a 1999 4Runner with 222k on it, as a spare car, and as a project car, for what that is worth. It's definitely been taken care of by its previous owners, with one major caveat. I learned they never changed the Transmission fluid.
I am noticing a bit of a jerk when shifting between P, R, and D. I want to get ahead of this, as much as I can. I have read that changing the transmission fluid on a car that has never had it done before, can make the issues worse. From what I have gathered, however, the best thing to do here is to absolutely get cleaner transmission fluid into the transmission system regardless.
My research has concluded that instead of a flush I should have the transmission fluid drained and refilled (pan & filter service) and get a new filter in there.
What do you all think? Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Good afternoon, folks!
I am new to this board (and 4Runners in general) and am finding all of the information incredibly useful, so thank you for that. I just purchased a 1999 4Runner with 222k on it, as a spare car, and as a project car, for what that is worth. It's definitely been taken care of by its previous owners, with one major caveat. I learned they never changed the Transmission fluid.
I am noticing a bit of a jerk when shifting between P, R, and D. I want to get ahead of this, as much as I can. I have read that changing the transmission fluid on a car that has never had it done before, can make the issues worse. From what I have gathered, however, the best thing to do here is to absolutely get cleaner transmission fluid into the transmission system regardless.
My research has concluded that instead of a flush I should have the transmission fluid drained and refilled (pan & filter service) and get a new filter in there.
What do you all think? Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
spartacus
Senior Member
Drain and fill with new filter is going to help . shift linkage bushings worn out.
edit; Also check the play in the driveline.
Last edited:
LittleCaesar
New member
Drop the pan and see what is on the magnets in the pan. I have found that using Castrol Import ATF works well. The filter in these transmissions are more of a strainer, but won’t hurt to replace it.
Grease the ujoints and double cardian and see if that helps.
Grease the ujoints and double cardian and see if that helps.
mtbtim
Elite Member
These videos will help you out. In addition to the pan drop and filter replacement, I'd also check the condition of your transmission mount and engine mounts since you're feeling a jerking when shifting. A broken of compromised mount can add abnormal movement of the drivetrain.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tuGazNhuEtM" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/g_4DiywsSbk" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
t
The “jerk” you are feeling is normal when shifting between gears when the engine isn’t at operating temperature. When the engine isn’t at operating temperature your engine rpm will be almost twice as high vs when the engine is warmed up. This causes the jerk feeling when going between gear selections. The higher rpm’s combined with the ring and pinion backlash in the differential can feel kinda jarring, but it’s normal operation.
If you are experiencing harsh shifts between gears (1-2, 2-3, 3-4) then you probably need to adjust the line pressure cable for the transmission (commonly called the kickdown cable incorrectly).
Thank you for the input here. The thought had occurred to me as well, that this might be the cause of the jerk. At any rate, would you still recommend the drain/replace with the new filter? Curious.
I would still recommend fluid and filter change. With your current fluid condition and maintenance history I would remove the pan, change the filter, fill the transmission back to the correct level, then do a drain and fill every 4K-5k miles or every oil change. This would gradually introduce new fluid, but will take 4-5 total drain and fills in order for you to have mostly new fluid in the transmission. It takes around a gallon to refill after a filter change or draining the transmission pan. Be sure to only use Dexron III or a Dexron III compatible fluid. Don’t use Toyota T-IV or WS, or mercon transmission fluids.
JoeT4R
Senior Member
So with that said, it would be safe to say not to use Dexron-VI/Mercon LV fluid even though it's backwards compatible with Dex III? I've been using AMSOIL multi-vehicle synthetic ATF with no issues, but SuperTech has the Dexron-VI/Mercon LV fluid that's significantly cheaper, but I don't wanna run it if it's going to cause issues. I'm fine with sticking with the AMSOIL stuff for the transmission.
brillo_76
Elite Member
The higher grades of Dexron work fine as they are backward compatible. I mostly use Valvoline maxlife full synthetic dexron when I do exchanges.
As long as the mutli- vehicle meets the Dextron specs. You should be good.
JoeT4R
Senior Member
The higher grades of Dexron work fine as they are backward compatible. I mostly use Valvoline maxlife full synthetic dexron when I do exchanges.
As long as the mutli- vehicle meets the Dextron specs. You should be good.
The AMSOIL multi-vehicle ATF I currently use works well, but it's also a loooot more expensive. We're talking $18.69/quart of AMSOIL vs $8.82/quart of SuperTech. But when I look at the 5 quart jug of Valvoline MaxLife full syn ATF, it costs $23.82, which is the BEST price I can find... so it looks like I know what I'll be using when I do my next annual drain and fill of the tranny... thanks [MENTION=164664]brillo_76[/MENTION]!
Like brillo said, as long it is compatible with Dexron III then it will be fine.
brillo_76
Elite Member
So you drain the pan every year? Not a bad idea as in 3 to 5 years you have most of the fluid replaced.
I just use a pump bucket fluid exchanger and change out all the 3 gallons at once.
Mostly every 100k unless heavily towing or something.
JoeT4R
Senior Member
So you drain the pan every year? Not a bad idea as in 3 to 5 years you have most of the fluid replaced.
I just use a pump bucket fluid exchanger and change out all the 3 gallons at once.
Mostly every 100k unless heavily towing or something.
I did a drain and fill at the beginning of last year, apparently the drain plug had been stripped from the time before (2017?), so I had the pan replaced in January of 2021, then in March of this year I did another drain and fill. With over 300K on the clock I want to make it a point to do annual drain and fills. The fluid has come out perfectly red each time so far, so I must be doing something right.
What is this pump bucket fluid exchanger you speak of? If it's inexpensive I may consider investing in one so I could do a full fluid exchange.
brillo_76
Elite Member
You can see a link to it in my signature. I did put a smaller pump on the system.. But have yet to try it.
brillo_76
Elite Member
Not if they use the correct fluid... ( Yes there have been instances of dealerships putting in the wrong fluid)
Mostly it will just slip and not function as well.. This is why the put the technical bulletins out. To use what We suggested to use.
