I had checked my trans fluid the other week. Was kind of thick and brown looking. I drained 3 quarts and replaced with three fresh quarts. I used Castrol high mileage fluid. Had proper Toyota specs on the back of the bottle. It's been about 2-3 weeks since then and this morning my truck slipped in first gear. What should I do now??
Transmission Question.....
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Jagerzel
New member
First I would stop driving it. then check out your coolant and see if it looks the same. Maybe you're catching the strawberry milkshake in the blender before the waitress brings it to you up a hill. how does the fluid look now with the new quarts? Better ? Same or worse? 3 quarts is about a third of what a 4wd a340f tranny holds so might not been enough. Anyways that fluid should be bright red. your clutches could be burnt up also.
shootmymime
New member
check it in neutral.
how many miles are on it?
if you only got 3 quarts out. it was prob already low on fluid. the pan should hold about 5.
a drain and fill might not be enough, depends on the millage but a flush is generally better.
how many miles are on it?
if you only got 3 quarts out. it was prob already low on fluid. the pan should hold about 5.
a drain and fill might not be enough, depends on the millage but a flush is generally better.
Just checked the fluid. Looks pretty red. I know it's not a strawberry milkshake waiting to happen because my truck already has an external tranny cooler. Truck has 206k on it. Runs like a top!
The tranny had more fluid in it. I didn't want to do a full drain at the time. Just take 3 quarts out and put three new quarts in the freshen up the fluid. I know it wasn't low in the first place
It almost looked like there was too much fluid. It was above the HOT mark on the dipstick. That's the other thing, are you guys having a tough time gettin the tranny dipstick back down the tube? Mine is a PITA.
The tranny had more fluid in it. I didn't want to do a full drain at the time. Just take 3 quarts out and put three new quarts in the freshen up the fluid. I know it wasn't low in the first place
It almost looked like there was too much fluid. It was above the HOT mark on the dipstick. That's the other thing, are you guys having a tough time gettin the tranny dipstick back down the tube? Mine is a PITA.
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JEL
New member
The dipsticks are a nightmare on a lot of Toyotas, 4runners and Tundras especially it seems. You don't want the fluid overfilled, in fact, it can be worse then a little under, as it can become aerated and cause problems in its own way.
What external cooler do you run? It could be too small and the brown fluid prior to the drain and fill could have been indicative of it having been overheated in the past. I would definitely do another complete drain and refill with some DexIII ATF, I personally use Chevron dino and it works just fine; IIRC it's bottled under MD-3.
What external cooler do you run? It could be too small and the brown fluid prior to the drain and fill could have been indicative of it having been overheated in the past. I would definitely do another complete drain and refill with some DexIII ATF, I personally use Chevron dino and it works just fine; IIRC it's bottled under MD-3.
theizzardking
New member
it's like brake fluid, it's retroactive, III cover II as it's a mild upgrade with out much chemical composition change... much like dot 4 covers 2 and 3, but dot 5 you can't use because it's syntactic and will ruin your parts..... yeah i doubt they could make it more confusing.... you need to be careful though with the newer dex IV as there's debate as if that's ok to use or not....from my understanding..????
also....i hate this dipstick more than anything on planet earth..well besides freedom takers and left hand lane drivers.....
theizzardking
New member
IZZ, hehe, i like jim Morrison as much as the next guy but my name is izzard ;-) no worries
yes, they have a filter you can change , Drop the pan, change the filter, put the pan back on and fill it back up. call it a day :wave:
JEL
New member
Washington driver here as well, I think we live in the worst possible area for these two things. I swear something is in the water around here, NEVER have I seen more clueless drivers in my life.:mad2:
OP, which True-Cool are you running? A lot of guys have good luck with Mobil 1 synthetic ATF.
LittleCaesar
New member
See any metal shaving in the old fluid you drained out (grab a magnet and check)?
As Jagerzel said, your clutches may be on their way out.
Keep us informed.
As Jagerzel said, your clutches may be on their way out.
Keep us informed.
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LittleCaesar
New member
Good to hear. Such is much cheaper than a used, new, or rebuilt tranny.
