Transmission Temperatures and How it Relates to Life of the Fluid

[mtbtim]

Do you just fill to the low cold mark and call it good or do you do the whole operating temp thing and gear shifts and getting below hot mark?

I've always filled to the upper cold mark, driven the vehicle until it's warm, shifted through the gears and then checked to see it was in the hot range. After I installed my B&M cooler, I think I slightly overfilled it but probably not enough to be too concerned. The level you see on the dipstick changes a lot depending on the temperature. When I reached the top of a 7 mile mountain road drive, my trans temp was in the 190's, when I checked the level on the dipstick, it was way over the upper hot line. When I check the level when the temp is around 150, it's a little over the upper hot line.

Since the level can change a lot depending on how hot the trans is when you check it, I'm starting to think maybe filling it to the upper cold mark and calling it good might be best. I'm going to be doing a drain and refill again soon and I'm going to try that out. But, I'll also drive it bringing the trans temp up to around 150 and check to see where the level sits on the dipstick.

 

[3bears]

as far as temps being too low
I am running a bypassed system with a B&M cooler
supposedly the B&M that I'm running does not allow the fluid to run through the entire cooler until temps are up. It has "orfices" that send cold fluid right back to the tranny until it heats up, then allows to cycle through the cooler.
I'm also running a magnafine filter just before the inlet into the cooler.

Of course one advantage to running a external cooler just behind the grille, it seems fairly easy to do a full system flush. remove grille, disconnect inlet to the cooler, insert nipple into hose, attach a few feet of hose to inlet, dump into an old milk jugs, while running. I use a long enough hose so I can see it from the drivers door, milkjug marked in qt intervals, I only dump 2 qts at a time, shut off, add 2 qts, start and repeat, . I do 14 qts to account for the extra hoses and cooler.

for me another advantage to this, is form experience and from what I have read, the tranny drain plug is easy to strip. My experience...right after I bought my truck, I went to change all the fluids, the tranny drain was already stripped, and twisted out with just my hands...glad it held the first 100 miles since buying it from a dealer where they had supposedly changed all the fluids in a service a few thousand miles before. This of course led to replacing pan, and cleaning out the filter etc.

 

[mtbtim]

as far as temps being too low
I am running a bypassed system with a B&M cooler
supposedly the B&M that I'm running does not allow the fluid to run through the entire cooler until temps are up. It has "orfices" that send cold fluid right back to the tranny until it heats up, then allows to cycle through the cooler.
I'm also running a magnafine filter just before the inlet into the cooler.

Of course one advantage to running a external cooler just behind the grille, it seems fairly easy to do a full system flush. remove grille, disconnect inlet to the cooler, insert nipple into hose, attach a few feet of hose to inlet, dump into an old milk jugs, while running. I use a long enough hose so I can see it from the drivers door, milkjug marked in qt intervals, I only dump 2 qts at a time, shut off, add 2 qts, start and repeat, . I do 14 qts to account for the extra hoses and cooler.

for me another advantage to this, is form experience and from what I have read, the tranny drain plug is easy to strip. My experience...right after I bought my truck, I went to change all the fluids, the tranny drain was already stripped, and twisted out with just my hands...glad it held the first 100 miles since buying it from a dealer where they had supposedly changed all the fluids in a service a few thousand miles before. This of course led to replacing pan, and cleaning out the filter etc.

That does sound pretty easy. I have removed and re-tightened transmission and oil pan drain plugs hundreds of times without ever stripping one. This is why I don't like bringing my vehicles to someone else to change it for me. Minimum wage dudes at an oil changing place is not who I want tightening my drain plugs.

Actually, I would think there would be a higher chance of breaking one of the grill clips taking if off more times than you need to, but I gather those clips are pretty affordable to replace, so not a big issue.

Maybe I'll use your method of renewing the trans fluid one day. Seems like a great method.

 

[3bears]

That does sound pretty easy. I have removed and re-tightened transmission and oil pan drain plugs hundreds of times without ever stripping one. This is why I don't like bringing my vehicles to someone else to change it for me. Minimum wage dudes at an oil changing place is not who I want tightening my drain plugs.

Actually, I would think there would be a higher chance of breaking one of the grill clips taking if off more times than you need to, but I gather those clips are pretty affordable to replace, so not a big issue.

Maybe I'll use your method of renewing the trans fluid one day. Seems like a great method.

well, one advantage to having a min wage dude do your oil change.....
a friend of mine got a rebuilt engine, after the oil change place did an oil change and put the drain plug in finger tight, within a few blocks, it fell out, dumped all the oil on the freeway at speed, by the time Dave pulled over he had cooked the motor, It took a lawsuit, or threat of, and they paid to have his engine overhauled after a shop dropped his pan and found the damage

sad...but true....it was a Nissan
oil can henrys, about 3 years ago
Portland Oregon

 

[TXLX1]

Since a drain and refill is extremely easy, why not give your trans some fresh fluid at a more frequent interval to extend it's life. You could do the more involved DIY flush of the entire system, but why. If you give your trans fresh fluid on a regular basis by doing a drain and refill, you're keeping the fluid in good shape. But hey, it's your rig, so do what you think is best.

Bar none, doing regular fluid changes is the best way to extend the life of your vehicle's major components like the engine, trans, transfer case, and differentials.

This is my thought as well. I do drain and fill every 15k on my 100 series and it stays red. Periodic Drain and fill just seems easier and will never have to completely drain the trans if it's done this way (unless you NEED to remove pan for something else).

 

[StreetCreeper]

well, one advantage to having a min wage dude do your oil change.....
a friend of mine got a rebuilt engine, after the oil change place did an oil change and put the drain plug in finger tight, within a few blocks, it fell out, dumped all the oil on the freeway at speed, by the time Dave pulled over he had cooked the motor, It took a lawsuit, or threat of, and they paid to have his engine overhauled after a shop dropped his pan and found the damage

sad...but true....it was a Nissan
oil can henrys, about 3 years ago
Portland Oregon

Years ago, my father got a new transfer case if I recall correctly on his Expedition, all thanks to Oil Can Henry not being able to properly install the drain plug. Apparently once they got it nice and cross-threaded, they took a big hammer and pounded it in the rest of the way. As you can imagine it leaked out before long.

I guess they tried to fight it, but the real mechanic had pictures of the damage with the incriminating paint/marker marks that they were stupid enough to still put on (I guess to show that they properly cross-threaded and banged on it?) and after showing them to OCH, OCH pretty much knew they were on the hook for the damage and paid up.

It was years ago but I recall him telling me about it.

 

[Jhelms]

Your absolutely correct it's not a fluid replacement but it is still highly effective to keep your trans fluid in good shape and a lot easier than doing the more involved complete flush. I drain and refill my trans every 10,000 miles and I'm replacing approximately 5 quarts each time. Supposedly, not 100% confirmed, the fluid capacity of our trans is around 12 quarts so I'm renewing 40% of my fluid with every change. Over 30,000 miles, I've drained and replaced 15 quarts. If someone was doing a complete flush every 10,000 miles, that would definitely be superior to what I'm doing. But, if they're waiting a full 30,000 miles to do that complete flush, I'd argue that's not any better than my technique of renewing the fluid.

I have 322,000 miles on a Subaru Outback and the drain and refill is all I've ever done for the transmission and it's still going strong.

I am right there with you on drain and fill on the transmission. (funny I also am / was a subaru guy and former outback, forester and impreza owner).

I aim for:
- Oil change every 5K
- Oil filter change every 10K (Wix 51516XP high capacity filter)
- Power Steering reservoir drain and fill 5K (via syringe)
- Drain and fill transmission 15K
- Magnefine transmission filter every 30K
- Transmission pan drop and clean / clean strainer every 100K or timing belt job which can be closed to 125K
- Rear Diff 40K | Front diff 80K | Transfer 80K
- Coolant drain and fill every 30K and test (still testing to see if this is a good interval)
- Flush front and rear heater cores monthly (turn on your heaters both front and rear)
- Driveline greased every 5K with oil changes

 

[mtbtim]

I am right there with you on drain and fill on the transmission. (funny I also am / was a subaru guy and former outback, forester and impreza owner).

I aim for:
- Oil change every 5K
- Oil filter change every 10K (Wix 51516XP high capacity filter)
- Power Steering reservoir drain and fill 5K (via syringe)
- Drain and fill transmission 15K
- Magnefine transmission filter every 30K
- Transmission pan drop and clean / clean strainer every 100K or timing belt job
- Rear Diff 40K | Front diff 80K | Transfer 80K
- Coolant drain and fill every 30K and test (still testing to see if this is a good interval)
- Flush front and rear heater cores monthly (turn on your heaters both front and rear)
- Driveline greased every 5K with oil changes

I'm curious about the transmission pan drop and cleaning of the strainer. How are you cleaning the strainer out? Was there really that much buildup in there to warrant a cleaning? Is it necessary to use FIPG to seal the pan or is there a preformed gasket available now? I bought my truck at 111,000 miles and I now have 140,000. I suspect the pan has never been dropped. I was originally of the opinion the cleaning of the strainer wasn't really necessary but now I'm questioning if I should go ahead and do it.

 

[BrianSD_42]

I have found that my trans temps are higher when climbing a hill in 4WD HI than when in 4-LO.

Now whenever I'm on a long slow-medium speed climb (say 15-20mph) I keep it in 4LO at about 3500 rpm average vs 4HI and much lower RPMs.

The only time ive ever done one of the climbs in 4HI was the one time my transmisson got hot enough to give me a temp warning.

 

[fourfive]

I'm curious about the transmission pan drop and cleaning of the strainer. How are you cleaning the strainer out? Was there really that much buildup in there to warrant a cleaning? Is it necessary to use FIPG to seal the pan or is there a preformed gasket available now? I bought my truck at 111,000 miles and I now have 140,000. I suspect the pan has never been dropped. I was originally of the opinion the cleaning of the strainer wasn't really necessary but now I'm questioning if I should go ahead and do it.

When I dropped my trans pan I changed my filter but on my friends 99, he didn't want to get a new filter so I just cleaned it up with brake cleaner. Both have over 160K and filter was surprisingly clean.

My opinion based on how clean the filters were, I wouldn't go through the process of dropping the pan. The only reason I dropped my pan was my drain plug was stripped & on my friends 4runner we did it b/c it was leaking from the gasket. I used FIPG only b/c that's what toyota uses. IF you decide to drop the pan, get some CRC gasket remover, spray it on the FIPG and use a plastic putty knife to scrape it off. It came off easier then I thought.

 

[LittleCaesar]

Some members have used a gasket after dropping the pan. I used the dedicated Toyota FIPG for trannies but if I had had a gasket I would have used it with no worries. I think the most I got from dropping the pan was seeing the clutch material on the magnets.

 

[Jhelms]

I'm curious about the transmission pan drop and cleaning of the strainer. How are you cleaning the strainer out? Was there really that much buildup in there to warrant a cleaning? Is it necessary to use FIPG to seal the pan or is there a preformed gasket available now? I bought my truck at 111,000 miles and I now have 140,000. I suspect the pan has never been dropped. I was originally of the opinion the cleaning of the strainer wasn't really necessary but now I'm questioning if I should go ahead and do it.

I do it on all of my cars. Both 4runners had notable buildup on the strainer screen (most call this a filter but... not really). Also, the magnets had significant buildup as did the bottom of the pan. Pretty normal for 200K + miles. Once you clean the pan, magnets and backflush the strainer with a garden hose under pressure - use compressed air and brake cleaner to dry the strainer. Or, just replace it WITH AN OEM UNIT ONLY.... All aftermarket units I have found had issues, even from brands I like. Make sure to specify 4wd or 2wd. They are quite different units.

Then use Permatex 81180 / honda bond or toyota FIPG to reseal the pan. At this time I HIGHLY recommend you install a magnafine filter on the return line to the transmission. This will help keep the pan and strainer clean for the long hail.

You can see photos of how to do all this located here / starting at post 90. Also, another pan on my other 4runner removed and cleaned at post 97.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/193922-my-4gunner-restore-refurb-re-work-6.html

 

[3bears]

If you have never dropped the pan on a 4runner ( at least those in our time zone) and looked at the "filter" and had experience with what other manufactures call filters, you would see that this generation 4 runners are just running a window screen to keep bugs out ( Well maybe tighter than that)
after seeing mine, and comparing it mentally to all the tranny filters in the past, it pushed me to the magnafine

as far as sealents, if the Honda-bond (referenced above) is anything like the yamabond from years back (Yamaha motorcycles) that stuff was something that was a lot stronger than silicone and almost glued things together for life

 

[Jhelms]

If you have never dropped the pan on a 4runner ( at least those in our time zone) and looked at the "filter" and had experience with what other manufactures call filters, you would see that this generation 4 runners are just running a window screen to keep bugs out ( Well maybe tighter than that)
after seeing mine, and comparing it mentally to all the tranny filters in the past, it pushed me to the magnafine

as far as sealents, if the Honda-bond (referenced above) is anything like the yamabond from years back (Yamaha motorcycles) that stuff was something that was a lot stronger than silicone and almost glued things together for life

Yamabond is another excellent choice. As is Hondabond, toyotabond, mazdabond, fujibond which are all made by threebond :thumb: There are a few variances of all of them like #4, #5, HT and so forth.

Over time, I found that if you chose the right permatex, it was just as good. Key to any sealant is proper prep work or none of it will do a darn bit of good. So far and with a few hundred thousand miles on oil pans, transmission pans, oil pumps and waterpumps - my only leak has been my own fault on an oil pump. No matter which way you go - if you choose the right stuff for the job and the prep work is done, you have little worry.

 

[mtbtim]

I do it on all of my cars. Both 4runners had notable buildup on the strainer screen (most call this a filter but... not really). Also, the magnets had significant buildup as did the bottom of the pan. Pretty normal for 200K + miles. Once you clean the pan, magnets and backflush the strainer with a garden hose under pressure - use compressed air and brake cleaner to dry the strainer. Or, just replace it WITH AN OEM UNIT ONLY.... All aftermarket units I have found had issues, even from brands I like. Make sure to specify 4wd or 2wd. They are quite different units.

Then use Permatex 81180 / honda bond or toyota FIPG to reseal the pan. At this time I HIGHLY recommend you install a magnafine filter on the return line to the transmission. This will help keep the pan and strainer clean for the long hail.

You can see photos of how to do all this located here / starting at post 90. Also, another pan on my other 4runner removed and cleaned at post 97.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/193922-my-4gunner-restore-refurb-re-work-6.html

I did install a magnafine filter based off [MENTION=78997]Drcoffee[/MENTION] recommendation in his thread whether or not to bypass the stock radiator cooler. I recently installed a B&M 70264 cooler in series with my radiator cooler, replaced my radiator with an OEM one from Camelback and also replaced my thermostat. I added the magnafine filter during this modification.

I videoed the job and it turned out decent even though I was filming and doing the work by myself. However, I do quite a bit of talking so it's fairly long. It is informative though and you can always fast forward if you get tired of listening to me. Here's the video if you're interested.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2nVbwe2t2T8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[StreetCreeper]

I'm curious about the transmission pan drop and cleaning of the strainer. How are you cleaning the strainer out? Was there really that much buildup in there to warrant a cleaning? Is it necessary to use FIPG to seal the pan or is there a preformed gasket available now? I bought my truck at 111,000 miles and I now have 140,000. I suspect the pan has never been dropped. I was originally of the opinion the cleaning of the strainer wasn't really necessary but now I'm questioning if I should go ahead and do it.

I dropped the pan on my truck for the first time at around 380,000~ I think. Sprayed the filter down and wiped the black sheen off it then reinstalled. Used a Felpro cork-like gasket for the pan. The gasket lays flat and is super simple to reinstall. No spray adhesives or FIPG to mess with. Easy-peasy.

So far no leaks or other issues.

 

[LittleCaesar]

Nice video. Next time Tim you are at the HD buy some of this to clean your condenser, it works well, at least for me it does though I don't know if it is for sale in CA:

AC-Safe Air Conditioner Coil Foaming Cleaner-AC-920 - The Home Depot

 

[mtbtim]

Nice video. Next time Tim you are at the HD buy some of this to clean your condenser, it works well, at least for me it does though I don't know if it is for sale in CA:

AC-Safe Air Conditioner Coil Foaming Cleaner-AC-920 - The Home Depot

Thanks for the tip. I'm going get some.

 

[StreetCreeper]

Nice video. Next time Tim you are at the HD buy some of this to clean your condenser, it works well, at least for me it does though I don't know if it is for sale in CA:

AC-Safe Air Conditioner Coil Foaming Cleaner-AC-920 - The Home Depot

+1 on this and yes we can get it out here in CA too.

Thanks for the tip. I'm going get some.

I did it last year I think. Probably do it again in a week or so when I replace my radiator.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/2111827-post11745.html

 

[Jhelms]

I did install a magnafine filter based off [MENTION=78997]Drcoffee[/MENTION] recommendation in his thread whether or not to bypass the stock radiator cooler. I recently installed a B&M 70264 cooler in series with my radiator cooler, replaced my radiator with an OEM one from Camelback and also replaced my thermostat. I added the magnafine filter during this modification.

I videoed the job and it turned out decent even though I was filming and doing the work by myself. However, I do quite a bit of talking so it's fairly long. It is informative though and you can always fast forward if you get tired of listening to me. Here's the video if you're interested.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2nVbwe2t2T8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Very smart to do it that way. Lets the transmission get up to temp quickly as it should and then maintain temperature. Glad to see more and more adopting this ideology vs just going with a separate cooler. Get a new quality rad, especially if you live in a corrosive environment (salt heavy / snow and such) and do not worry about the milkshakes in the yard