Using Toyota ATF Type T-IV with unknown current fluid

[19963.4lsr5]

I seen lots of people use valvoline max life dex merc in a pile of different vehicles with excellent results. Next time I exchange mine I am using valvoline max life dex merc.

T2 and T3 are basically non existant anymore and Toyota WS I wouldn't put in these transmissions..

Granted I never seen a TB saying that we cant. I just think it's too different.


Besides I read somewhere that Castrol makes the Toyota WS it may have been off Bob's the oil guy forum. So that would he a possible solution to the newer toyota transmissions.

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If you have access to Pennzoil Multi-Vehicle Synthetic that is an excellent DexIII equilivant. I also use it in my 94 Cummins that calls for ATF+4 and that trans has 180,000 miles on it and still chirps the tires in the 1-2 upshift.


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[brillo_76]

If you have access to Pennzoil Multi-Vehicle Synthetic that is an excellent DexIII equilivant. I also use it in my 94 Cummins that calls for ATF+4 and that trans has 180,000 miles on it and still chirps the tires in the 1-2 upshift.


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My one buddy owns a mom and pop garage. Works on all types of cars and with all his research on bobsoilguy forum he settled on Valvoline.

Great to know Pennzoil Multi-vehicle synthetic is a great oil too..

I used Castrol motor oils for years so I was glad to see they make the Toyota WS.

 

[19963.4lsr5]

My one buddy owns a mom and pop garage. Works on all types of cars and with all his research on bobsoilguy forum he settled on Valvoline.



Great to know Pennzoil Multi-vehicle synthetic is a great oil too..



I used Castrol motor oils for years so I was glad to see they make the Toyota WS.

It what my friend who owns the local trans shop uses for DexIII. Too many personal opinions on the oil forum and everyone there is an expert and chemical engineer.


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[O2RunnerSR5]

What does it say on the dipstick?



Had this exact same problem of analysis paralysis (to much information) before servicing the auto trans on my 2002.



Went into the Toyota service department at local dealer. Service desk called their master trans tech. Explained my confusion to their tech. He smiled and said... 'What does it say on the dipstick?'



Me: D'oh! FacePalm!



Problem solved.



[emoji6]

My tranny drain bolt says Dex II, my dipstick says Dextron II/III. Owners manual says Dex III. The atf I chose (mobile 1 synthetic atf) says compatible with Dex II and Dex IIIH and Dex IIIG. The Dex g & h are compatible with Dex III. I drained and flushed 14 1/2 bottles into my tranny to get the fluid lvls perfect when cold and hot.


We’ll see how this works out. You see how it’s so confusing though. The truck list 3 different ATFs. this is why I will not pay any mechanic to do these type of things if I can do it myself. Shoutout Timmy the tool man, your vids are great! Got this done by myself in 4 hours ! Thank you



2001 SR5 4x4 Premium
2017 SR5 4x4 Premium

 

[Pj Benn]

How’s the transmission been this past week O2runnersr5?

 

[O2RunnerSR5]

How’s the transmission been this past week O2runnersr5?

So far so good with the mobile 1 atf synthetic. Wasn’t having any shifting issues before but it had been 10 years/40k miles since it was changed. The flush went good and trans still shifts great. Been under the truck this weekend changing diffs and transfercase fluids and didnt see any transmission leaks from the hoses and/or drain plugs.


2001 SR5 4x4 Premium
2017 SR5 4x4 Premium

 

[brillo_76]

It what my friend who owns the local trans shop uses for DexIII. Too many personal opinions on the oil forum and everyone there is an expert and chemical engineer.


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That's every forum though.

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[2ndhandyotaman]

I seen lots of people use valvoline max life dex merc in a pile of different vehicles with excellent results. Next time I exchange mine I am using valvoline max life dex merc.

T2 and T3 are basically non existant anymore and Toyota WS I wouldn't put in these transmissions..

Granted I never seen a TB saying that we cant. I just think it's too different.


Besides I read somewhere that Castrol makes the Toyota WS it may have been off Bob's the oil guy forum. So that would he a possible solution to the newer toyota transmissions.

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So, just to be clear- is there a separate Valvoline Maxlife for Dex Merc or is it the same as the Maxlife in the red gallon jug? I just got 4 gallons of Maxlife that says it's a suitable replacement for GM DEX III.

This is what I got from wally-world.

I want to get the Toyota T-IV out of the trans as soon as possible. It still burns my b*lls that I followed the suggestions from the forum and used the T-IV and now the TSB got posted about NOT using the T-IV in our transmissions. I get to spend another $80 in fluid so I want to be sure that I'm using the right stuff. ( at least what most of the forum members are saying works for our transmissions)

 

[Dieselchessy]

That’s what I use. “Multi-vehicle ATF”.

 

[brillo_76]

If the jug says dexron compatible your should be good.. Like [MENTION=466411]Dieselchessy[/MENTION] said that's what he uses without issues. . That's what I plan to use next fluid exchange.

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[brillo_76]

So, just to be clear- is there a separate Valvoline Maxlife for Dex Merc or is it the same as the Maxlife in the red gallon jug? I just got 4 gallons of Maxlife that says it's a suitable replacement for GM DEX III.

This is what I got from wally-world.

I want to get the Toyota T-IV out of the trans as soon as possible. It still burns my b*lls that I followed the suggestions from the forum and used the T-IV and now the TSB got posted about NOT using the T-IV in our transmissions. I get to spend another $80 in fluid so I want to be sure that I'm using the right stuff. ( at least what most of the forum members are saying works for our transmissions)

Those TB have been out for years. It's up to you what fluid you put in your transmission. I just have seen posts and people having issues with T-IV fluid and Toyota most have as well as they released 2 separate TB on it. From what I gather the transmission can slip with T-IV fluid and not function properly.

The kicker is T-IV is compatible with most Toyota transmissions. Our 3rd gen transmission is an exception to the rule because there are TB stating that too.





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[phattyduck]

The kicker is T-IV is compatible with most Toyota transmissions. Our 3rd gen transmission is an exception to the rule because there are TB stating that too.

There are also a number of Toyota transmissions that don't work with DEX fluids and require the T-IV...

(The auto that was originally in my Alltrac Camry is one of them - even though the FWD version of the otherwise same trans required DEX-II/III. Very odd stuff)

-Charlie

 

[brillo_76]

There are also a number of Toyota transmissions that don't work with DEX fluids and require the T-IV...



(The auto that was originally in my Alltrac Camry is one of them - even though the FWD version of the otherwise same trans required DEX-II/III. Very odd stuff)



-Charlie

Would you say a guess would be 5%?

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[cahilc]

On Valvoline Max Life for my A340E (2wd). Full flush and filter change.

Good fluid from what I can tell. Reasonable priced, easily available. Yes, there are more exotic and pricier fluids out there. Max Life for me.

IMHO folks get into more trouble by not changing fluids on a good schedule.

Yeah its kind of a pain but needs to get done.

 

[2ndhandyotaman]

Those TB have been out for years. It's up to you what fluid you put in your transmission. I just have seen posts and people having issues with T-IV fluid and Toyota most have as well as they released 2 separate TB on it. From what I gather the transmission can slip with T-IV fluid and not function properly.

The kicker is T-IV is compatible with most Toyota transmissions. Our 3rd gen transmission is an exception to the rule because there are TB stating that too.

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I agree that it was ultimately up to me to figure out exactly what to use, at the time that I chose to use the T-IV the general consensus on the matter was that it was ok to use, so I went with it and honestly haven't had any issues, but now after seeing those TB's in here, I decided that I'd rather be safe than sorry. The rig has 235K on it, I'm not replacing the trans if it goes because I used an incapable fluid that even the stealership recommended the T-IV.

My question now is- is there more than 1 type of the Valvoline Maxlife? The pic that I posted is what I purchased at wally-world, on the back of the jug it clearly says it's a direct replacement for GM DEXIII , among others.

I've seen a few mentions of using only the Maxlife Dex/Mercon which I didn't see in the store, so I want to be sure if it's 1 or 2 types of Maxlife available.

 

[Dieselchessy]

Same product, yours has the new label, old label verbiage was slightly different. Same stuff. Only one “multi-vehicle ATF”. That verbiage didn’t change.

 

[brillo_76]

Heck my China Mart didn't even have any valvoline atf fluid in stock. Major bummer.

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[2ndhandyotaman]

Just an update, I didn't see the point of cluttering our section with another thread on the matter. Yesterday I pumped out the T-IV and replaced it with the Valvoline Maxlife. I used my "calibrated" jug to measure out how much was being pumped. I found that if I counted out load " 1-mississippi, 2 mississippi, ect.. all the way to 10 mississippi", it equaled 1 qt of fluid being pumped. Seriously, it worked out that way.

I exchanged 12 qts ( 3 gallons ) and called it 'done'. On the test drive, the trans didn't want to down shift from 4th into 3rd. The converter would unlock, but it wouldn't drop to 3rd. I decided to take it on a hilly run and work the gears manually. After 10 miles, the trans started to shift correctly. I drove it again today and everything seems fine. The fluid looks good. I have no idea what to think about the trans not shifting,other than maybe it was a side effect of going from the T-IV to the aftermarket DEX III fluid.

 

[T4R2014]

Just an update, I didn't see the point of cluttering our section with another thread on the matter. Yesterday I pumped out the T-IV and replaced it with the Valvoline Maxlife. I used my "calibrated" jug to measure out how much was being pumped. I found that if I counted out load " 1-mississippi, 2 mississippi, ect.. all the way to 10 mississippi", it equaled 1 qt of fluid being pumped. Seriously, it worked out that way.

I exchanged 12 qts ( 3 gallons ) and called it 'done'. On the test drive, the trans didn't want to down shift from 4th into 3rd. The converter would unlock, but it wouldn't drop to 3rd. I decided to take it on a hilly run and work the gears manually. After 10 miles, the trans started to shift correctly. I drove it again today and everything seems fine. The fluid looks good. I have no idea what to think about the trans not shifting,other than maybe it was a side effect of going from the T-IV to the aftermarket DEX III fluid.

You realize you just swapped out genuine T-IV fluid for an aftermarket multi-vehicle fluid that also meets T-IV spec, right? Matter of fact, I bet the shifting problem has to do with Maxlife ATF being more similar to Toyota WS than a Dexron 3. In other words, it is too thin. You were better off with the Type-IV. I had the same issue with Maxlife.

 

[2ndhandyotaman]

You realize you just swapped out genuine T-IV fluid for an aftermarket multi-vehicle fluid that also meets T-IV spec, right? Matter of fact, I bet the shifting problem has to do with Maxlife ATF being more similar to Toyota WS than a Dexron 3. In other words, it is too thin. You were better off with the Type-IV. I had the same issue with Maxlife.

Well, the complete lack of solid information from either the forum or Toyota, or the aftermarket is beyond frustrating. The TSB clearly says that the T-IV isn't compatible with our transmissions. Toyota doesn't offer a Dexron III fluid. The Maxlife clearly says that it's a DEX III replacement. I didn't see it mentioned being a replacement for the WS or T-IV.

I don't know anymore at this point, I'm frustrated with the whole ordeal. Most people using the Maxlife seem to think that it works well. I'll have to wait and see, and hopefully not destroy the old transmission in the process.