Ah, so only the 2003 has the transmission dipstick.
Transmission flush needed? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter drowzyGX
- Start date
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I have a 2004 with 10/04 manufacture date and it does not have the trans fluid dipstick. I seem to remember there being some model differences between 2004's that happened around the time mine was built.
- Thread starter
- #23
Manufacture date 02/04 and no dipstick for me either.
Leaning more towards attempting the DIY than going to a shop…y’all’s comments of successful DIY are giving me confidence.
Leaning more towards attempting the DIY than going to a shop…y’all’s comments of successful DIY are giving me confidence.
You can also save some more money using Valvoline MaxLife ATF. Lots of folks have used it very successfully as a replacement for Toyota WS (which MaxLife claims to be a suitable replacement for) including myself. It's also $18 for 4 quarts at Wal Mart (less than half the cost of WS). It's a full synthetic fluid, compared to WS which is not.
- Thread starter
- #25
Good to know. Thanks! I was looking into the aisin fluid on rock auto, as I heard it was the same as the Toyota WS, just without the Toyota logo on the bottle. Will check out the valvoline. It’s what I use for in my engine and diffs.
Here is another option. I replace my fluid with this about 50k miles ago... so far, so good.
I took my 2003 to a shop to do the transmission fluid flush and refill and I asked for valvoline maxlife atf. That was almost 5 years and 45k miles ago. No issues
- Thread starter
- #28
Let the great fluid debates begin!
I jest, but thank you for the suggestion. I will dive down the rabbit hole again like I did prior to changing the diff oil.
I jest, but thank you for the suggestion. I will dive down the rabbit hole again like I did prior to changing the diff oil.
As long as we're discussing fluids, I made a compressed air fluid injector for my upcoming diff and TC fluid change. It uses 5' of 2" PVC, a metal valvestem, a simple ball valve that leads to a barbed fitting (for a 3/8" plastic hose that leads to the diff), and a threaded cap to hold air pressure (not pictured). I'll bungee cord it to my floor jack handle to keep it upright when in use. It holds around 2.5-3 quarts of fluid.
I tried it last night with water and 30 psi of air pressure and it shot the water 20 feet into my yard within 3-4 seconds! Should be much quicker than trying to hand-squeeze diff fluid under the GX.
It would have also made my transmission fluid exchange/flush MUCH quicker as it took like 5-10 minutes for 2 quarts to drain into the return line by gravity. I would have made this out of 4" PVC to keep it shorter, but prices are bonkers right now....even using 2" PVC, it cost me $55 in pieces from Lowes.
I tried it last night with water and 30 psi of air pressure and it shot the water 20 feet into my yard within 3-4 seconds! Should be much quicker than trying to hand-squeeze diff fluid under the GX.
It would have also made my transmission fluid exchange/flush MUCH quicker as it took like 5-10 minutes for 2 quarts to drain into the return line by gravity. I would have made this out of 4" PVC to keep it shorter, but prices are bonkers right now....even using 2" PVC, it cost me $55 in pieces from Lowes.
The $8 harbor freight hand pump works good too.
In theory, whenever you flush or refill the trans. fluid, you need to also adjust the fluid, which is done within the specified temp range. The purpose of the overflow drain plug is to verify that the transmission fluid is at said specified level within said specified temperature. Kind of like a double-check.
Our BG flushing system we use at the shop is supposed to be a 100% replacement system, but upon adjustment, I typically have to add anywhere from 1/2 quart to a bit more, because I guess it just doesn't do 100%....
Hot take on a wildly divisive topic but I don't recommend a full fluid flush on a older high mileage truck. I did a drain & fill when I got my GX, dropped the pan, cleaned the magnets, swapped the filter. ~4qts come out, ~4qts go back in the fill plug on the trans case(crack this loose before you do anything). If you can change your oil you can do this job. Just make sure the transmission is full when hot by cracking the fill plug on the pan until the overflow stops(truck level, transmission at 100-115F). Do this for the next 3-4 oil changes. Lots of quick-lube shops(possibly even dealerships) overfill/underfill, this is the reason Toyota/Lexus went to "lifetime" fluid in the first place. Nobody will ever care as much as you do about getting it right.
binaryaudax
SILVER Star
For whatever it's worth, I used the method from this video to flush and refill the fluid on my GX at around 160k miles (and didn't drop the pan or replace the filter). Three years and 16k miles later, I have had zero issues. The biggest difference I noticed was a drop in transmission temps. Before flushing, I'd easily see 205-210 F going up steep mountain passes -- now it'll stay between 165-190, and I'll only see over 200 F on longer grades in the desert (>100F outside).
YMMV.
YMMV.
I've had a few drain/fill at Toyota when they're on special, it's probably time for me to do it again. I should probably take this on myself.
