Complete Transmission Flush DIY - VIDEO

[fcigoj]

What digging around I have done turned up some threads on Tundras & Tacos and other transmissions that use the same ATFWS we use. Of particular note is a reply somebody got from Toyota themselves about at what temperature the trans temp idiot light goes on.... they said it was at 300F. That's hotter than I've ever heard ATF getting, and the general notion I've read elsewhere is that by the time that light goes on it may be too late. I can smell that fluid now.

Anecdotally, it seems like other Toyota owners on other forums feel like 240F is "dangerously" hot. So, @Artie - (a) for how long do you maintain/exceed 240F while towing, (b) how often do you change your fluid, (c) what's your fluid smell like, and (d) do you have an aux transmission cooler?

I'm interested to learn what the actual temperature bounds are. I'll be towing my jeep through the treacherous hills of southern MO in a few weeks, I'll definitely be monitoring my temp as I go.

From what I read in various places 115 deg C (240 F) is the temperature that starts "cooking" (deteriorating) some of the ATF components, thus depleting its function. I am currently installing an extra cooler specifically to prevent that, as I saw 112-115 on a couple of occasions during particularly hot summer days and use on long steep ramps. My 0.02

 

[Artie]

What digging around I have done turned up some threads on Tundras & Tacos and other transmissions that use the same ATFWS we use. Of particular note is a reply somebody got from Toyota themselves about at what temperature the trans temp idiot light goes on.... they said it was at 300F. That's hotter than I've ever heard ATF getting, and the general notion I've read elsewhere is that by the time that light goes on it may be too late. I can smell that fluid now.

Anecdotally, it seems like other Toyota owners on other forums feel like 240F is "dangerously" hot. So, @Artie - (a) for how long do you maintain/exceed 240F while towing, (b) how often do you change your fluid, (c) what's your fluid smell like, and (d) do you have an aux transmission cooler?

I'm interested to learn what the actual temperature bounds are. I'll be towing my jeep through the treacherous hills of southern MO in a few weeks, I'll definitely be monitoring my temp as I go.

I understood your comment about trans temps pertaining to fluids that you’re familiar with. My comment was more of a general statement on temps we see while towing with cruisers. Somewhere in this thread, or possibly the OBD fusion thread, the trans temp light temp ranges are explained by a more knowledgeable owner, I do not recall the range but I do not believe it was 300°… 276° comes to mind for the light to come on but I could be mistaken.

I do not run a aux cooler but plan on 30k fluid changes.

I just performed the first change the other day. Fluid was dark but not burnt, it still smelled ok but I do not believe it was early. The hottest temps I’ve hit was 255° but it was brief. As soon as I crested the incline and the converter locked up it dropped rapidly. Typically, it will top out in the mud 240°’s and this may be for a few minutes. I have zero qualms about dropping to 2nd and creeping and have had the converter lock up many times in this gear.

Here are some pictures of the fluid color durning my exchange.

Initial drain:

Second drain:

3rd drain:

I was probably fine after the 2nd flush, 3rd drain but I went once more:

This is on a 2021 with 28k miles and I’m using the Toyota WS fluid. I tow 70% of the time on and off road and this is not a daily driver.

 

[gasman4u]

That looks like it was warranted! I waited for 50k for a complete exchange and don't tow nearly that much.

 

[Artie]

That looks like it was warranted! I waited for 50k for a complete exchange and don't tow nearly that much.

Agreed, I think it was well timed. Wasn’t burnt but didn’t need to wait any longer. I’ll stick to 30k for trans and 15k on diffs and t-case.

 

[hbar]

Big surprise, there's already some good info on this site about transmission temps.

DIY Smartphone Scan Gauge - OBD Fusion

I’ve been using the dashboard from @TeCKis300 but there’s been some issues with a couple gauges I assume due to differences in year models, mine is a 2021. Namely the torque converter temp and torque converter lockup. I’ve just switched to the following: There is no A/T Oil Temp 2 but there...

forum.ih8mud.com

The TL;DR is basically that the light goes on at 302F, and doesn't go back off till 275F. Based on that, I'd start being real concerned around 250F, and I'd consider redline to be 275F..... but if I saw 250F I would be changing the fluid when I got home just to see what it looked like. And then re-evaluate based on what I saw.

 

[WickedCrawler]

For the 6 speed transmissions, does anyone know the actual capacity of the pan itself?
I did a drain and fill at 4 quarts.

 

[UGN]

I'm in the process of replacing the transmission fluid and drained the pan today. The fluid was absolutely black with no evidence it was red before, almost like a year old used engine oil. Also, it had some odd smell, not burnt but if it was not fresh. I guess it was never changed over 16 years even the mileage is just over 78,000 km (The Land Cruiser was imported from Japan earlier this year).

Based on the condition of the old fluid I wanted to do a full replacement. I looked around and could not figure out where outlet and inlet lines go to. This is A750F 5-speed AT found on later models of 100 series and Lexus LX 470 (2003 to 2007 model years) even though it's 200 series. I can see both outlet and inlet hoses going into and out of the thermostat similar to 6-speed AT but there is no shaft where to put a pin to hold it in place, the hoses are going further up to something like a heater T at the very top. There is nothing going into or coming out of the radiator. All I can see are hoses for the power steering. There is some type of a cooler underneath front bumper but I have no idea what is it.

If I try to disconnect the outlet by the AT before the thermostat the hose is too short to remove it. I need help locating a place where to disconnect a hose either outlet or inlet. I did this procedure on my 2008 Toyota 4Runner and 2006 Lexus LX 470 but one had an external AT cooler and another one had an AT hose coming from the radiator.

 

[bloc]

I'm in the process of replacing the transmission fluid and drained the pan today. The fluid was absolutely black with no evidence it was red before, almost like a year old used engine oil. Also, it had some odd smell, not burnt but if it was not fresh. I guess it was never changed over 16 years even the mileage is just over 78,000 km (The Land Cruiser was imported from Japan earlier this year).

Based on the condition of the old fluid I wanted to do a full replacement. I looked around and could not figure out where outlet and inlet lines go to. This is A750F 5-speed AT found on later models of 100 series and Lexus LX 470 (2003 to 2007 model years) even though it's 200 series. I can see both outlet and inlet hoses going into and out of the thermostat similar to 6-speed AT but there is no shaft where to put a pin to hold it in place, the hoses are going further up to something like a heater T at the very top. There is nothing going into or coming out of the radiator. All I can see are hoses for the power steering. There is some type of a cooler underneath front bumper but I have no idea what is it.

If I try to disconnect the outlet by the AT before the thermostat the hose is too short to remove it. I need help locating a place where to disconnect a hose either outlet or inlet. I did this procedure on my 2008 Toyota 4Runner and 2006 Lexus LX 470 but one had an external AT cooler and another one had an AT hose coming from the radiator.

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Does your radiator have two nipples coming off the lower tank pointing backward toward the engine?

Also your last picture is the power steering cooler on US market 200s, for the record.

 

[UGN]

Does your radiator have two nipples coming off the lower tank pointing backward toward the engine?

Also your last picture is the power steering cooler on US market 200s, for the record.

I checked yesterday everywhere around the radiator and I could not see any transmission hoses attached to it. The original video shows the radiator with the transmission hoses at the bottom of it next to the larger coolant hoses and mine has none of them there

 

[UGN]

I checked transmission and driveline parts diagrams for the US version of 200 series Land Cruiser and mine has none of those tubes nor the air oil cooler. It looks like ATF goes into the thermostat and comes back to the transmission without going anywhere else

 

[UGN]

Completed AT fluid replacement without disconnecting the short hose between the thermostat and the transmission. What I did was not ideal but at least I removed as much old fluid as possible. The OP video shows how long does it take to drain 3 quarts while disconnecting the hose. I calculated that it would take 1 min and 40 seconds to move 4 quarts or 1 min and 45 sec to move 4 liters inside the transmission.

Drained old fluid from the pan and replaced it with almost 4 liters of fresh fluid. Started the engine and waited for 1 min and 45 sec. Stopped the engine, drained the pan again and replaced it with fresh fluid. Started the engine the 2nd time and waited for 1 min and 45 sec. Drained the pan the 3rd time and replaced it with fresh fluid. I added more fluid each time to prepare for the temperature check procedure.

Old and new fluid would mix slightly but when I drained extra amount during the temperature check it was brand-new coming from the check plug.

Also, as fluid goes through the AT warmer from the thermostat, it warmed up much faster and took 10 min to reach +38C. It took another 5 min to reach the maximum +45C acceptable for the temperature check.

 

[amitbh234]

I recently got a transmission service done taking the pan off and filter replaced and the shop told me they put in ~8 quarts of WS fluid back. Even with a pan drop that seemed high but the guy at the shop said they got an extra bid out by loosening the cable body slightly on one side.

Should I be concerned? I’m going back to them to check proper fluid level next week but a little nervous to drive the car far. I need to warm it up before taking it to the shop though.

 

[mbennett22]

@NLScooby I have watched your video multiple times, I am trying to get the vehicle into the mode to check if the temperature is correct. For the life of me I can't get it. It dash display says VSC diagnosed OK, and the nav screen goes into a systems check.I purchased a OBD-II reader which is in a different thread trying to see if I can read the trans temp with that which is a no go. Maybe I am not taping into the correct pins on the OBD port or I am doing the sequence incorrectly. Any help from anyone here would greatly be appreciated. Thanks

 

[PhilipJPhry]

Getting ready to do this and read through this whole thread. Lots of great info!

I don't think this has been done before on my truck and I have recently been getting P0983 (Shift Solenoid "D" Control Circuit High) warnings am finding the truck will jerk when shifting into "D". Truck is an 09 with ~158k miles.

I think I will drop the pan but wondering if I should just do the fluid and see if my warnings go away or if I should also order a new solenoid and install it since I have the pan and filter off anyway. Any thoughts?

Also, anyone have the part #s for the filter and gasket?

 

[mceagle555]

Posting if helpful for others who are doing regular drain & fills.

My check plug bolt (Allen key) was not budging and stripped. Thankfully you can order the bolts on Amazon with overnight delivery. Posting the links here as they may be good insurance to have on hand.

They are aftermarket bolts from Rexka, but I couldn't wait the week for special order part from Toyota. I've used crush washers from Rexka for Transfer Case & Differential service and they are excellent quality.

Check plug bolt 2-pack + 2 washers: Amazon.com: Rexka 2 Sets ATM Transmission Pan Drain Plug with Gasket for Toyota Lexus 90341-10021 & 35178-30010 : Automotive - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QVFMBYC

Drain bolt 2-pack + 2 washers: Amazon.com: Rexka 2 Sets Transmission Drain Plug with Gasket 90341-10011 & 35178-30010 for Toyota Lexus 4Runner,Sequoia,Tacoma,GX460,ISF,IS250,IS350 : Automotive - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R1PGGVF

Transfer & Differential Set: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BFGB3GPM?tag=ihco-20

 

[Sajan]

What's the best DIY video/guide for the 8 speed?
Trying to figure out if need to get techstream going / OBDLink with an app..

FSM has some different order of steps compared to the videos I have seen..

 

[Casual Cruiser]

What's the best DIY video/guide for the 8 speed?
Trying to figure out if need to get techstream going / OBDLink with an app..

FSM has some different order of steps compared to the videos I have seen..

Here is a video I watched on the later models that helped with the 8 speed differences.

8 speed transmission flush video

 

[Casual Cruiser]

8 speed transmission flush video

 

[Sajan]

Here is a video I watched on the later models that helped with the 8 speed differences.

8 speed transmission flush video

ha yup that's the one in my post. okay i will try to follow that one.

if anyone's looking for torque specs for the 8 speed..

 

[Sajan]

8 speed transmission flush video

I summarized the video using Gemini:

This video provides a detailed guide on how to perform a transmission fluid change and level adjustment for a 2016–2021 Toyota Land Cruiser (200 Series).

1. Preparation and Disassembly​

• Remove Covers: Remove the engine under cover (No. 2), the transmission oil pan protector, and the transmission case cover on the driver's side [00:09].
• Remove Refill Plug: Use a 24mm socket to remove the refill plug and its O-ring [01:27].

2. Draining the Fluid​

• Initial Drain: Place a measuring cup under the drain plug. Use a 5mm hex socket to remove the plug and gasket to drain the fluid [01:49].
• Remove Overflow Tube: Use the same 5mm hex socket to remove the internal transmission oil pan tube (overflow tube) to drain the remaining fluid [02:29].
• Measure: Note the amount of fluid removed (approximately 2.9 US quarts) so you can replace the exact same amount [02:52].

3. Initial Refill and Cycling​

• Reinstall Tube: Temporarily reinstall the overflow tube and drain plug [03:06].
• Refill: Use a fluid pump to add the same amount of new fluid (approx. 2.9–3 quarts) through the refill hole [03:29].
• Cycle Fluid: Start the engine and shift through every gear (P to R, N, D, and gears 1–8), holding each for about 3 seconds. Repeat this 3–4 times to circulate the new fluid [04:45].
• Repeat: The video recommends repeating the entire drain/refill/cycle process three times to ensure most of the old fluid is replaced [05:47].

4. Fluid Level Adjustment (Critical Step)​

• Add Extra Fluid: During the final refill, add an extra half-quart of fluid to prepare for the adjustment [06:46].
• Cool Down: Let the vehicle sit (ideally overnight) so the transmission is completely cool before the final check [07:07].
• Enter Detection Mode: Using Toyota Techstream (or a manual jumper method), put the vehicle into "ATF Temperature Detection Mode." This involves a specific sequence of shifting between Neutral and Drive [07:49].
• Check Level at Temperature: Wait for the "D" shift indicator to light up (indicating the fluid has reached 102°F/39°C). Immediately remove the overflow plug while the engine is idling [10:00].
  
  • If fluid flows: Wait until it slows to a steady drip, then seal it [10:35].
  • If no fluid flows: Add more fluid through the refill hole until it begins to drip from the overflow hole [11:06].

5. Final Assembly and Torquing​

Once the level is correct, install new gaskets/O-rings and torque all plugs and covers to spec:

• Overflow Plug: 12 ft-lb [12:00]
• Refill Plug: 29 ft-lb [12:08]
• Case Cover: 9 ft-lb [12:19]
• Oil Pan Protector: 37 ft-lb [12:29]
• Engine Under Cover: 21 ft-lb [12:41]

Note: The creator emphasizes using only genuine Toyota fluid, as the 8-speed transmission is highly sensitive to fluid quality [13:25].