Complete Transmission Flush DIY - VIDEO (6 Viewers)

[sleepycruiser]

You’ll be fine, the no dipstick level check is finicky but seems like a bigger deal than it actually is.

I’ve got a Scangauge 3 so I’ll be able to get the temp easily.

 

[coleAK]

I did my transmission again yesterday, for the 2nd time at 120k.

Only thing that I struggled with both times is the paper clip…. Anyone find a good trick for that?

 

[bloc]

I did my transmission again yesterday, for the 2nd time at 120k.

Only thing that I struggled with both times is the paper clip…. Anyone find a good trick for that?

A long-ish flat-head screwdriver to depress the button, and a long-reach 90 degree needle-nose pliers to drop a correctly sized drill-bit in from the top. Fiddly but that I've found, the best way.

 

[golfer2000]

One video I watched (The car care nut) said to leave the bypass in place while checking the fluid level and this video says to remove it before checking the level. Thoughts?

 

[m12345y]

The drain plug is in the top left of your photo. It's got a tiny allen head. It's NOT in the lowest point in the pan... NFC why. Ultimately this is why doing the full fluid flush is better IMO as that pumps the old fluid out of the pan, whereas the drain-and-fill procedure only really tops off the pan

View attachment 3404996

Do you mind post the complete process? In particularly, I'm looking for torque spec for fill and drain for 2018 LX570

 

[linuxgod]

Do you mind post the complete process? In particularly, I'm looking for torque spec for fill and drain for 2018 LX570

There is a transmission DIY flush thread with instructions on the full flush process.

I’ll have to check for the torque spec when I’m at my PC this week

 

[RT Cruiser]

I did a ATF flush and changed the filter 70k miles ago. At that point, our 2008 Cruiser was 11 years old and had 231k miles. IMO, the tranny filter was slight to moderately dirty. TIP: when loosening the ATF coolant line by the radiator and running the engine to flush out the fluid, make sure the line is securely fastened to drain in a pan below and not flop into the fan... that's a mess you don't want to clean up (see #2 below).

I changed the tranny fluid again at 280k miles. My goal is to change the tranny fluid about every 50k-70k miles.

I used Valvoline MaxLife Synthetic ATF (red bottle) each time. The tranny shifted much smoother and quieter after each change... "like very soft butter" is the phrase here.

My intent here is to show, from a very small sample size, two things: 1) The Valvoline MaxLife Synthetic ATF appears to meet or exceed Toyota's requirement for my 2008. I cannot comment on later years. 2) I'm not mechanically-gifted by God. If I can do it, you can do it. The Toyota system to verify the correct amount of tranny fluid works very well and is easy to follow.

 

[bloc]

One video I watched (The car care nut) said to leave the bypass in place while checking the fluid level and this video says to remove it before checking the level. Thoughts?

If the bypass is disabled the ATF that is in the coolers and lines won’t be at the same temp as the pan, so technically a level check wouldn’t be as accurate. Or that’s my understanding of it anyway.

I’m not sure what the FSM specifies..

 

[sleepycruiser]

So much different info/guidance on transmission fluid changes. The Car Care Nut says it is better on higher mileage to just drain/fill. On mine it looks like that is what was done about 40k ago. So now to decide whether to just drain and fill at the same intervals of oil changes (or perhaps every other oil change…so every 10k) until I go through the 12 quarts or to change them all at once. I’m inclined to just drain/fill.

 

[golfer2000]

If the bypass is disabled the ATF that is in the coolers and lines won’t be at the same temp as the pan, so technically a level check wouldn’t be as accurate. Or that’s my understanding of it anyway.

I’m not sure what the FSM specifies..

Yea I liked the idea of having the bypass activated. If I'm not mistaken, the fsm doesn't address the bypass when checking the level.

One thing I feel is important is replacing the fill plug after refilling the transmission and before checking the level. Mine leaked quite a bit of fluid out of there.

 

[m12345y]

Can you confirm that for 2018 (or 2016+) where overflow and drain are through the same hole, after the transmission is at the right temperature at the end, I remove the drain, and wait till it to trickle and then put back the drain plug (the 5mm hex) to finish off?

The reason I ask is somehow I drained about ~1.5qt at the end; If I go by total volume in / out, I bought 15 qt and I have about 14.5+ qt (including the last 1.5qt drained), that's about right. It's totally possible I have somehow filled way more than I drained during the process. But just want to confirm the last step is correct. Thanks

 

[shashe]

Correct. While at temp there will be a steady stream coming out, as soon as it starts to drip, ie the stream breaks and it kind flows to the side a bit, reinstall the drain plug.

 

[shashe]

also make sure that you've pressurized the valve body by shifting between D and R a couple times holding it 3 seconds each time. Do this before entering fluid temp check mode (if you are using this method). or before you shift to park and wait for it get up to temp. I found the easiest is to just use a scan tool to check AT temp 1 PID, and open the overflow as soon as it gets to the beginning of that range, as it sometimes takes a while to drain, and depending on how much excess you have in the system - you may be getting close to the higher end of the temp range. I try to aim for right bang in the middle of the temp range. HTH

 

[m12345y]

also make sure that you've pressurized the valve body by shifting between D and R a couple times holding it 3 seconds each time. Do this before entering fluid temp check mode (if you are using this method). or before you shift to park and wait for it get up to temp. I found the easiest is to just use a scan tool to check AT temp 1 PID, and open the overflow as soon as it gets to the beginning of that range, as it sometimes takes a while to drain, and depending on how much excess you have in the system - you may be getting close to the higher end of the temp range. I try to aim for right bang in the middle of the temp range. HTH

I did use a scan tool and shifted around D/N/R/1-8 two or three times. I didn't explicitly hold for 3sec though. I think I will just call it done. Thanks for confirming on the procedure.

 

[bloc]

The truck won’t actually go into 3/4/5/6/7/8 without some ground speed though. It won’t even go into 2 unless you hit the 2nd start button.

 

[RT Cruiser]

The truck won’t actually go into 3/4/5/6/7/8 without some ground speed though. It won’t even go into 2 unless you hit the 2nd start button.

 

[m12345y]

View attachment 3586061

Good to know

But for this purpose, while I was having fun shifting around 1-8 would it have the same effect as if I’m at D in which case I absolutely had hold it for more than 3sec?

 

[bloc]

But for this purpose, while I was having fun shifting around 1-8 would it have the same effect as if I’m at D in which case I absolutely had hold it for more than 3sec?

Yep.

Edit: sorta like if the odometer flipped backward accidentally because Ferris dropped the 250 GT onto the tires while lowering the jack.

 

[sleepycruiser]

Think I am going to do just a drain/fill this weekend. Do you still have to use a clip on the thermostat if I am just draining the pan (cold fluid) and then putting the same amount of cold WS back in? I have a Scangauge to monitor temps and ensure the correct level is there, but wasn’t sure if I still needed to do anything to the thermostat.

 

[golfer2000]

Think I am going to do just a drain/fill this weekend. Do you still have to use a clip on the thermostat if I am just draining the pan (cold fluid) and then putting the same amount of cold WS back in? I have a Scangauge to monitor temps and ensure the correct level is there, but wasn’t sure if I still needed to do anything to the thermostat.

I would say if you are only taking it out of the pan and replacing it, there's no need to bypass the thermostat.