Does the FJ80 Automatic transmission have a fluid dipstick to check oil? (1 Viewer)

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Just wanted to know is there any way to check my Automatic gearbox oil ? I already bought the oil and filter as I wanted to baseline and be sure this is covered.
 
1fz -fe has a dipstick on DS. Below clamshell. Brown cap and pull handle.
 
WhatsApp Image 2022-06-24 at 11.18.57 PM (1).jpeg


or is that engine oil ?
 
That’s engine oil. Look lower between booster and intake clamshell on drive side.
 
This in red

FC626DE8-8169-424B-9045-7A5E0016963D.jpeg
 
Thank you !
 
MIght be easier to just do a few drain and refills of the transmission oil pan. There is a method to replace all the fluid (Rodney Flush) but it is more complicated for someone who isn't familiar with working on vehicles.

Be very careful however to not over tighten the drain plug.
 
I will Never do replace all the fluid (Rodney Flush) on a good working old AT!!!! never do that especially if you do not know when it was serviced. It can **** up your AT.
No need to open the drain plug either I use this:

Oil pump on Amazon

extract used oil from the AT dipstick tube and put the same amount of good quality Dexron III ( do not use higher grades even they will tell u that they are compatible) drive and do it again and again until your used oil looks like new one
 
MIght be easier to just do a few drain and refills of the transmission oil pan. There is a method to replace all the fluid (Rodney Flush) but it is more complicated for someone who isn't familiar with working on vehicles.

Be very careful however to not over tighten the drain plug.
Yah i need to go to a mechanic for that, as I am baselining I would rather open a can of worms and see how things are.

On the bright side i did check the dipstick and the oil is pink so at least it not black ! there is a hint of darkness with the pink so i would rather just make sure everything is ok.

I do also need to check the greabox cooling system it was fitted by the previous owner (all toyota stock according to him) so the gearbox oil is cooled in heavy usage.
 
I will Never do replace all the fluid (Rodney Flush) on a good working old AT!!!! never do that especially if you do not know when it was serviced. It can f*** up your AT.
No need to open the drain plug either I use this:

Oil pump on Amazon

extract used oil from the AT dipstick tube and put the same amount of good quality Dexron III ( do not use higher grades even they will tell u that they are compatible) drive and do it again and again until your used oil looks like new one
Yah there is always a risk of that for sure the oldish oil does help keep the AT alive i guess.
 
In my experience with 90's-2000's Toyota SUV's with the bulletproof 4-speed slushboxes, I have never run into an issue of doing a full 10 to 12 quart fluid exchange with Dexron III or Dexron IV and had any issues. All of the tranmissions that I have done this to had decent quality pinkish fluid and were in good working order. Many of the said transmissions had well over 200,000 miles on the clock with no service history to go off of.

YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY
 
I personally just do a drain and fill on mine roughly every 10,000 miles or every other oil change. Keep it simple.....
 
Check the fluid when warm and change every 5-10k miles. I cooked my tranny and should have changed my fluid sooner....lesson learned.
 
In my experience with 90's-2000's Toyota SUV's with the bulletproof 4-speed slushboxes, I have never run into an issue of doing a full 10 to 12 quart fluid exchange with Dexron III or Dexron IV and had any issues. All of the tranmissions that I have done this to had decent quality pinkish fluid and were in good working order. Many of the said transmissions had well over 200,000 miles on the clock with no service history to go off of.

YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY

I'm at 450,000 KM (around 280,000 Miles) and i have no idea what was done previously specially for the first 200,000 KM.
The previous owner did 250,000 KM on it above the original 200,000 KM.

What kind of tell tale signs should I be looking for when driving ?
 
I'm at 450,000 KM (around 280,000 Miles) and i have no idea what was done previously specially for the first 200,000 KM.
The previous owner did 250,000 KM on it above the original 200,000 KM.

What kind of tell tale signs should I be looking for when driving ?
Well first thing I would recommend is proceed with caution and prepare for the worst. The warning signs to look for are brown to darker fluid which can indicate a lack of maintenance with the transmission and if your fluid is dark to black and smells burnt your trans is probably headed for a quick death.

If you decide to do a drain and fill to introduce a few quarts of new into the system, that’s probably the safer path. I would only consider this if your fluid checks good and does not smell burnt.

If shifting is mushy I would adjust the trans cable at the throttle body as most 80’s have stretched cables which can yield abnormal shifts. Search for trans cable issues within mud and you’ll find great walkthroughs on this procedure. Do this first before you do anything else. Establish a baseline of operation before you pull any fluid out. I would also check the dipstick at idle in park or neutral once you have driven a bit to make sure your fluid level is correct before cable adjustment.

As far as driving I would compare the proper 80 series shifting to any other older truck or SUV with a 4-speed trans. Shifts are somewhat smooth as well as confident. Should not be abrupt or spam into any gear. If you seem to slip into a gear change I would still recommend you adjust the cable before any other means of diagnosis takes place.
 
IME doing a single drain and fill can increase the particle count in the transmission fluid, likely by stirring up and/or releasing particles that are stuck
on surfaces internally. Most are too small to worry about but some can be in the 70+ micron range. So doing a few drain and fills in quick succession (every 100 miles) should help remove the particles that are stirred up. You could send a sample of the used fluid to a company that does Oil Analysis to see if there are high wear metals or an elevated TAN level (acid).

Very important to replace the OEM crush washer every time you remove/reinstall the drain plug and be carefull to not overtighten the plug.

Another option is to install an inline filter into one of the transmission cooler lines before you start changing the fluid to filter out any particles that are released.
 
Well first thing I would recommend is proceed with caution and prepare for the worst. The warning signs to look for are brown to darker fluid which can indicate a lack of maintenance with the transmission and if your fluid is dark to black and smells burnt your trans is probably headed for a quick death.

If you decide to do a drain and fill to introduce a few quarts of new into the system, that’s probably the safer path. I would only consider this if your fluid checks good and does not smell burnt.

If shifting is mushy I would adjust the trans cable at the throttle body as most 80’s have stretched cables which can yield abnormal shifts. Search for trans cable issues within mud and you’ll find great walkthroughs on this procedure. Do this first before you do anything else. Establish a baseline of operation before you pull any fluid out. I would also check the dipstick at idle in park or neutral once you have driven a bit to make sure your fluid level is correct before cable adjustment.

As far as driving I would compare the proper 80 series shifting to any other older truck or SUV with a 4-speed trans. Shifts are somewhat smooth as well as confident. Should not be abrupt or spam into any gear. If you seem to slip into a gear change I would still recommend you adjust the cable before any other means of diagnosis takes place.
Amazing feedback thank you!
1) Fluid is good pinkish but with a few darkish spots (i did 2 dipstick checks on white tissue paper).
2) I guess gradual change is every one's advice.
3) The gearbox shifting according to what you said seems to be ok, the only time its abrupt is in kickdowns (and slightly rough) but besides that I didn't feel other symptoms. I didnt feel slipping or spam.
4) I did fiddle a bit with the throttle cable (the car would idle and stop after I fixed the exhaust leak) i did a clean for the idle adjustment valve (not sure of the name) and it seems to open and close open ignition but it was quite dirty. At the moment I feel the engine is not idling comfortebly it shakes a bit when cold. RPM ranged from 1100 to 800.
5) I will check MUD and others for trans cable adjust.

I guess overall it seems in the okish side.

Very important to replace the OEM crush washer every time you remove/reinstall the drain plug and be carefull to not overtighten the plug.
I had no idea, do you know the part number and torque setting for that ?

Another option is to install an inline filter into one of the transmission cooler lines before you start changing the fluid to filter out any particles that are released.
After market or Toyota have them? Its a good idea as it will catch particles over a longer period under load.
 
In my experience with 90's-2000's Toyota SUV's with the bulletproof 4-speed slushboxes, I have never run into an issue of doing a full 10 to 12 quart fluid exchange with Dexron III or Dexron IV and had any issues. All of the tranmissions that I have done this to had decent quality pinkish fluid and were in good working order. Many of the said transmissions had well over 200,000 miles on the clock with no service history to go off of.

YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY
Is the dextron 3 stuff really required or will any old fluid work? I topped it up with valvoline.
 
Is the dextron 3 stuff really required or will any old fluid work? I topped it up with valvoline.
You’re going to get different answers from many here, but I have had multiple customers with 80’s run the Vavoline multi vehicle ATF with good results. I usually use Dex 3 or Dex 6 for all of the early Toyotas that I touch. To each their own.
 

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