I'm a knucklehead... transmission fill help

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TexasCrane

TexasCrane

10 Year
Joined
May 13, 2014
Threads
30
Messages
345
Location
Austin
So I'm a moron... I went to go change the oil in my 06 LX and you can probably guess the rest. I wasn't paying attention and took off the drain plug at the end of the transmission pan. I didn't notice the color of the fluid until it was too late. I probably lost a few quarts at least.

So I'm sitting here trying to decide what to do next. My next step will be to go measure exactly how much fluid I drained out. Then I suppose I either need to go get some Toyota WS transmission fluid and back in the amount that I drained out or I could have it towed to a shop and let them fix it. On top of that, I'm worried that I stripped the transmission pan drain plug.

Suggestions? Before I do something even dumber, can you guys confirm that this is the refill plug?

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You'll get a predictable amount from draining the pan, somebody will chime in with the volume, re-open it and let it drain. That's the fill plug, get the fluids and refill with hoses or a pump. You can check off two PM's at once. If you stripped it, I guess just get a new pan from the dealer?
 
you have 1) a drain plug...and 2) a fill hole and 3) a check plug
I used the $12 transfer pump at walmart...its red...cant remember the brand
open the check plug
fill the "fill hole" until it starts to dribble out of the check hole
close check hole
close fill hole
drive around the neighborhood
get it warm, but not hot
come back to your level area and remove the check hole and remove any over fill
seal it all up
you're done

25 years ago at 19 years old I did you one better leaving Ketchikan Alaska
I drained the tranny, and dumped 5qts into the engine
and drove 100 miles down the highway with zero tranny fluid before the old IH Harvester started to protest
that truck made it back to Colorado in one piece
 
I'm glad I'm not the only one that makes mistakes like this, I tried removing the hub flange without removing the snap ring.

I like medtro's fill method and have adopted my own version without the elbow.

medtro said:
I didn't feel like pumping 12+ quarts of ATF into the tranny manually. I made this for ATF fluid change.

View attachment 1197602 View attachment 1197603
Click to expand...
 
Not to worry, Tex. You'll get it squared away and learn some things, too!

We should start a bonehead error thread! I could put up a few doozies!!
 
Seriously, I do stuff like that all the time. Here's a picture of a stripped steering rack to make you feel better.
IMG_1273.webp
 
We all make bonehead mistakes here and there. From my early years of being a Jeep mechanic (only for about a year) I quickly learned that patients is key. Always check, double check and never apply excess force.

One thing that really helped with preventing stripping bolts was to use a torque wrench on 20-50 ft lbs to get a feel for those values. It really does not take much force to get 20-50 ft lbs and if the bolt only calls for 25 and you're having to really strain to get it tightened, you probably should have stopped long before that point.

Also, having the right tool for the job can never be substituted. This can be one of the most difficult things for someone starting out wrenching. Just knowing that the tool exists is half the battle.
 
wolffo said:
25 years ago at 19 years old I did you one better leaving Ketchikan Alaska
I drained the tranny, and dumped 5qts into the engine
and drove 100 miles down the highway with zero tranny fluid before the old IH Harvester started to protest
that truck made it back to Colorado in one piece
Click to expand...
wolffo, I had a '71 1310 for a few years. No power steering or brakes so interesting to drive. ;) Nothing could stop her.

My first bonehead mechanical experience...

At about the same age, I was replacing both water pumps on a Mercury flathead. Undid the bolts I could see and I couldn't pry or beat the first pump loose. Dad got home about that time and showed me an extra fastener accessed with a socket through the water pump inlet. :bang: :censor: :doh:

Steve
 
better to get those lessons under your belt when you're young...while they're cheap
 
The pan bolt is softer than the pan. Good chance the pan threads are ok.
You may be able to clean pan drain threads without removing pan.

I pulled the pan (two banana) with a new one on hand just in case. Used new plug bolt to match thread to a tap. Ran tap through to clean threads, and reinstalled old pan. Make sure to replace seals (washer) of drain & fill plug.

Easy DIY fill; Use ~3' of clear surgical hose (from hardware). Attach funnel to one end and small PVC plumber elbow to other. The PVC elbow will fit into fill hole and hook in. You don't need the PVC elbow, but make for clean job. Fill until full.
 
FWIW: Homemade transmission pan sealant removal tool. Heated old thin blade knife to bend at 90deg. Used small hammer to tap tool around pan breaking seal, without bending pan. Note: 02 and earlier models don't use gasket, not sure about 03 and up.

001.webp
002.webp
 
This stuff happens when working on cars...I do dumb stuff all the time but just chalk it up as a learning experience. Changing the oil once on an F-150 the o-ring on the oil filter stayed on the inlet that you attach the oil filter to instead of coming off on the filter like it normally does. So I screwed on the new oil filter with it's own o-ring on top of the old one left on there unbeknownst to me. I can testify that more is not better in this case...because about 75% of the brand new oil I just put in the truck wound up on the ground after I started the truck and blew through the two o-rings. Lessons learned the hard way, I always check that now!
 
FWIW, I ended up taking advantage of a free tow from AAA and had it taken over to the Toyota dealer. They're a good shop that supports the local 4x4 community. I buy most of my parts from them and have them do the handful of services that I don't do myself (brake fluid for example). They gave me a free loaner car from Enterprise.

I definitely did strip the drain plug, or maybe more likely the threads in the pan. I was using a torque wrench, but I had it set for the oil pan (29 ft lbs I think) and didn't think to reset it before tightening the trans drain plug (supposed to be 15 ft lbs). It turned and turned and now even the techs at the dealer can only turn it - won't tighten and won't back out. They said they could get it out if they dropped the pan, but it was possible they could damage the pan in the process of removing the plug. I told them to just go ahead and put a new pan on at that point - they pan itself is about $110.

They've got a new pan showing up this morning and they'll have it on by this afternoon. I also decided to have them do a fluid exchange on the transmission while they're in there. The service schedule calls for replacement at 60k miles with severe use and I'm at 125k. My use is probably borderline in the severe category given that I work from home and most of my trips are within a few miles of the house, and that I'm rolling around with a bunch of extra weight on the truck 24/7.

So I should have it back this afternoon. And I can guarantee I won't pull the transmission drain plug again :)

I'm glad that I decided to have it towed to a dealer, because I probably would have done something even dumber if I had tried to fix it on my own. For example, my first inclination was to just pump the ATF fluid I had drained back into the fill port. What I didn't realize was that the WS fluid has to be discarded once it's exposed to air. It apparently absorbs water/humidity and will damage the transmission if it's reused. I could have easily done real damage if I had quickly tried to fix my mistake.

It's just another example of why it's a good rule to stop and think about things on the trail or where ever before you start trying to fix something that's broken. My rule of thumb is that when I get stuck or something breaks, to just stop and have a cup of coffee or something to drink before I decide what to do. Usually the first thing that pops into my head is something that's likely to lead to more damage and/or bigger trouble :)
 
I should add that this wasn't the first time I've changed the oil or anything. I did the brakes on this truck, repacked the front front bearings, swapped the diff/transfer case/power steering fluids etc. However, I thought I was being smart by dropping the plastic skid plate first this time so that I could have easy access the prop shaft zerks. Normally with the pan on, the only drain plug you can get to is the oil pan. I just didn't even think when I crawled under it after removing the skid plate and just undid the first 14mm bolt in front of me. :doh:
 
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