How often should I have Tranny fluid changed? Anything else ?
Lots of towing. Thoughts on maintenance.
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How heavy of trailer? How hot is the weather? How often?
In my 2017, there is a section in the Warranty & Maintenance Guide for "Special Operating Conditions" such as towing, heavy vehicle loading, etc. The first appearance of transmission fluid flush appears at 60k Mi / 72 Mos. in that section, while it never appears under the normal operation maintenance recommendations. Of course, this is applies to the 8-speed transmission, but likely the 6-speed recommendations are similar.
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3200 lbs , hot weather at times, 4000 miles per year.
I tow over mountain passes which makes the transmission work harder. I forgot the first time to take it out of OD and put it in 5th gear and so I flushed the transmission even at only 35K miles. Do you leave it in Drive? if so I would flush the tranny more often. If you are towing mostly flat lands in 5th gear, then I wouldnt be as concerned
I did my first change at 60k. Transmission (full 12 quart flush), transfer case, front and rear diffs. I only had 11k on the truck though.
About half my mileage is towing 5000#+ in 4th gear at 70-75 on the highway. Some of it is flat lands, some of it is out west. I will probably do mine again after another 60k. I think it's fine to do it every 60k if you tow, provided you do a full trans fluid flush, not just a pan exchange. I'd only do it sooner if you set off the A/T temp light, or if like me you use an OBD2 reader to get your temps and notice that you've been running exceptionally hot.
FWIW I've been doing regular oil changes every 6000-6500 miles and even with 4500 miles of towing in that mix Blackstone says I could go 8,000 miles. Toyota recommends 5,000 mile changes under this type of driving and 10,000 miles otherwise. If their trans and other oils are similar quality to the motor oil I think you're more than fine following the manufacturer mileage recommendations - even as stated they quite likely are conservative.
About half my mileage is towing 5000#+ in 4th gear at 70-75 on the highway. Some of it is flat lands, some of it is out west. I will probably do mine again after another 60k. I think it's fine to do it every 60k if you tow, provided you do a full trans fluid flush, not just a pan exchange. I'd only do it sooner if you set off the A/T temp light, or if like me you use an OBD2 reader to get your temps and notice that you've been running exceptionally hot.
FWIW I've been doing regular oil changes every 6000-6500 miles and even with 4500 miles of towing in that mix Blackstone says I could go 8,000 miles. Toyota recommends 5,000 mile changes under this type of driving and 10,000 miles otherwise. If their trans and other oils are similar quality to the motor oil I think you're more than fine following the manufacturer mileage recommendations - even as stated they quite likely are conservative.
Why would towing in D require extra attention? My '14 says to tow in 5 because when going down long hills the brakes may overheat (duh) but it doesn't reference any other need to tow in 5. The whole idea of having to shift into 5 is counter-intuitive to me. I have over 200,000 miles on the LC, towed the trailer to the Yukon and back, all of it in Drive, and have still never felt need to shift into 5 or get a tranny flush.
D is essentially overdrive and it makes the tranny search for the right gear. My tyranny got so hot my wife could feel it through the floor boards. By going to 5th, it locks out the over drive. Her is a short blurb from the internet and there are several threads here on mud you could search for. This was true in my 80, 100 and 200. I forgot the first time I towed with the 200 and could feel the heat
The added weight of the trailer can dramatically decrease the acceleration of the towing vehicle. If your vehicle has an automatic overdrive transmission,towing may cause excessive shifting betweenoverdrive and the next lower gear—especially in hilly areas. If this occurs, we recommend locking out theoverdrive gear.
It's not just excessive shifting, though the locking and unlocking of the torque converter does generate additional heat. Your transmission just runs hotter in your OD gears. I have an OBD2 reader and will monitor my transmission temp (pan and torque converter) when towing. In 4th gear both sit at 196F. In 5th or 6th gear they will run upwards of 205-210F. And that's just on flat land in the midwest cornfields - if you are in hilly areas where your transmission needs to downshift, every time the torque converter unlocks and re-locks when accelerating is additional heat and wear.
OTOH I've monitored my transmission temp on the highway without a trailer and in 6th gear it runs between 196F and 200F. 4th gear with a trailer is roughly equivalent transmission wear to 6th gear without one.
OTOH I've monitored my transmission temp on the highway without a trailer and in 6th gear it runs between 196F and 200F. 4th gear with a trailer is roughly equivalent transmission wear to 6th gear without one.
But why do you feel that your tranny is searching more while towing? I haven’t noticed this ( but i don’t hit the ect Power button either) but I would think that the tranny would be pulling a lower gear constantly rather than searching. I’m also not convinced that I’m right but I am a bit of an information junkie and I like to look at things with a sceptical eye. I wouldn’t put the truck in 5 to go up a hill or if moving a safe in the back so why downshift while towing? I thought that it was in the manual until I read the manual and saw why they recommended using lower gears.
And I still can’t understand why hummingbirds can live on sugar but it’s bad for me.
And I still can’t understand why hummingbirds can live on sugar but it’s bad for me.
When the torque converter goes in and out of lockup the effect is fairly subtle. You can see it on the tach, but it's not a lot of rpm. Much less than you'd see dropping a gear. But.....that little change from lock to unlock in the torque converter makes all the difference in heat. When it's not locked, it generates HEAT while towing. Keeping the transmission in a lower gear while towing, as recommended in the manual, allows the torque converter to stay locked and run cooler.
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- #12
I’ve been running it in 4 with ECT 95 percent of the time. Occasionally I’ve down shifted to 3 or even 2 in some cases. When i return home in a few days I’m installing OBD 2 to more closely monitor things. This thread has helped me and I appreciate that.
@GordJ i recommend you spend $20 on an ELM327 compatible OBD2 reader and $5 on the EngineLink app, grab the transmission pan and torque converter temperature equation and from my Towing with a 200 Series thread, and spend some time monitoring them yourself to see the impact of running in 4th, 5th, and 6th gear. I think you’ll be surprised
As to why, @Sandroad is spot on. In 6th gear, or even 5th if your trailer is big and heavy, you’ll find the TC locks and unlocks frequently. It’s partially a function of weight and partially a function of air resistance, but effectively you’re lugging the engine in 6th gear with a big trailer behind you on the highway, similar to driving a manual transmission in 3rd gear with your foot on the floor but at 10-15 mph.
As to why, @Sandroad is spot on. In 6th gear, or even 5th if your trailer is big and heavy, you’ll find the TC locks and unlocks frequently. It’s partially a function of weight and partially a function of air resistance, but effectively you’re lugging the engine in 6th gear with a big trailer behind you on the highway, similar to driving a manual transmission in 3rd gear with your foot on the floor but at 10-15 mph.
Thanks, I will do.
The points made are spot on as to why one wants to use S4 (6spd tranny) or S6 (8spd tranny).
I'll go the other way in regards to monitoring though. As an engineer, I relish instrumenting and having data to inform design and calibration decisions. The 200-series however is a complete and finished product. A specialty Toyota that has gone through more than typical standard testing iterations. Follow the guidelines in the manual and you’ll have nothing else to worry about. It’s a validated product, a venerable and steadfast Land Cruiser no less. Trust that the engineers have done a solid and thorough job. The OBD-II is useful for troubleshooting and debugging when issues arise, but for monitoring tranny temps, don’t waste your time IMO.
Separately, for LX owners second guessing Lexus engineers and guidelines in using 87 octane, especially under tow…
I'll go the other way in regards to monitoring though. As an engineer, I relish instrumenting and having data to inform design and calibration decisions. The 200-series however is a complete and finished product. A specialty Toyota that has gone through more than typical standard testing iterations. Follow the guidelines in the manual and you’ll have nothing else to worry about. It’s a validated product, a venerable and steadfast Land Cruiser no less. Trust that the engineers have done a solid and thorough job. The OBD-II is useful for troubleshooting and debugging when issues arise, but for monitoring tranny temps, don’t waste your time IMO.
Separately, for LX owners second guessing Lexus engineers and guidelines in using 87 octane, especially under tow…
Wow have you ever changed your transmission fluid in 200,000 miles or even serviced the transmission?
I use monitoring in this case as a pre-emptive strike. While Toyota engineers designed the A/T temp light to come on at 304F, for instance, there's no warning if I'm running 303F all day long. I'd like to know how close I am to the danger zone and be able to take proactive action before I reach the threshold. Also since my vehicle is modified the Toyota-engineered parameters may no longer be correct for my situation.
Toyota says to tow in 5th in the 2008-2015, and I agree you should not use 6th. I use 4th because transmission temps are lower and with 34" tires I believe (though I have not done any engineering calculations to prove) 5th gear is insufficient.
As an aside, I don't necessarily believe in the "finished product" mindset. Part of a finished product is knowing what to remove to make it more user friendly. Think Apple vs Blackberry. As such I believe Toyota has done what most auto manufacturers have done and replaced a useful A/T temp gauge with a simple idiot light. Thankfully at least the cooling temp has a gauge and not just a light (like my grandparents mid-80s Olds '88) so if the engine temp was climbing I will know before steam starts pouring forth from under the hood.
I don’t know. It is a work truck and I take it in for servicing and they do what they do. I don’t recollect any tranny treatments.
More power to you. I agree with you for the fact that you're running such a tall tire with armor, pushing higher speeds, with a giant box in tow. For most people, there's a right balance between too much and too little information. If I were in an older domestic vehicle, I would absolutely monitor this as it's a known concern and weakness when hauling. I have my Lexus for the blissful no worries travel experience.. I travel in a "enjoy the journey" mode when I'm towing. I'll leave the heavy instrumentation to my project cars.
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- #20
End of 4000 mile Trailer trip today. Back home in Bend, Or. Last tank of gas this morning in Adel, Oregon population 80. I was down to 30 miles of range. All they had was 87 octane , lucky at that being far from another station. Filled up added STP octane booster they sell for such moments. Ran home 225 miles like a champ. Not sure about the recipe maybe 4 gallons of 91 in tank then the 87 plus the boost . Not a hiccup.
