Jim_Chow
V8_Fan
They charged me for qty 12 of 00279-00T4-01 "T-IV ATF" @ $4.79/qt and qty 1
of 01031 "MOC ATF COND" ($9.95). Labor was $81.27.
transmission fluid change (7 Viewers)
- Thread starter roberttran
- Start date
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They charged me for qty 12 of 00279-00T4-01 "T-IV ATF" @ $4.79/qt and qty 1
of 01031 "MOC ATF COND" ($9.95). Labor was $81.27.
I have settled into the same practice as cary describes. I either use Mobil 1 ATF or, more recently, Redline D4ATF.
Cary,
What if your transmission oil looks like it is in bad shape? Still do the drain and fill every oil change a few times until it looks the normal color again?
Regards.
What if your transmission oil looks like it is in bad shape? Still do the drain and fill every oil change a few times until it looks the normal color again?
Regards.
If it is clearly burned, then go ahead and do a full fluid exchange (not a flush) to get rid of the burned fluid, but be warned that if you got it hot enough to burn the fluid, you probably did damage. If it just looks dirty, do a couple of drain and fills in a short time (i.e. drain, refill, run for 10 minutes, and do a second).
One thing nobody mentioned is that if you leave the plug out for several hours you will end up getting quite a bit of oil out. When my plug stripped in the pan, and the pan had to be replaced, it took 7 quarts to refill it after it had time to drip for a few hours. That is quite a large percentage of the fluid.
One thing nobody mentioned is that if you leave the plug out for several hours you will end up getting quite a bit of oil out. When my plug stripped in the pan, and the pan had to be replaced, it took 7 quarts to refill it after it had time to drip for a few hours. That is quite a large percentage of the fluid.
so would it be sensible to drop the pan, get any possible gunk out, put it back up and do a flush? or the other way around?
If you are working your transmission hard enough, you run the risk of burning the oil, right? Though unlikely, it is possible to envision happening on a suv while towing heavy stuff or something is malfunctioning.
My friend bought a 99 ES300 last year with 77K on it and the tranny fluid was burnt. I wonder how tranny fluid on a car can be burnt that bad.
My friend bought a 99 ES300 last year with 77K on it and the tranny fluid was burnt. I wonder how tranny fluid on a car can be burnt that bad.
I agree with the method above, and clean the screen if need be, have just done it on my Ford and am about to do the same on my 5 speed auto 100.
You mean, exchange, right? not a flush....
there are so many terms, ahhhhh! I mean whatever method you use a machine with that pumps it thru like jim mentioned. And the other part, well, that method is taking the pan off and cleaning the screen and such out.
Jim,
I see that you have an LX. Does the Toyota dealer service Lexus brands?
Just curious.
I see that you have an LX. Does the Toyota dealer service Lexus brands?
Just curious.
Jim_Chow
V8_Fan
Depends on the dealer. If the dealership also owns a lexus dealership, I'd doubt it. But here, there are only 2 lexus dealerships under the same owner and name, and they charge upwards of 50% more than anyone in Phoenix due to lack of competition. There are two toyota dealers here. I've only had service done at one (with my 4runner a few years ago, now the LX for certain jobs since I was happy w/ their work/service). They are very reputable, even refunded me $50 for a R12 freon charge on my 4runner back in '03 one week after the work was done, saying there was a sale going on and they overcharged me, gave me a refund. This is the dealer that did the work on my LX. One guy there is a lexus tech; he did the ATF exchange and bearing repack. At virtually all of these dealerships, you can't watch them work on your vehicle since the service bays are in back.
Jim_Chow
V8_Fan
Or you could just drain & fill the pan every 15K mi or so to guarantee 25% new fluid. This is technically what the FSM says to do. I imagine that part of it is many places overseas don' t have fancy $2K ATF replacement machines, so they just drain & fill. Personally, I'd rather just have it completely changed every 30K. ATF is more durable than you think. My parents have owned a number of Toyotas/Hondas, all with automatic, ran those cars over 120K mi in 10 yrs, and never once changed the ATF. Still, the tranny didn't collapse. But with that kind of mileage, doing a full fluid exchange it risky if it's never been serviced before. Best to drain & fill gradually. Keep in mind that the owner's manual doesn't recommend a ATF change unless you primarily tow.
I really like my Toyota Service adviser. He has never once tried to sell me any uneeded crap like throttle body service very 5k miles etc, etc. I am leaning towards upgrading to a 2007 LX as most LC's come fully loaded and and the price differential with an LX is minimal. I would prefer to service with Toyota dealer if possible.
Jim_Chow
V8_Fan
You might still want the lexus dealer to change the AHC fluid only, as many toyota techs have never worked on AHC. I've heard of stories where toyota dealers have put brake fluid in the AHC resevoir (this was before '06, before the LC got AHC). Maybe they know better by now, but you know the LX has had AHC from the start, so any lexus tech should be familiar with it.
There is no need to drop the pan. When you drain it, the fluid draining out backflushes the screen and it drains out the drain plug. These pans are not designed to be pulled for maintenance (they need a special sealant to put them back on, they don't use a gasket), there is no filter to change. All you will find when you open it is a screen, which will be clean from the oil backflushing as it drained out the plug.
Hypothetically speaking, if you had particles to big to drain out the drain plug, your tranny would not be working right and it would be obvious. You would be talking about chunks of metal more than 1/4".
Cary, from reading your posts, it seems like there is absolutely no advantage in dropping the pan no matter what kind of maintenance you are doing on the transmission. It seems like even the argument to get the shavings out that might have been stuck on the screen does not hold.
As this thread progresses, it seems to me that the only thing you need to do in order to ensure a healthy transmission is to do drain and fill regularly (every 15K miles or so) and if the tranny oil looks unhealthy, do it in closer intervals until it starts looking good again - then move to 15k intervals.
As this thread progresses, it seems to me that the only thing you need to do in order to ensure a healthy transmission is to do drain and fill regularly (every 15K miles or so) and if the tranny oil looks unhealthy, do it in closer intervals until it starts looking good again - then move to 15k intervals.
Jim_Chow
V8_Fan
That's what the big factory manual says to do. No mention of dropping tranny pans, or even a full fluid exchange. Dropping the tranny pan is like doing a timing belt inspection or valve re-gapping at 60K mi...unnecessary, IMHO. BTW, when dropping any pan, you have to be careful that the rtv sealant doesn't break free. I had the engine oil pan on my old 4runner dropped when the t-chain was changed. After I changed the oil after 1K mi, I saw a piece of black rtv in the bottom of the pan along w/ a lot of tiny bits of aluminum from the new rocker arms breaking in to the new cam. If it were an autotransmission, that piece of rtv could cause some damage.
That is correct. Toyota made it really easy. I believe the factory interval is 30k, 15k sounds too short. The tranny (pre 2003) is very durable and rarely has issues, even when not properly maintained. The same transmission was used in the 80 for 1995-1997, and there are many running around with more than 200k miles and no issues. If it makes you feel any better, I did two drain and fills when I got the truck, and then just did one after 30k miles, the fluid looked and smelled perfect (not a substitute for a UOA, but if it looks good it likely is). Just use a name brand mineral or synthetic Dextron III oil and don't worry about it. For the newer tranny's use whatever fluid toyota recommends.
I doubt if I will ever do a transmission service on my 2004 LX470. Its not recommended unless you tow and I don't tow or carry much more then my sorry ass around. I think the new WSATF is good for several hundred thousand miles, but I will never own mine over 120K miles and I know its good for that length of time going to the mall and back home
