Help 2006 Toyota Sienna burnt T-IV fluid

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The Amsoil site said use their ATF not there NEW WS rated fluid. I looked it up for 2006 Sienna.


The site has not been undated yet to reflect the new ATL. I notice is does not show it for my 2008 GMC either.

They don't plan to release info till June 1st so I would look after that date for new data.

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But I've seen others post that their 06 uses the WS fluid


Not uncommon for oem's to make a running change during the model year. Maybe yours was early production and the other are later.


PS - The ATL is available apparently. I ordered several cases and it says its been billed and shipped, eta is 6/22. Going to put it in my 2008 GMC for a test run.
 
I would freshen the fluid some. Then run Auto-RX and do a full flush. Install a bigger cooler maybe.
Then Run Amsoil trans fluid.

If you don't put a bigger cooler on it, I would definitely make sure that it has Amsoil in it.
 
OK, so this was bugging me a bit, so I called two different Toyota dealers in my area. One parts guy looked in the book and said it should definitely use the T-IV fluid.

The other parts guy went out to the tech and asked him about it, and came back and told me something interesting. He said that if the tip (handle) of the dipstick is colored black, that indicates WS fluid. If the tip is orange, that indicates T-IV fluid.

To the OP- If you used the T-IV fluid for those drain and refills and you needed WS fluid, that would account for the trouble you're having.
 
I have the Orange handle that also states not to change under normal service and I did 3 drains and refills withing 50 miles of each other back in January (fluid returned to red). Now about 11k later the T-IV fluid is black again. I will be taking the van back to the dealer because I have the extended warranty until 75K. Suspect maybe a clutch is going bad.
 
Does the dipstick say what fluid is required? Does the Manual say that you should use the T-IV? Interesting about the handle color......does the color match what the manual/dipstick reads?

If it has no cooler other than the radiator, I would install one.
 
Just got home from work. OK here are the Facts from the owners manual and dipstick. Both say to use T-IV. The dipstick has an orange plastic cap that states word for word "Notice No need to replace ATF under normal driving condition. (Transfer fluid for 4WD is different) See owners Manual" Also stamped into the dipstick itself is "TYPE T-IV 35103-08030" by the full hot mark.

We had this van from new and now I wished I had changed the fluid more often. I just have to get some time to see the dealer who is 35 miles away.
 
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I hate it when car companies say never to change the ATF in a vehicle. It's a fluid very similar in a lot of ways to engine oil. And there are servicelife (wearing) materials inside any automatic transmission, example being clutch packs. These permanently-sealed units probably have a way to drain the fluid even, and you can refill through the speed sensor hole possibly. Type T/IV fluid is very similar to Dexron-III with the exception of some friction modifiers and possibly a few other minor specs, and should be changed absolutely no less often than every 50k for normal service or 25k for severe service. Personally I wouldn't even let it go that long. Your fluid may be turning dark because it is burnt or because there is clutch wear materials in it. Either way, the unit may be overheating. I would look into an aux. tranny cooler and evacuate/refill the fluid you have asap. The symptoms you mention do sound heat-related, I do not think the extended ATF fill is going to be the killer of the tranny, yet (hopefully). But you need to find out if it is overheating and why.


Also I will agree that Amsoil Universal ATF is WONDERFUL. that stuff never changes color. I run it in my '00 Volvo V70 w/ an Aisin-Warner AW55 transmission and it's excellent for that application and many more.
 
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Is it possible that Type T-IV fluid (or application) is more prone to turning black, or turns black quicker than other fluids? Of all the transmissions I've serviced in our family, this seems to be the case. That, and a lot of people seem to post how black their T-IV fluid is when they change it.
 
Originally Posted By: Kestas
Is it possible that Type T-IV fluid (or application) is more prone to turning black, or turns black quicker than other fluids? Of all the transmissions I've serviced in our family, this seems to be the case. That, and a lot of people seem to post how black their T-IV fluid is when they change it.


no our corolla with 126k miles on it has never ever turned black.. when i first started dating her the car was at 50k or so and never had a drain and fill. it was dark red but not black.. quite a few drain and fills later its still fairly red.
 
Originally Posted By: mikeg5
Originally Posted By: Kestas
Is it possible that Type T-IV fluid (or application) is more prone to turning black, or turns black quicker than other fluids? Of all the transmissions I've serviced in our family, this seems to be the case. That, and a lot of people seem to post how black their T-IV fluid is when they change it.


no our corolla with 126k miles on it has never ever turned black.. when i first started dating her the car was at 50k or so and never had a drain and fill. it was dark red but not black.. quite a few drain and fills later its still fairly red.


There's probably nothing wrong with the original poster's van. Some transmissions use a carbon fiber type friction materials that will darken the fluid very quickly. GM issued a service bulletin for the Pontiac Vibe stating that the materials in the transmission will cause the T-IV fluid to darken very quickly and that the fluid does not need to be replaced more frequently.
 
Is this transmission in the Pontiac Vibe the same Aisin-Warner transmission used in other applications (Ford?, Volvo?) that require Type T-IV (or ATF 3309) fluid?
 
UOA is the right way to go. It has been long discussed on the forum that judging by color of fluids is incorrect...

Get a UOA and go from there..
 
Originally Posted By: mgm13
Deven- not all Toyotas requireing type WS are sealed. My 06 Avalon has both a dipstick and a drain plug.


+1 my 2008 Rav4 has a dipstick and is WS
 
Originally Posted By: robd
. What is the expected life of the Toyota T-IV fluid?


My experience: I change the factory T-IV fill at about 40-50k then do one drain fill every 15k. No issues ever. But the initial OCI was 4 drain fills each one day apart which got me to over 90% new fluid. With the WS vehicles now I will do a dealer flush at 60k then drain fill every 20k.
 
Originally Posted By: Donald
How about a Magnefine to catch the friction material? It should be able to do that easily.


It would probably catch the larger chunks, but the smaller pieces that cause the fluid to darken would not be removed by a Magnefine. Possibly an Amsoil Ea Bypass filter will remove the finer particles.
 
If a tranny has WS fluid and is not sealed and has a dipstick, it should say on the dipstick "WS" or "T-IV" From experience talking with a Toyota rep, they recommend changing the fluid if it smells burnt AND if the color is not beet red. If it is beet red but smells burnt then most likely the fluid is still good.
 
I have been running a Amsoil Ea Bypass for about 10K in my camry se. The fluid still looks new. Before that I had a magnefine and it would darken in short order.
 
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