ATF in new 15 Avalon

[loneryder]

My GF just bought a new Avalon v-6. I was perusing the manual and looked for ATF specs. Not only is there no dipstick but there is no mention of maintenance for the transmission other than check for leaks every 10k miles. So is this a sealed "lubed for life" deal? There is no such thing in my mind. I have a Mercedes that was Lubed for life and when they started failing, they changed their tune and said to change it once at 39k miles. Most owners who care about their cars change it every 30-40k miles but it is difficult to do.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

It takes WS, but WS isn't all that great. Maxlife is much better.

There is no dipstick, but there is a dipstick tube and a drain plug.

 

[loneryder]

Do you know where that dipstick tube is? I can't find it.

 

[wirelessF]

With a car that heavy and being FWD the fluid will get beaten to death. There is no dipstick tube to check and add fluid. Instead you will have two bolt holes, one to add fluid similar to a manual transmission and a fluid check bolt to set the fluid level at a certain fluid temp.

If you are planning to keep the car I would do WS full changes every 30K. Some people run Dex6 or Maxlife with a longer service interval.

 

[Oro_O]

These are the instructions for a prior gen I4 camry, but I believe her application is almost identical. You can get a grasp from this:

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/104-5t...flush-pics.html

MaxLife is the go-to choice to replace the (not very long life) semi-syn WS fluid in it and get better performance. Gallons at Walmart are very affordable. Also works great in the PS system. Mag1 low-visc. synthetic (Amazon) also works great and what I have in a Lexus right now.

You don't have to do the silly electronic dance to check the fill temp, just get it to oper. temp (that is even what most dealers do). I'd probably suggest leaving the factory fill in until 30k, then fully flush it and replace with synthetic. Then drain/fill at 30k intervals and flush at 60k intervals.

 

[Greasymechtech]

Amsoil ATL is pretty good too. Redline makes a D6. Eneos has their Eco. Castrol has a full synth. Lubegard has an ATF.....

30k is a good full service interval. Some Toyotas do not have a drain plug and only have a spillover level check plug.

Maxlife is pushed often because of price.

No transmission is sealed. Lubed for life all depends on what your expectations for that life are.

 

[The Critic]

They aren't too hard to service, I've done a RX350 with a similar setup.

Assuming this one has a cooler line, use an Assenmacher driveline filler and the Assenmacher adapter to fill the unit. There is a fill plug on the side of the unit; it should be near the L/F fender liner.

3 qt in, 3 qt out at a time until the fluid is clean (cycle the engine).

Then use Techstream Lite (there are tons of low-cost interfaces available) to monitor the fluid temp. Once the temp reads 104F, remove the overflow plug to drain out the excess.

The trick is to overfill by a small amount 8-16 ounces, but not anymore than that. Keep track of what you take out and replace with the same amount. If you overfill too much, it will take too long to drain the excess and the transmission temp will have risen past the 113F threshold.

 

[Leo99]

Lifetime fluids will be the norm in a few years. Show me data that changing the ATF in the Avalon will make it last longer than keeping the factory fill. Silly to compare Mercedes to Toyota. Toyota is the king of reliability.

15 Avalon is a very nice car. Drive is gently and 200k miles on the factory fill shouldn't be a problem.

 

[acmesupply]

Thanks for the info... I use a 18mm adapter with a hose barb and connect it to a funnel to fill. Is there any other way to obtain the fluid temp? Such as a laser temp. gun? I also have a 2013 Lexus RX350 and find that 1.5 quarts is the amount that comes out of the pan. I do one atf change every time I change the motor oil. Thanks..

 

[Oro_O]

Originally Posted By: acmesupply
Is there any other way to obtain the fluid temp?


Idle it 15 minutes and call it good, it's what the dealers do and it works.

Quote:
I also have a 2013 Lexus RX350 and find that 1.5 quarts is the amount that comes out of the pan. I do one atf change every time I change the motor oil. Thanks..


I think you have the U660e tranny and that does not sound right for a drain volume. I have the very similar prior gen U151e and it is more like 3.5 qts. with a drain, and about what I have heard from others on the TN forum. If that is the volume coming out of the pan, are you sure it is properly filled before you are draining it?

Originally Posted By: Leo99
15 Avalon is a very nice car. Drive is gently and 200k miles on the factory fill shouldn't be a problem.


That's hilarious. Oh, and I have this bridge in Brooklyn...

 

[Tones]

I think the new one has the same powertrain as mine. I have been using the ws from the dealer to service.

There is a small plastic panel in the driver side wheel well you can remove to reveal the refill hole.

The drain is only about 1.5 quarts. If you drop the jack where the wheel disc is almost touching the ground, you can get an extra .5 qt for a total of about 2 quarts.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: acmesupply
Thanks for the info... I use a 18mm adapter with a hose barb and connect it to a funnel to fill. Is there any other way to obtain the fluid temp? Such as a laser temp. gun? I also have a 2013 Lexus RX350 and find that 1.5 quarts is the amount that comes out of the pan. I do one atf change every time I change the motor oil. Thanks..


The last one that I did removed 2.5-2.75qt during a drain and fill. If I recall correctly, it was a FWD 2011 RX350.

I would not use a laser temp gun. It is unclear as to where the transmissions built-in temperature sensors are located -- it may be measuring the fluid temp in a location other than the pan.

Also, it takes 20-25 min to get the fluid warmed up to the proper temp...at least after a full flush. Your results may vary if you are only draining the pan.

 

[CT8]

Originally Posted By: Leo99
Lifetime fluids will be the norm in a few years. Show me data that changing the ATF in the Avalon will make it last longer than keeping the factory fill. Silly to compare Mercedes to Toyota. Toyota is the king of reliability.

15 Avalon is a very nice car. Drive is gently and 200k miles on the factory fill shouldn't be a problem.
The ferrous metals can foul the solenoids as well as the high wear products accelerate the seal wear which can cause leaky seals.

 

[acmesupply]

Bought it from the dealer brand new in 2013. After 10-12 thousand I drained it with 1.5 quarts coming out cold. I added a B and M oil cooler and a Magnafine inline filter with a total prefill for the new cooler and filter and extra hose as .5 quarts. 2 quarts in and have changed it a couple times more with 1.5 coming out cold every time.
Today I drained the 1.5 quarts and then removed the plastic red threaded tube out of the drain area with an additional .5 quarts coming out. This was done all cold at around 85 degrees in warm southern NV temps. I installed my 18mm adapter and reinserted the red plastic tube. It took 1 quart to start a small flow for a few seconds and then a couple drips and that was it. I then added only a .5 quart.
I found a new youtube video explaining in a very detailed manor the new Toyota/Lexus ATF system. search for Toyota Transaxle Fluid Level Check - No Dipstick.
It is quite long at 30 plus minutes but gets down to the basics. Appears to be a Teacher/Professor in a High school or advanced auto shop.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: acmesupply
Thanks for the info... I use a 18mm adapter with a hose barb and connect it to a funnel to fill. Is there any other way to obtain the fluid temp? Such as a laser temp. gun? I also have a 2013 Lexus RX350 and find that 1.5 quarts is the amount that comes out of the pan. I do one atf change every time I change the motor oil. Thanks..


The last one that I did removed 2.5-2.75qt during a drain and fill. If I recall correctly, it was a FWD 2011 RX350.

I would not use a laser temp gun. It is unclear as to where the transmissions built-in temperature sensors are located -- it may be measuring the fluid temp in a location other than the pan.

Also, it takes 20-25 min to get the fluid warmed up to the proper temp...at least after a full flush. Your results may vary if you are only draining the pan.


I just realized that I was thinking about a different car - my apologies. This transmission doesn't have a drain plug - it has a fill plug and the "overflow" plug on the pan. The 2.5-2.75 qt number was in reference to the amount of fluid that I drained from the cooler lines each time I ran the engine -- it was the amount I got before I started to see bubbles.

 

[lexus114]

Originally Posted By: acmesupply
Thanks for the info... I use a 18mm adapter with a hose barb and connect it to a funnel to fill. Is there any other way to obtain the fluid temp? Such as a laser temp. gun? I also have a 2013 Lexus RX350 and find that 1.5 quarts is the amount that comes out of the pan. I do one atf change every time I change the motor oil. Thanks..



1.5 quarts? thats all that comes out? wow

 

[mrdctaylor]

I'm not familiar with this car, but I have a 2012 Highlander. I'm not sure why people are so quick to ditch the Toyota WS fluid. It seems fine. I do a simply drain/fill (~ 4.5-5 quarts) every 30K miles. That's my plan.

Is it possible to use a fluid extractor in your application? I'm fortunate in that my car has a dipstick, so I simply suck as much fluid out as I can get and replace with the exact same amount. Easy peasy.

 

[lexus114]

i know i don't understand all of the ws bashing either. my lexus dealer said they have no problems with longevity of these transmissions.

 

[Leo99]

Originally Posted By: lexus114
i know i don't understand all of the ws bashing either. my lexus dealer said they have no problems with longevity of these transmissions.


Exactly. They are great transmissions and the WS is more than adequate to give the trannies a long life. Too many people on here focus on the fluid itself instead and lose sight of the goal.

I've taken two Toyotas well over 200k miles on T-IV factory fill. The ATF surely isn't like new but the trannies work fine.

 

[acmesupply]

I agree, The Toyota WS fluid is very good. We have only two seasons. Mild winters and Hot summers. When we bought the 2013 Lexus RX350 or any vehicle I always ask for a one time purchase of parts at the parts counters wholesale price, not the salesmans cost as that's another 25 plus percent higher. With that I initially bought a box of filters and a case each of oils and WS and more. I added a B and M cooler and inline 3/8 Magnafine filter as its nice to see the metal specks in the filter because you can open them up with just a wrench when you change it.
The whole reason I am switching to Valvoline MaxLife Dex is that it is a 100 percent synthetic fluid. I have always used not just a full synthetic, which can be a mix like what the WS fluid is, but a 100 percent synthetic. I do see changes in the WS as it is driven in 105 plus temps for 4-5 months with the road temps hitting 180 plus when we have 115 plus days. When I do a full gallon flush I see the WS fluid being a more brown color and smells different. That's my reasoning for only using 100 percent atf and motor oils.
I have all Toyota vehicles and use all Toyota parts on all three and all have extra coolers and filters for the atf system. I use Mobil 1 ATF in the other two older car and truck.
I am more interested in narrowing down the actual oil amount in the trans at different temps and just yesterday for the first time took out the red plastic insert. I found the Youtube video I mentioned in the prior post which has help out a lot from just watching the first 5 minutes.