Valvoline Maxlife vs Amsoil ATF

[Brad_C]

Originally Posted By: Gannet167

So to get 80% out of my trans I'd need 6-7 drain and fills. That's 21 liters of fluid and a lot of PITA. Or, since the trans holds about 13 liters, I probably need 10 to 12 to fill it. Or, about half the fluid to achieve the same result.


Interestingly you get a similar, but more effective mix with a cooler line flush.

The cooler line flush mostly flushes what is in the pan, pump and valve body, but when it hits the converter its pumping clean oil in and mixed oil out. So it takes a lot more than people thinks it does to do a complete replacement using the cooler line flush as there is almost always rapid mixing of oil in the converter. It's a lot better than the pan drain/fill that you describe above, but it's never 100% replacement.

 

[Tracker]

One thing people leave out. Change the fuid in your tranny the week you own it, then the oild is clean. Just what's in the pan.

From then on just change the pan every 5-10K miiles and you will be always puttimng clean tranny fluid in pretty clean tranny fluid. You won't be in a DIRTY / CLEAN situation, plus if you change it when it was NEW you get whatever amazing fluid you want the "easy way"

 

[Brons2]

I would not use Maxlife because the older Toyota spec is a thicker oil like low to mid 7's CST and Maxlife has a CST around 6.

I would use Valvoline Multi-Import instead, it's a full syn with a 6.9 CST which is closer to the Toyota spec. Or, any other part or full syn multi-import fluid that had a viscosity closer to Toyota's specs for your original fluid.

Now in my wife's RAV4, hers used the newer ATF WS fluid which has a CST under 6. In her car I used Maxlife for 2 drain and fills after running the factory fluid for 70K. It shifts smoother with Maxlife than it did with the dirty OEM fluid.

Toyota said it was fill for life but after seeing what it looked like after 70K I am glad I did a couple of drain and fills.

 

[Gannet167]

Originally Posted By: Tracker
One thing people leave out. Change the fuid in your tranny the week you own it, then the oild is clean. Just what's in the pan.

From then on just change the pan every 5-10K miiles and you will be always puttimng clean tranny fluid in pretty clean tranny fluid. You won't be in a DIRTY / CLEAN situation, plus if you change it when it was NEW you get whatever amazing fluid you want the "easy way"


Whatever you drain and replace mixes with the other 80% of the fluid that doesn't drain out. So you're ALWAYS in a clean/dirty situation. Changing it when it's new, old, whatever, if you only drain the pan, it only gets about 20% out of the system. So you're only getting 20% of the "amazing" fluid and 80% of the old stuff always remains. It's simple math.