Hi all,
Looking for some advice on my ATF. Here's the story:
I bought an 06 Sienna Limited AWD with 96k miles. It was dealer serviced all throughout its life and the ATF was changed at 30k, then, possibly at 60k. When I bought the car, I had some Amsoil Signature Series ATF remaining from previous use (worked excellently in my 2008 Mazda CX-9 & a 2007 Hyundai Veracruz). So I did a drain & fill using Amsoil ATF. The existing T-IV looked black and my mechanic suggested the ATF was never changed. I have the service records that indicate that it did- I think T-IV just blackens very quickly.
About 500 miles later, my transmission started shifting late (up shifts & downshifts). Then I noticed it would slip under load from 2nd to 3rd gear. I also noticed that the more people I had in the car, the more the transmission didn't want to shift up or down. I'm a big believer in Amsoil products but I thought maybe, for whatever reason, it wasn't applicable in this situation so I did another drain & fill using Valvoline Maxlife ATF. The fluid came out black again.
About 300 miles later, it was shifting better so I decided to do another drain & fill (third one) using Maxlife again. This time, the fluid that came out was better, but still closer to black.
The car has 98k miles now and the transmission still shifts funny here and there. Occasionally, I get the 2-3 up shift slip. The tranny also downshifts to 1st gear under 10mph in creeping speeds (I live in Manhattan so I experience this a lot). This might just be a characteristic of these transmissions and the software (my previous 2008 Lexus IS250 AWD acted similarly but was much smoother), but I feel it to be over pronounced.
I just bought T-IV oil to see if it'll alleviate the problem. I don't know if the car was driving this way before I started changing ATF's because I did it relatively soon after I purchased the car. But from what I can remember, it was shifting smoother- even with the blackened T-IV ATF.
Any suggestions?
Looking for some advice on my ATF. Here's the story:
I bought an 06 Sienna Limited AWD with 96k miles. It was dealer serviced all throughout its life and the ATF was changed at 30k, then, possibly at 60k. When I bought the car, I had some Amsoil Signature Series ATF remaining from previous use (worked excellently in my 2008 Mazda CX-9 & a 2007 Hyundai Veracruz). So I did a drain & fill using Amsoil ATF. The existing T-IV looked black and my mechanic suggested the ATF was never changed. I have the service records that indicate that it did- I think T-IV just blackens very quickly.
About 500 miles later, my transmission started shifting late (up shifts & downshifts). Then I noticed it would slip under load from 2nd to 3rd gear. I also noticed that the more people I had in the car, the more the transmission didn't want to shift up or down. I'm a big believer in Amsoil products but I thought maybe, for whatever reason, it wasn't applicable in this situation so I did another drain & fill using Valvoline Maxlife ATF. The fluid came out black again.
About 300 miles later, it was shifting better so I decided to do another drain & fill (third one) using Maxlife again. This time, the fluid that came out was better, but still closer to black.
The car has 98k miles now and the transmission still shifts funny here and there. Occasionally, I get the 2-3 up shift slip. The tranny also downshifts to 1st gear under 10mph in creeping speeds (I live in Manhattan so I experience this a lot). This might just be a characteristic of these transmissions and the software (my previous 2008 Lexus IS250 AWD acted similarly but was much smoother), but I feel it to be over pronounced.
I just bought T-IV oil to see if it'll alleviate the problem. I don't know if the car was driving this way before I started changing ATF's because I did it relatively soon after I purchased the car. But from what I can remember, it was shifting smoother- even with the blackened T-IV ATF.
Any suggestions?