Toyota Celica Tranny Fluid PLESE HELP

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Went to my local Valvoline yesterday....which now I know was a HUGE mistake....and had a T Tech service performed on my AT. Yes, I know, Automatic tranny / Celica....HUH??? I got a really great deal. Anyway, The service technician insisted my car takes Dex3/Merc. I checked the owners mannual and the Dipstick and it said T-IV ONLY in big bold print. Today, I got into my car and the trans is slipping out of 1st gear and won't shift into 4th. With much frustration, I returned to valvoline and he called the fluid help line and he was supposed to use MAXLIFE dex3/Merc. I looked online and have heard everything from: (no dex at all), to (Merc V), (Dex3 + lubeguard black), and finally of course (ONLY T-IV). with all of those suggestions swimming around, I called Valvoline direct and they said MAXLIFE is the stuff. So the manager T TECH'ed again with MAXLIFE. I then bought a bottle of LUBEGUARD BLACK and added the whole thing to my tranny. It is shifting great now and runs fine.......IS THIS GOING TO BE OK. Or should I scrap the whole thing and get to the dealer asap?? PLEASE HELP!!!
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quote:

josalbrec:
.... Anyway, The service technician insisted my car takes Dex3/Merc. I checked the owners mannual and the Dipstick and it said T-IV ONLY in big bold print. Today, I got into my car and the trans is slipping out of 1st gear and won't shift into 4th. .... I then bought a bottle of LUBEGUARD BLACK and added the whole thing to my tranny. It is shifting great now and runs fine.......IS THIS GOING TO BE OK. Or should I scrap the whole thing and get to the dealer asap?? PLEASE HELP!!!

Well, you learned that quick lube shops may not be the place to get reliable information.

The factory uses Toyota T-IV ATF, which is a highly friction modified semi-synthetic used in Aisin/Warner transmissions. It is also used in some GM, Ford, and other transmissions and may show up as GM 3009 ATF.

Dex3/Merc is not the correct ATF.

If this is a relatively low mileage vehicle with some factory warranty still on it, I'd drop by the dealer and indicate I had an emergency top-off with Dex3 and would like the fluid replaced with Toyota T-IV just to be on the safe side. Spare them the horrid details.

If it's out of warranty, you may want to go ahead and use it as is. Just be sure that the bottle of Lubegard didn't take it over the FULL mark, which may cause another set of problems. If it did, you'll need to siphon some off out of the filler tube.
 
Hard to say..if the incorrect fluid was only in there for a day or so and you didn't drive it much then you're probably okay, probably. Call a Toyota dealer and ask them what fluid to use and go from there. I'd also talk to the manager of the place you had your transmission serviced and discuss a refund or perhaps even attempt to get them to pay for a proper transmission diagnosis and flush. In my mind, they should refund you the money you paid for the original flush, plus do another full flush at their expense until the problem is solved.
 
Thank You!!! for all your suggestions. They did a second flush with the valvoline recomended fluid...MAXLIFE.... at Valvoline. I just am a little nervous considering, I don't want to deal with tranny problems down the road. I called the dealer this afternoon and they said I should have a complete flush at their shop with toyota T-IV....however, I think they were just trying to sell me the $135.00 flush....OUCH!! I called a local parts place I really trust after that and they told me Valvoline MAXLIFE is the way to go........UGHHH can you feel the pounding in my brain at this point...UGHHH.
 
Maxlife ATF already contains the necessary friction modifiers for a Toyota T-IV application. You should not have added Lubegard "Black" to Maxlife ATF.
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If you were to add a Lubegard product to an ATF that already contained the correct friction modifiers, you should've added Lubegard "Red," which is a protectant only.

All you've done, at this point, is have created a fluid with an overdose of friction modifiers. Your ATF now contains too much friction modifier, which can cause the transmission to slip.

Since it is working "okay" for you, I'd continue driving it the way it is. If it slips, then replace the fluid again. But personally, I'd still replace the fluid.
 
Are you guys sure Maxlife ATF is Toyota T-IV tested? Although the Valvoline site sucks I couldn't find where it said Maxlife ATF is T-IV.

I think you'll be ok with the Lubegard Black until you can save your money for the right fluid.
 
Michael Wan, How much damage do you think could be done? I am getting ready to take a 700 mile trip round-trip for a vacation. Am I at risk for alot of damage, or do you think it will be ok for atleast 3k until I can have it serviced??
 
quote:

Are you guys sure Maxlife ATF is Toyota T-IV tested? Although the Valvoline site sucks I couldn't find where it said Maxlife ATF is T-IV.

Pablo, the Valvoline website is out-of-date regarding the Maxlife ATF.

The back label of Valvoline Maxlife ATF lists Toyota T-IV as an application that Valvoline recommends the usage of Maxlife ATF in.

To confirm what I stated, call Valvoline tomorrow morning and speak to their technical service dept to verify Maxlife's compatiblity in a Toyota T-IV application.

This fluid has more friction modifier than is needed. When a fluid has an overdose of friction modifiers, it may slip.

Some transmissions may have hard shifts and would benefit from or are unaffected by an overdose of the friction modifier. But not all do. Apparently, yours may be one of the few, as the combo is working fine for you so far.

I know of one member on this forum who used Valvoline Maxlife ATF and Lubegard Platinum (same as Black, but also covers Mercon-V) in his Honda CRV, which specs Honda ATF-Z1. Maxlife ATF already contained the necessary friction modifier for Honda ATF-Z1, and he added more to it, yet it shifted fine, in fact, much smoother. (He had rough shifting problems with the dealer Honda ATF-Z1 for some reason)

So, if it works for you, leave it. But hopefully, Molakule, a chemist who blends transmission fluids, will chime in soon to recommend the best course of action.

Edit: This is a letter from Valvoline regarding Maxlife ATF that I found on clubtitan.org:

quote:

THOMAS R. SMITH
Technical Director, Valvoline Brand
December 21, 2004
To Whom It May Concern:
Valvoline has received several inquiries regarding the topic of MaxLife ATF and its use in various vehicles beyond those requiring DEXRON®-III or MERCON® approved products. In response to these questions, Valvoline has issued the following statements:
Valvoline supports the use of MaxLife ATF in a broad range of transmissions beyond those requiring DEXRON III and MERCON fluids including those where the following fluids are recommended:
• GM DEXRON II
• Ford MERCON V
• Allison C-4
• Chrysler ATF+3 or ATF+4 fluids
• Toyota (and Lexus) Type T, T-III or T-IV fluids
• Mitsubishi Diamond SP-II or SP-III fluids
• KIA SP-II and SP-III Fluids
• Hyundai
• Honda/Acura ATF-Z1 fluid (except in CVTs)
• BMW LT71141 or LA2634 fluids
• Nissan Matic-D, Matic-J, and Matic-K fluids
Valvoline has conducted in-house testing to support MaxLife ATF performance in these transmissions. However, it is important to note that these vehicle manufacturers have neither evaluated nor approved MaxLife ATF.
Valvoline stands behind all of its products, including MaxLife ATF. Use of MaxLife ATF in
transmissions where recommended by Valvoline WILL NOT void the vehicle’s warranty. In the
unlikely event that any transmission was to be damaged as a result of the use of MaxLife ATF, please contact Valvoline at 1-800-Team-VAL.
While MaxLife ATF is designed to meet the special needs of higher mileage transmissions, new transmissions can also benefit from its enhanced oxidation protection, shear stability, seal compatibility, and anti-shudder
protection and many consumers have chosen to take advantage of this level of performance.
MaxLife ATF is recommended for the new 5 and 6 speed transmissions, except the Ford 5R110, Ford 6RXX, and the Mercedes Benz W7A700 (7G-Tronic) which all require a low viscosity ATF fluid.
Valvoline does not recommend MaxLife ATF for use in continuously variable transmissions (CVT’s) or in automatic transmissions where Ford Type F is recommended.
Sincerely,
Thom Smith
Technical Director
Valvoline Brand



[ March 22, 2006, 11:37 PM: Message edited by: Michael Wan ]
 
The maxlife site you sent me to, Pablo, states that it is "suitable for toyota vehicles where Dex3/Merc is specified".......My vehicle specifies T-IV. Right after I had the fluid changed to MAXLIFE, I drove to the local parts store to purchase the lubeguard and it still seemed to be slipping a little out of 1st into 2nd. After I added the lubeguard, It doesn't slip at all. For a newbie, I sure did it right the first time, huh. Never owned an automatic before.....ughhh. Anyway, I am probably going to visit the toyota dealer next month and see about getting this done. Do you think it will be ok until then??
 
We are speculating here. I have no concept how much of the appropriate FM's The Val. Maxlife has and how much Lubegard Black adds. I doubt even Mola would know for sure. FM's come in a variety of "flavors" and not all FM's will cause AT's to slip.

That said I will speculate and say you'll be fine for a month.

And Boy Valvoline should update their site!
 
Well, .....I went back to the Valvoline shop today to discuss what happened with the manager. I also explained to him that I had purchased Lubeguard black and put it into my tranny out of fear of what had just happened. He offered to drain the ATF (not a t tech, just a drain and fill) because he too said that would cause slipping over time. He said that the new Maxlife clearly states on the bottle that it is T-IV compatible. So he drained about 3 Qts out and refilled with fresh Maxlife. That should get rid of most of the lubeguard which was not needed after all. Driving home I noticed that the tranny doesn't shift as silky smooth as with the lubeguard, however, it shifts almost exactly like it did with the OEM Toyota factory T-IV fluid. You can still feel the shift points and it is a little "rougher" than the Maxlife+lubeguard, However, with the Lubeguard, I am sure it would have been a matter of time before it started to slip. I mean, the tranny shifted like a brand new Toyota Camry with the lubeguard, Not a Celica......Sa La Vie. Lesson learned..... Dealership, Dealership, Dealership.
 
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