First ever ATF change Toyota Matrix

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expat

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This is the first Auto transmission I have owned in 45 years of driving.
Out 2009 Toyota Matrix now has almost 80k miles and I guess I need to change the ATF.

Will I need to drop the pan and change the filter? The fluid on the dipstick looks like new.

Any tips and recomendations welcome.

Thank you.
 
Spill and fill, baby!
Easiest thing in the world.
I would get a gallon jug of MaxLife and get to work.
All you need is a 14MM wrench and a funnel.
 
Some thoughts: On my 4AT I read all that I could (toyotanation has lots of info) and found that the Duralast filter had the best gasket going. I bought that and tossed the filter. I don't know what filter you have, but Toyota (Aisin) seems to prefer strainers which don't need to be touched.

I'd be tempted to leave well enough alone, and just drain the pan. However, on my truck the darkest looking fluid was on the pan and didn't drain out when I drained. Depending upon the drain it's possible some of the nastiest fluid can be retained. Also it is nice to inspect the magnets. Is it necessary? Probably not. It may well be good enough to just drain and leave the pan as-is.

Now, it may be worthwhile to pull the line to the cooler and pump out what is left in the trans. Drain the pan, refill; pull the cooler line, start the engine, pump out a quart. Fill a quart. Repeat for the 4 or so quarts required to flush out what is in the trans. reinstall cooler line.

Depending upon how nasty the old fluid looks like, you might want to do a full flush in another 10k. Then you could go to just drain and fill with no flush.
 
Originally Posted By: JeffKeryk
Spill and fill, baby!
Easiest thing in the world.
I would get a gallon jug of MaxLife and get to work.
All you need is a 14MM wrench and a funnel.


OP is in Canada. The only place up here I've seen maxlife is at Walmart and it's usually out of stock.

Maxlife was great in my 98 Sienna.

To the OP, just drain and fill for now and plan other further drain and fills will a pan drop and cleaning of the pan later on with a filter replacement.
 
I looked the other day and Amazon had 12 qt for $75. Albeit stateside. I thought auto parts places carried it, albeit not as cheap as Walmart.

I wonder if it really matters though. I don't think the trans is that picky.
 
I owned a Pontiac Vibe (same as matrix) and I dropped the pan, replaced the filter w one from autozone, replaced gasket and refilled w maxlife. Very simple because there is a drain plug. The filter and gasket was under $20. This is what I recommend. Then do another drain and fill every 30-50k miles
 
Originally Posted By: JC1
OP is in Canada. The only place up here I've seen maxlife is at Walmart and it's usually out of stock.


What ATF is common or widely available in CA ?
 
...so what you guys are saying is I/We should attempt to drain/Fill the ATF on my buddy's Vibe(in my Sig) it's an '03, he bought it in 2010 with ~120k mi, now it's pushing 220k mi. the atf has never been touched in his ownership...
 
Originally Posted By: earlyre
...so what you guys are saying is I/We should attempt to drain/Fill the ATF on my buddy's Vibe(in my Sig) it's an '03, he bought it in 2010 with ~120k mi, now it's pushing 220k mi. the atf has never been touched in his ownership...


Since it's never been changed I would do a single drain and fill with some Type-IV atf. Space drain and fills out at least 500 miles or a week if the car is a daily driver. You want the car to have a slow, gradual cleaning.

Then the pan can be dropped and a new filter installed. Three qts will come out each d/f. But at least get started on the d/f's.
 
Stick to an OEM filter, Toyota switched over to felt-based Filtran or Toyo Roki filters in the early-mid 2000s. A Chinese copy might be fine, but I think the quality of the OEM part is better.

I'd do a series of drain and fills and then change the filter. After that, a periodic D/F is all you need.
 
Originally Posted By: hallstevenson
Originally Posted By: JC1
OP is in Canada. The only place up here I've seen maxlife is at Walmart and it's usually out of stock.


What ATF is common or widely available in CA ?


I bought Maxlife from Walmart.ca but it was the conventional, not the synthetic. IDK if you can still get it there or from amazon. I bought 3 jugs at once and still have some.

Since then, I have learned that Costco sells Transmax synthetic for a good price: Here

That's the best deal I can find, maybe one day it will go on sale. I do not think you need to be a member to buy things online from Costco, either.
 
Just sold a 2006 Corolla S to a family member. Purchased the car new.

All I ever did was pull the plug to drain and refill with (what was it, 3.6 qts.?) Toyota Type IV.

Did this about three times each year.

Never a problem in 220,000 miles I owned the car. Never dropped the pan. Heard "there's just a screen in there anyway".
 
Originally Posted By: earlyre
...so what you guys are saying is I/We should attempt to drain/Fill the ATF on my buddy's Vibe(in my Sig) it's an '03, he bought it in 2010 with ~120k mi, now it's pushing 220k mi. the atf has never been touched in his ownership...


I wouldn't touch it myself.
 
Originally Posted By: earlyre
...so what you guys are saying is I/We should attempt to drain/Fill the ATF on my buddy's Vibe(in my Sig) it's an '03, he bought it in 2010 with ~120k mi, now it's pushing 220k mi. the atf has never been touched in his ownership...


D&Fs only change a portion of the fluid at once, so it pretty much just gets some of the contaminants out and replenishes additives.

I think D&Fs are a preventative maintenance procedure, and a neglected trans should be flushed through the cooler lines. A lot of people are more comfortable with a D&F on a neglected car, because there is less to go wrong although you are not changing your dirty fluid, just diluting it with clean fluid. A single D&F on a neglected trans made a noticeable difference to my car with 200k km original ATF.
 
A 2009 may use a WS fluid not T=IV.
I did 2 D&F and used nothing but cheapo Dexron VI. Working great for about 30k.
 
Originally Posted By: Hammehead
A 2009 may use a WS fluid not T=IV.
I did 2 D&F and used nothing but cheapo Dexron VI. Working great for about 30k.


Can anyone please confirm the spec of the fluid I should use.
 
2009 takes WS. I can only speak about the 4-speed, but it needs about 2.5-2.7 quarts for a drain and fill. The plug takes a 10 mm Allen socket. If it has never been changed, you can probably get the washer to seal for another change or two.
 
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