ATF flush or D&F

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ugabulldog

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I have an 07 Tundra w/ 50k miles, bought used and atf never changed. It was used to haul a truck camper, these are pretty heavy, by previous owner. I am debating doing a full flush myself with some good write ups and video from youtube (basically doing d&f three times back to back), it is a sealed tranny so checking fluid is hardest part. Or should I just do a regular d&F measuring what came out and adding back (same temp fluid). D&F only gets about 1/3 out. I also plan on switching to Valvoline Max life.
 
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You're deciding between doing a single D&F or three? This is one of those transmissions with a "fill from beneath" fittings?

Do the first round and see how foul it is. Decide on continuing then.
 
Flush it via return line - looks like a new Tundra given the miles.
Doing the flush on a cold engine will help get the level right.
Stick with T-IV and not any ATF that folks on this forum think is a wonder soup (MaxLife).
Personally believe T-IV is a good 60K fluid.
 
Might as well pull the cooler line. All the work to put ATF in is the same.

Bit of a pain but IMO the worst looking oil is on the bottom of the pan, and won't drain out. Worth the effort to drop and wipe out. Filter is a strainer and shouldn't need to be touched. There is some DIY's elsewhere on the web, showing what line on the cooler to pull.

While I thought it a pain it really isn't that bad. I forget, I think I did mine cold. Remove fill plug first. Snake a 5/8" (?) PVC hose down from engine bay, shove in a funnel. Drain pan, drop pan, clean pan, reinstall. Fill with x quarts. Pull cooler inlet line, drop into a marked container (like an empty Maxlife container?). I don't know if I would want to drain more than a quart at a time. I think it's a minute of run time on the engine to get a quart? Repeat until what, 8 quarts? comes out. Take for short spin to get ATF up to temp--the DIY's show how to get the dash to indicate proper temp, but I have a Scanguage and used that. Park on level ground, leave engine running, pull check bolt. If none comes out, pull fill plug, add more. For topping off I bought one of those hand pumps that goes into a quart bottle to lift oil up and in.

I'd go find a good DIY on the Tundra forums, a good one will have pics and whatnot.

Edit: I used Maxlife also and it seems fine. Granted I don't tow. But I changed the OEM fluid at 80k and it looked a bit dark; 60k later and last time I looked it was still red.
 
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Originally Posted By: ugabulldog
I have an 07 Tundra w/ 50k miles, bought used and atf never changed. It was used to haul a truck camper, these are pretty heavy, by previous owner. I am debating doing a full flush myself with some good write ups and video from youtube (basically doing d&f three times back to back), it is a sealed tranny so checking fluid is hardest part. Or should I just do a regular d&F measuring what came out and adding back (same temp fluid). D&F only gets about 1/3 out. I also plan on switching to Valvoline Max life.


These transmissions are a pain in the A*s. Go to the dealer and let them do a full exchange with the MOC machine. You MUST measure the fluid at a certain temperature or else readings will be incorrect. They hook up a laptop to the OBC and they get accurate reading this way. There is also another way to do it manually, but it would take you 2 hours to do it and it requires a vacuum pump as well and it is way to complex. Go to the dealer.
 
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That reminds me, if you have an XP laptop (or can figure out how to run XP on a newer laptop) you could get cheapo Techstream off Ebay and read trans temp directly. Along with everything else in the truck.
 
Every transmission flush I have ever had done has led to transmission leaks....not a fan.
 
Honda recommends drain and fills only. I know the truck isn't a Honda but something to keep in mind. I don't think Toyota even has a recommendation. If doing drain and fills I would do them 500+ miles apart to get a slow, gradual cleaning.

Kind of similar to a fish tank where you drain out 20% of it's volume and replace with new, clean water. You can do this once every 24 hours till the water clears up. If one were to flush out a fish tank with all new water you will have a pile of dead fish on your hands.
 
Originally Posted By: Brigadier
Every transmission flush I have ever had done has led to transmission leaks....not a fan.


Every flush I have ever done has never lead to leaks. What do you suppose the difference is?
 
My take has always been, ANY type of fluid refreshing is better than not changing it.

Obviously a cooler line transfusion is going to replace more new for old than a drain and fill, but even a drain in fill is going to remove a percentage of contaminates and increase the add pack. I've performed both myself many times over the years. Depending on how the AT is setup determines which one I'll do. I hope subsequent owners of these vehicles appreciate it.
 
Originally Posted By: ugabulldog
I have an 07 Tundra w/ 50k miles, bought used and atf never changed. It was used to haul a truck camper, these are pretty heavy, by previous owner. I am debating doing a full flush myself with some good write ups and video from youtube (basically doing d&f three times back to back), it is a sealed tranny so checking fluid is hardest part. Or should I just do a regular d&F measuring what came out and adding back (same temp fluid). D&F only gets about 1/3 out. I also plan on switching to Valvoline Max life.


I agree with Pelican, take it to the dealer for a full exchange.

You're dealing with an 11-year vehicle, with only 50k miles; that you know towed a truck camper; it's a sealed transmission; getting the correct fluid level depends on the temperature of the fluid..... Not unless you enjoy working on the truck....
 
Not sure why people equate changing the fluid in these transmissions to rocket science. It's not.

They're a bit more involved in that they don't have a dipstick, but it's not that bad, folks.

I've done it twice on my older 4R (2005) and it's no big deal.

I've done it both ways. Cooler lines to replace it all at once, and a simple D&F.
 
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The transmission isn't "sealed" but can be a PITA to get the fluid level right - having a scan tool that can read the Toyota ATF temp PID(Torque Pro with a ELM327 dongle and the PID string works fine here) or being quick with a paper clip to short out two terminals in the OBD-II port to enable "fluid check mode" will work for the DIYer. Luckily, you have a Tundra and as long as the truck is level, it shouldn't be too difficult to check the level.

My personal preference is to do 2 drain and fills, and before the last one change the filter and do one last one with a proper level check. The jumper wire method if done properly will light up the AT TEMP or D light when the fluid is the in the proper temperature range or flash when it's too hot. When you are there, pull the check plug and you should have just a tiny trickle of fluid. I prefer WS, you can use MaxLife or any universal ATF.

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/61-tac...drain-fill.html
 
A simple drain and fill will be fine
smile.gif
 
NY Steve,

that's the write up I saw and a good video on youtube
 
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