DIY Trans Fluid change on Toyota vehicles.

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Originally Posted by Joephu
Pan temp with a IR thermometer may vary depending on where you shoot it. This is a Flir IR image from my Lexus 2016 ES350 which is the same as the Camry/Avalon 3.5 V-6. The "red dot" on the black and white photo is where the IR thermometer was within 1-2 degrees of using a Scan Gauge 2. Either use the fill back what came out method or get a Scan Gauge/Techstream.

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I Love Stuff like this! Great job.
 
I did the measure in/out method on our Lexus. Worked fine, trans always shifted well. I'll do the same on our Armada and Ram soon. Actually on the Ram it tells you trans temp, so nice!
 
Originally Posted by firebird72
Originally Posted by john_pifer
I've done it twice, following the writeup on Tacoma World. I used the jumper method to verify fluid temp. Went with Toyota WS fluid both times. Local dealers gave a little discount for buying 15 quarts.

No issues other than it being a messy process with having to fill through the port in the side of the trans. I used one of those red and black hand pumps you can get at Harbor Freight. I'd love to know a better pump or method to use.


i just did a full exchange on my 08 4runner. the easiest & cleanest way to fill it is with a large funnel & some 3/8 clear tube from a hardware store. from under the hood, run the clear hose down the passenger side of engine to the trans fill hole, then connect the funnel to the other end up in the engine bay, hold the funnel & pour in the fluid, let it drain into the trans then add more fluid... took about 2 minutes to add 2 qts, which is what i pumped out each time by starting the engine with the bottom trans line unhooked from the radiator for a total of 12 qts. didnt spill a drop & took about an hour total. a 2nd person to hold the funnel & start the engine helps.

or get a different pump, the HF red & black pump with long hoses is more of a siphon for liquids, for less than $10 you can get a hand pump that screws
direct to the 1qt bottle or gallon jugs.


Cool! Thanks for the tip. I'll try the funnel method next time.

What fluid did you use?
 
I drain via trans pan drain plug when cold soaked and add same amount. I do it once a year every spring.

I use max life fwiw...I don't like ws and am happy to bolster with a superior fluid. I purchased 12 gal of max life to keep things consistent lol...I have an issue
 
On my Tundra I bought some lengths of PVC and snaked a hose up into the engine bay so I could pour in ATF for the initial refill. I have a Scangauge in the truck and found the programming for trans temp, so I took it out for a spin, got it to the right temp, went home. I used one of those small pumps that goes into a quart bottle to top off the trans.

I didn't care to work around the hot engine exhaust but it wasn't too bad, I guess.
 
I just tried a drain and fill on my parents 2013 RAV4. Only a little over a quart drained from the pan. I added the same amount that was drained, but I was expecting more like 3-4 quarts to drain. Is this typical on these? I am used to doing drain and fills on Hondas where I get more to drain.
 
Originally Posted by anthonym6
I just tried a drain and fill on my parents 2013 RAV4. Only a little over a quart drained from the pan. I added the same amount that was drained, but I was expecting more like 3-4 quarts to drain. Is this typical on these? I am used to doing drain and fills on Hondas where I get more to drain.


Did you pull the drain bolt? Or the level fill bolt?
 
I removed both the drain and fill plug. Vehicle never had any shifting issues. Just wanted to do a drain and fill as it was around 60k miles.
 
Should be three bolts then, fill, check and drain. I believe there are various videos on how to change fluid in this "sealed" transmission.

Did you measure what came out, and put back in what came out? A number of people do that, and report success; I tend to not trust the factory too much on getting the fill correct, and would rather verify trans temp and then pull the check plug to make sure all is good (I believe the engine has to be running too).
 
Originally Posted by anthonym6
I just tried a drain and fill on my parents 2013 RAV4. Only a little over a quart drained from the pan. I added the same amount that was drained, but I was expecting more like 3-4 quarts to drain. Is this typical on these? I am used to doing drain and fills on Hondas where I get more to drain.

You have to remove the straw.
 
Originally Posted by JeffKeryk
Originally Posted by anthonym6
I just tried a drain and fill on my parents 2013 RAV4. Only a little over a quart drained from the pan. I added the same amount that was drained, but I was expecting more like 3-4 quarts to drain. Is this typical on these? I am used to doing drain and fills on Hondas where I get more to drain.

You have to remove the straw.


Thanks for the comment. I missed that and all the videos I was finding at the time of doing the job were all for removing the pan.
 
Originally Posted by anthonym6
Originally Posted by JeffKeryk
Originally Posted by anthonym6
I just tried a drain and fill on my parents 2013 RAV4. Only a little over a quart drained from the pan. I added the same amount that was drained, but I was expecting more like 3-4 quarts to drain. Is this typical on these? I am used to doing drain and fills on Hondas where I get more to drain.

You have to remove the straw.


Thanks for the comment. I missed that and all the videos I was finding at the time of doing the job were all for removing the pan.

If you service your trans again, please document your procedure including approximate amount of fluid you removed.
Thanks and good luck.
 
Thanks for the replies guys, drained 2.5 qts from the Camry this morning, got it up on ramps last night and left the ATF jug next to it.
73.5k, fluid was pretty dark, I used the mityvac to pump it in.
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Yes I did notice a difference, it shifts smoother/sharper, I plan on doing the same thing the next 2 years and then every 25k from that point on, if we still own it. Car holds 6.9 qts according to Amsoil fluid capacity.
I can't imagine driving on that fluid with the car having over 100k and still shifting fine, not sure about the lifetime label Toyota has slapped on their vehicles.
 
Thanks for posting. I simply don't believe in lifetime fluids.
I get a lot of good information on a Lexus forum for our GS350.
There are some good meaning folk who jump all over your stuff for suggesting a transmission service.
Each to their own.
 
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