06 Corolla ATF decision

[EricF]

I'm working on my neighbor's 06 Corolla S, has the 1.8L 1zz motor, 3spd automatic. at 32k, the T-IV fluid is dark puple, but doesn't smell burnt. She drives mainly short trips or freeway, not a lot of stop & go.
I'm kinda surprised (but not really) that it isn't burnt black yet...
According to the owner's manual, it uses T-IV. my capacity book says it's 2.6qts with a subnote that says "Differential is services separately in Corolla 3spd and Sienna."
I'm not going to service the diff.
Just going to do a pan drop & filter change.

Question.. do I need to do a flush & fill, or is it just 3 quarts that's sitting in the pan waiting to be removed?

Also for transmission fluid, I want to use something synthetic.

Mobil 1 ATF says it's T-IV compatible, along with a bunch of other transmissions. Would it be safe to use the Mobil 1 Synthetic instead of the T-IV? Maybe Redline???

Whatif I put Dex3 and a friction additive to convert to T-IV?

 

[Big_Kat]

I have an 07 corolla and i am doing 10,000k mile drain and refills. You have to go to the dealer to get the correct pan gasket and filter. My local dealer sells t-iv for 4.17qt plus tax. Synthetic won't improve much on MPG as members on another forum noticed. My is an 07 corolla took almost 4qts to drain and refill.

 

[hate2work]

No need to drop the pan, there is a drain bolt right on the pan. Just do one or more drain and refills with a quality syn and you'll be fine. Red Line D-4, Amsoil ATF and Schaeffers 204 are the three premium replacement fluids for that transmission. IIRC, it drains out about 3.5 quarts.

 

[Big_Kat]

I have an 07 corolla and i am doing 10,000k mile drain and refills. You have to go to the dealer to get the correct pan gasket and filter. My local dealer sells t-iv for 4.17qt plus tax. Synthetic won't improve much on MPG as members on another forum noticed. My is an 07 corolla took almost 4qts to drain and refill.

 

[pbm]

I've learned that you will get more of the old fluid out if you drain it when cold. I got approx. 4 qts. out that way. I used T-IV but added a bottle of LG Red and a Magnafine. I plan on doing 32K before the next change. (I drained the OE fluid at 18K and plan on doing it again at 50K)

There are plenty of Corollas with over 100K on the OE fluid so I feel I'm babying it this way.

 

[Saturn_Fan]

I did a drain and refill along with adding a Magnefine at 20K. Plan is to do drain and fills with T-IV (40 bucks a case off Ebay) every 10,000.

I got just a drop under 4 quarts on a drain when I did it. I ordered a half dozen crush washers from Toyota for .30 a piece and got the factory transmission pan gasket for I think around 10 bucks for when I do that part at 30,000.

 

[bepperb]

M1 seems to work well in my t-iv app. If it were mine, a drain/fill every 30~40,000 miles and the fluid still looks good coming out.

 

[EricF]

I was going to use a wix transmission pan & gasket.

Would it be wise to change the filter out now? Or just do a few fluid drops?

 

[hate2work]

Originally Posted By: EricF
I was going to use a wix transmission pan & gasket.

Would it be wise to change the filter out now? Or just do a few fluid drops?


In many of these rigs the filter is just a screen, some call it a "rock catcher" lol

Anyway, if you start early doing drain and refills you'll never have to drop the pan.

Some are buying suction pumps and changing the fluid from the top without having to get under the rig to remove the drain bolt. Pela is one popular brand.

 

[Donald]

If I was to cut over to a synthetic like M1 or Amsoil I would do a drain & refill followed immediately by a cooler like flush (if you easy to get to rubber cooler lines. While M1 or Amsoil are certainty compatible with Toyota T-IV you won't get the full benefit ATF is mostly synthetic. Also go for a Magnefine and then forget about the filter in the transmission.

 

[EricF]

I'd love to put a Magnafine in, however the car has an extended warranty on it, and the overzealous service writer at the dealership has been calling and sending notices to my neighbor that her car is overdue (by 2200 miles) for the 30k check. None of the mailings stated it's required to maintain the extended warranty (oh how I'd love to have that in my hands!) the calls made have not said it's mandatory for the warranty, and I'd love to have a call like that too!
But we did a "30k" check, I did it in 30 minutes and explained a bunch of stuff. so now my neighbor isn't out $600 and knows the dealership was full of it. She goes to america's tire for rotations and they check brakes already, so it'll all work out.

But I'm afraid to "tamper" with the oil cooler line, I'd love to put a magnafine on it, but if she goes back to the dealer, I can see them giving her a headache. I'm sure that magnafine would've saved the life of the transmission fluid.

I'm thinking of just doing 2 drain & fill's with the mobil 3309 and call it all good. maybe at 45k I'll drop the pan & change the filter.

 

[Donald]

Would be interesting to call a dealer and ask them if they would install a Magnefine. Some car companies require a Magnefine to be installed when a new or rebuilt transmission is installed.

 

[unDummy]

At 30k, I would definitely service the diff and get a full synth in there too.

Any of the full synthetic universal or multivehicle ATFs, that mention TIV or 3309, will work in your transmission. A couple drain/refills is a good start to get some fresh ATF into the transmission, and a single drain/refill every 10k-20k from this point forward is good.

No point in servicing the ATF filter until 100k or more.

2006? 3-speed auto? Was Toyota kidding here?

When I install Magnafines, I use new ATF hose from the local autoparts store(or leftover from ATF cooler installations). I replace and save the factory hose. This way, I can 'swap' the hose back quickly if needed for dealer warranty work(even if non-AT related). Dealers are (&W#ing ignorant(thats fully censored and polite as I'll be). They are not mod friendly and are always looking to 'comment' on your VIN.

 

[genynnc]

03 Corolla Auto 205K.

Two ATF changes.

Stock fluid to Castrol Import @ 75K complete flush.

Castrol Import to Super Tech @ 175K flush with filter change.

Transmission has been fine, continues to shift sweetly. Crazy stuff, I know. Will I be allowed to stay on BITOG?

 

[caravanmike]

Originally Posted By: genynnc
03 Corolla Auto 205K.



Castrol Import to Super Tech @ 175K flush with filter change.




are you talking about super tech multi vehicle atf? if so i have been meaning to try it.
i am currently using supertech merc/dex in aw4 and am happy with it. mike

 

[Saturn_Fan]

Slap on a Magefine and call it a day. I put one on my Corolla and it was simple and easy to do. It is also easy to change back if you like. Highly recommend!