ATF change intervals on Toyota's

[Matt1357]

Just did a drain and fill on my 2017 camry with 60,000 miles as suggested by car care nut. He recommends not over doing it and just drain/fill every 60,000 miles because the debris in the fluid helps the clutches grab as they wear and 100% fresh fluid makes them wear more i think he's saying?? My concern in the drain only removes 1/3 of the fluid and it was pretty dark, after the change it shifts better when cold. Question is, since the car started life with completely fresh fluid shouldn't the recommendation be longer for the initial drain/fill then shorter intervals after?

 

[wpod]

Clean fluid has less wear. It is the curve thing.

 

[Silver]

If that's the case, then I think the fluid needs changed before an amount of "debris" becomes high enough that it starts to affect friction within the trans. "Debris" wears parts that you don't want to wear.

 

[LazyDog]

He is got some nice videos!

 

[JustinH]

i'd say to buy a new crush washer for the drain plug when you do the job, and torque the hex plug to spec.

I'd do it every 50-60k, Maxlife is cheap enough and the job is simple on most toyotas.

 

[Matt1357]

i'd say to buy a new crush washer for the drain plug when you do the job, and torque the hex plug to spec.

I'd do it every 50-60k, Maxlife is cheap enough and the job is simple on most toyotas.

I did none of this

 

[DirectRejection]

Just did a drain and fill on my 2017 camry with 60,000 miles as suggested by car care nut. He recommends not over doing it and just drain/fill every 60,000 miles because the debris in the fluid helps the clutches grab as they wear and 100% fresh fluid makes them wear more i think he's saying?? My concern in the drain only removes 1/3 of the fluid and it was pretty dark, after the change it shifts better when cold. Question is, since the car started life with completely fresh fluid shouldn't the recommendation be longer for the initial drain/fill then shorter intervals after?

I am in the same boat.
eCVT fluid drain and fill.
On the 60's.
Keep cycling in some fresh fluid.
Genuine Toyota fluid IMHO.

 

[Matt1357]

It was much easier to change than I thought considering there's no dipstick and the aisin type WS fluid was cheap. I have no problem doing this every 30,000 from here on out which is what I'm leaning towards but if it's actually better for the clutches then I'll do at 60,000

 

[SC Maintenance]

The debris in the fluid is an old wives tail IMHO. If the transmission is shot that is likely true, but a newish trans shouldn't have a problem.

How did you find figuring out the fill level? I have watched the vids and such - need to do my Rav - its approaching 30K, but getting the level / trans temp and all that stuff correct has me concerned. I am considering doing it by weight instead?

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

As I understand it "sealed" transmissions do a better job of protecting the fluid from atmospheric exposure to water and oxygen as well a managing heat. These engineering advancements combined with better bases tocks have enabled long drain intervals which were not possible 20 years ago.

 

[joegreen]

I’m sure it happens all the time but I’ve never heard from anyone i know or has personal experience with clutches wearing out in an automatic transmission. Usually is something Else that wears or fails that causes the clutches to burn out. Whether that’s pump wear and pressure loss or valve body wear. I would want my fluid as clean as possible in order to keep the mechanically moving parts in the transmission wear free. The clutches definitely don’t need clutch material in the fluid to keep them working at the cost of wearing out the rest of the trans parts.

 

[Matt1357]

The debris in the fluid is an old wives tail IMHO. If the transmission is shot that is likely true, but a newish trans shouldn't have a problem.

How did you find figuring out the fill level? I have watched the vids and such - need to do my Rav - its approaching 30K, but getting the level / trans temp and all that stuff correct has me concerned. I am considering doing it by weight instead?

I would be afraid of doing it by weight because I've heard of transmissions being under filled at factory, I'm actually wondering if that's why my transmission shifts better cold now...I used a free car scanner app and chose the 2016 +AT profile, it shows the transmission fluid temperature. The hardest part was making sure the car was completely level.

 

[SC Maintenance]

I would be afraid of doing it by weight because I've heard of transmissions being under filled at factory, I'm actually wondering if that's why my transmission shifts better cold now...I used a free car scanner app and chose the 2016 +AT profile, it shows the transmission fluid temperature. The hardest part was making sure the car was completely level.

So did you stop when the extra fluid started doing the stutter step, or did you wait till it mostly stopped? Its the whole knowing when its done draining that concerns me most.

 

[Matt1357]

So did you stop when the extra fluid started doing the stutter step, or did you wait till it mostly stopped? Its the whole knowing when its done draining that concerns me most.

The stuttering fluid lasted just a few seconds then turned into a very fine drizzle and i put the plug in, the drizzle was so fine that if you waited 5 minutes I think it would be an ounce. It's hard to mess it up as long as the car is level and the temperature is correct. I opened the drain right when it hit 95* and when I put it back on and finished it was at 105* the fluid warmed up pretty quick on a 60* day. I left the car overnight to cool the temperature and get the fluid at the bottom before I drained in the morning, my arms are fairly long so I didn't need the car lifted. I left the steering turned slightly left the night before so I could reach the fill hole with a funnel and tube without having to start the car low on fluid.

 

[jtwrace]

I'm a big fan of Lubeguard's ATF additive too. Been running it in all my vehicles for the last 20 years and never had a transmission failure since I started running it. Prior to, I did even with 30k services. I think the towing just beat the fluid up too much.

 

[xgmad]

The way the clutches are stacked, with a steel ring corresponding to each clutch disk, wear is quite minimal.

Bad fluid and mechanical failure will cause those clutches to burn/wear down in an instant though.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Toyotas have lifetime fluid. I change my lifetime at 40K to 60K. Or less.