ATF for 2002 Toyota Corolla CE with A131L

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kengrome

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Dec 27, 2023
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My son has a 2002 Toyota Corolla CE with the 3-speed A131L automatic transmission and 174k miles on the odometer.

I will be doing a bunch of work on this car during the next month or so, including transmission oil drain and replace. However, I do not have the owner's manual and have failed to find one online.

Can someone tell me the correct ATF spec for this transmission?

And to be more specific, which affordable full-synthetic ATF product(s) can I use use without causing problems? I'm hoping for a specific product recommendation here.

BTW my wife works at Walmart where she gets an employee discount, so if the recommended ATF is available at Walmart that would be even better.

:)
 
Valvoline MaxLife is usually the go to, but I believe it will be too low on viscosity for that transmission. I'd personally use the SuperTech High Mileage ATF, if buying from Walmart.
EDIT: Found the owners manual, here is what it recommends.
Screenshot_20231228-075224.png

SuperTech HM ATF will do the job, but it's not synthetic. A great option, that's not in Walmart unfortunately, is Mobil1 ATF. It's synthetic and meets Dexron II & III.
 
Last edited:
His A131L 3 speed isn't too picky about fluid. I'd lean towards the thicker Castrol Transmax ATF since its closer to its original dexron 3 viscosity. Its a very durable, smooth operating transmission. The differential on the 3 speed version has a front differential thats a separate unit from the transmission fluid wise. It has a drain bolt on it that doesn't affect the transmission fluid level. Refill with 1.5 quarts of the same ATF the transmission uses using a funnel with a hose connecting the bottom of the funnel to the fill hole on the differential. Most owners don't realize the differential needs to be serviced separately from the transmission and it leads to failure.
 
Thank you to everyone who's posted. I'm tempted to go with a Castrol TRANSMAX because it's actually couple dollars cheaper than Valvoline MAXLIFE right now at Walmart, but more importantly ...

It seems that if Tkonrr is correct (and I have no reason to believe he's not) the Castrol might be better since it's viscosity is closer to the original spec ATF for this transmission. This makes sense, doesn't it?

BTW, I just learned about the separate differential fluid two days ago. That freaked me out because the differential ATF may never have been changed in this car's lifetime. Naturally I want to drain and replace it ASAP -- and hopefully head off any potentially disastrous issues in the future.
 
kengrome said:
BTW, I just learned about the separate differential fluid two days ago. That freaked me out because the differential ATF may never have been changed in this car's lifetime. Naturally I want to drain and replace it ASAP -- and hopefully head off any potentially disastrous issues in the future.
Click to expand...
FWIW when I did the diff in my (now departed) '99 Camry, which also had a separate drain for the diff, the ATF that came out was nice and bright red. No friction material present, so no black stuff to pick up. IMO, and this is just that, the damage here comes from undetected leaks, not necessarily the ATF wearing out--unlike RWD/4WD diffs, there is no hypoid gear to tear up the oil.

By all means, change and monitor, but as long as there was oil in there, I'm not sure it's something to sweat over.

FWIW I went with Maxlife, slightly different trans, but it took happily to it. Then again the stuff that came out, most anything would have been an improvement (140k on the clock, had to believe it was original).
 
I recently bought a 2003 Saturn with a Toyota Aisin-Warner automatic (5 speed, not 3 like yours) and it runs fine on the current Valvoline Maxlife Multi-Vehicle.
 
kengrome said:
Thank you to everyone who's posted. I'm tempted to go with a Castrol TRANSMAX because it's actually couple dollars cheaper than Valvoline MAXLIFE right now at Walmart, but more importantly ...

It seems that if Tkonrr is correct (and I have no reason to believe he's not) the Castrol might be better since it's viscosity is closer to the original spec ATF for this transmission. This makes sense, doesn't it?

BTW, I just learned about the separate differential fluid two days ago. That freaked me out because the differential ATF may never have been changed in this car's lifetime. Naturally I want to drain and replace it ASAP -- and hopefully head off any potentially disastrous issues in the future.
Click to expand...
yup check the toyotanation forums, they have some awesome diys for this exact unit. You can use any dex 3 oil on the shelf. if you need something thicker and synthetics, valvo import atf is 17.98 a jug from amazon.
 
kengrome said:
Thank you to everyone who's posted. I'm tempted to go with a Castrol TRANSMAX because it's actually couple dollars cheaper than Valvoline MAXLIFE right now at Walmart, but more importantly ...

It seems that if Tkonrr is correct (and I have no reason to believe he's not) the Castrol might be better since it's viscosity is closer to the original spec ATF for this transmission. This makes sense, doesn't it?

BTW, I just learned about the separate differential fluid two days ago. That freaked me out because the differential ATF may never have been changed in this car's lifetime. Naturally I want to drain and replace it ASAP -- and hopefully head off any potentially disastrous issues in the future.
Click to expand...
Dang I thought the 3spd shared fluid with the trans, good to know.

And I like where your head's at, I would also go with the Castrol due to the viscosity.
 
kengrome said:
My son has a 2002 Toyota Corolla CE with the 3-speed A131L automatic transmission and 174k miles on the odometer.

I will be doing a bunch of work on this car during the next month or so, including transmission oil drain and replace. However, I do not have the owner's manual and have failed to find one online.

Can someone tell me the correct ATF spec for this transmission?

And to be more specific, which affordable full-synthetic ATF product(s) can I use use without causing problems? I'm hoping for a specific product recommendation here.

BTW my wife works at Walmart where she gets an employee discount, so if the recommended ATF is available at Walmart that would be even better.

:)
Click to expand...
I run Valvoline Maxlife in the 3 Corollas in my sig. In use for over 6 years without issues. It’s highly recommended in the Corolla forums. Use with confidence.
Side note: You will DEFINITELY notice the improvement in shift quality after the replacement.
 
supton said:
IMO ... the damage here comes from undetected leaks, not necessarily the ATF wearing out--unlike RWD/4WD diffs, there is no hypoid gear to tear up the oil.
Click to expand...

This could be why many of these old 3-speed automatic transmissions last so long when they do NOT develop a leak. I hope my son's differential is like yours when I check it.

I ordered the Castrol Transmax from Walmart last night. They should deliver today but we just got a snap of cold weather so I may not start working on the transmission for a few days.

Thanks again for all the replies and suggestions, I learned more than expected here.
 
One last question. I'm also going to drain and fill the power steering:

I think the specs for this car say I can use the transmission/differential ATF in the power steering system, so ... would the Castrol Transmax ATF be good for my power steering?

Or would it be better if I use a different product -- perhaps one actually labeled as Power Steering fluid?
 
You can definitely use the one you ordered for the transaxle, differential, and power steering.

I’ve had a 93 Tercel with 3 speed for 17 years now and it has run flawlessly with different Castrol Dex III formulations, Maxlife, and also a couple of Dex VI spill and fills. I’ve done the differential every time I’ve done a spill and fill and the fluid has always looked new but even if it is spent in yours, the good thing about it is you completely drain and fill it, unlike the trans.

You might as well get new crush washers for each unit from the dealer
 
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