Doing a Drain/Refill, should I drop the pan?

[mareakin]

Car: 2007 Corolla with Automatic Transmission
Miles: ~27,000

Never did any transmission service before, only oil changes (using Mobil 1 0W30/Mobil 1 Filter) and air filter changes--in fact, I didn't think I needed to service the transmission, the Maintenance Schedule booklet does not call for any transmission service. The dipstick saids "fluid does not need to be changed under normal service."

Well, this forum has convinced me that I ought to do some fluid maintenance on the transmission. I compared the old fluid with the new.
The old looked.... darker.... less vibrant. I think it should still be ok. After all, this is a "forever" fluid.

I think I'll change it anyway just to be safe and I like the comfort of knowing that it's got top-notch good fluid in there.

The transmission drain pan has a drain plug, in fact, why don't you scroll up n down this page for pictures of what it all looks like: http://www.9thgencorolla.com/forum/showthread.php?t=89136&page=5

you'll see what the drain pan and transmission looks like.

Small dilemma: how should I go about this?

1. I can drop the pan and clean it and also replace the transmission filter (called by Toyota, a "strainer." -- whatever the [censored] that is) ----- this is a bigger job i think. I can get the transmission filter kit here: http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,carcode,1434445,parttype,8600 Do this every 30,000 miles.

or

2. I can just drain out the fluid by unscrewing only the drain plug and then refill. Do this every 10,000 miles.

Any tips?
This'll be my first time, but I'm excited! I'm gonna keep this car going 1 million miles,lol..

 

[The Critic]

Don't worry about it. The filter is essentially a rock stopper. If your filter gets loaded up, you have bigger problems.

If you want better filtration, add an in-line filter such as a Magnefine.

The fluid will turn dark, this is normal. This is a result of using carbon fiber friction materials in the transmission that have a tendency to darken the fluid quickly. I maintain a 2006 Corolla that has over 50,000 miles on the original T-IV and the transmission still shifts great. The fluid is dark, but it isn't of any concern to me.

Since you plan to keep your car, I suggest performing a complete transmission (via the cooler lines) every 50-75k with the correct fluid. That's what I plan to do.

 

[M1Accord]

What's your driving style? Without counting running from stop signs and traffic lights, how often you get over 3k rpm? You can get away with just drain and fill; however, I would go with what Toyota suggest. If they say another fluid type can be use full time, unlike Honda Z1 ATF requirement, then I would go with a full synthetic ATF from Mobil 1, which is very easy to buy.

Corolla is probably the most reliable car one can purchase in the NA. That engine and transmission is practically bullet proof. With oil change and ATF service, I am sure you'll see 300k miles without any problem. Since you're driving more than 25k miles a year, I wouldn't put 400k miles out of your reach. Our next new car will be a Corolla due to the success I have with my 92 Corolla.

If you haven't already, check with service manual from hayne to see if your car has a lifetime ATF filter like my 02 Accord. Droping the pan is a lot easier than it sounds. I just did it on my 92. The important thing is to have the new gasket/filter kit, which costed me $11 from Advance Auto, and some gasket gel to hole it into place. Be sure to pick up degrease to clean your pan if you do take it off as there will be a lot of metal paste needing to be clean off. You must wash it with water and allow it to dry completely afterward. Then you can hole the gasket onto the pan by pushing the screws through the gasket's holes. A torque wrench is very important to get all the screw tighten properly without creating a un-even pressure, which will potentially cause leaks and gasket contamination. If you're familiar with your auto part store and see a same guy working the counter for awhile, he/she should be able to tell your how to use a torque wrench and sell you a one-use gasket gel, which should be no bigger than a ketchup package.

 

[Nyquist]

One of the schedules that's worked for me for years on my "POS" GM cars (they all had over 160k miles on them when I got rid of them) was dropping the transmission pan at 40k miles, replacing the filter, and refilling with fluid. At 80k miles I would flush them out and replace the filter. The filter may be a rock stopper, but if fluid can't flow freely through it, that is bad news.

 

[2002 Maxima SE]

Originally Posted By: Nyquist
One of the schedules that's worked for me for years on my "POS" GM cars (they all had over 160k miles on them when I got rid of them) was dropping the transmission pan at 40k miles, replacing the filter, and refilling with fluid. At 80k miles I would flush them out and replace the filter. The filter may be a rock stopper, but if fluid can't flow freely through it, that is bad news.


In this case, he isn't referring to an actual ATF filter like found on most US cars (my Taurus has one). The Corolla, like my Maxima, has a metal strainer but with much wider weave. It is not designed to be serviced. It's only purpose is to stop large objects from getting sucked back into the motor and causing further damage.

I'd recommend just doing the drain/fill every 20k with quality synthetic ATF (Mobil, Amsoil, Redline).

 

[doitmyself]

It was not too many years ago that everyone here was recommending 30K transmission filter and fluid changes as the norm for any vehicle. "You had to get all those nasty break in particles out asap". It's good to see the current trend, I think.

Does your car have a recommendation for it's "severe" schedule? My Caravan has lifetime fill, but recommends 60K filter and fluid change under severe conditions. Because my transmission has a troubled history (supposedly fixed, finally), I decided on doing a cooler line exchange at 30K, followed by a pan drop and exchange at 60K.

I was pleased at 60K that there was only a slight amount of skum covering the pan and the usual gunk on the magnet.

Don't let anyone fool you about how easy it is to do a pan drop. Installations with RTV can be very difficult to get the pan un-glued. I had one pan bolt break off on an Escort(seized in) and on a Sebring, it seems one of the bolts was stripped from the factory. After using a torque wrench to snug the gasket, I had two seep later on that required re-tightening. Not trying to scare you, but you need to be prepared for these things.

 

[hate2work]

What makes you think this is a "forever fluid"? It's not, it wears out just like your motor oil, just not as fast.

Even the new "sealed" transmissions from Toyota that use the new WS fluid need to be serviced ( flushed ) at 100,000 miles. And it's a different process than what most of us are used to, I'm not even sure it's doable by us home mechanics.

AFAIK, all the 9th gen Corollas ( like my 06 ) use the standard type fluid called T-IV, not the WS fluid. Otherwise you wouldn't even have a dipstick.

Anyway, no real need to drop the pan, just use the drain plug to drain, and then refill with the same amount that comes out. I'm pretty sure yours will be the same as my 06 Corolla, and that took exactly 3 quarts to refill. Make sure you use a new gasket on the drain plug.

IMO, the two best fluids to use when refilling would be either the Toyota OE fluid or the Amsoil Universal Synthetic Transmission Fluid. I used the Amsoil fluid in my 06 Tacoma and it's doing well.

How often you D and R the fluid is going to be your call. You get about 1/3 of the old fluid out every time you do it, so even if you only did it every 30k miles you'd be OK. Personally, I'm doing a drain and refill on the Corolla and my Tacoma every 20k miles. I think doing it every 10k miles is a bit excessive, but it's your call.

Good luck

 

[Donald]

Drain and refill via drain plug then immediately setup for and do a cooler line flush and go aith Amsoil ATF. Look on their website as to how many quarts needed. Forget about dropping the pan at this mileage.

A DIY cooler line flush is easier than you think.

Also consider an Magnefine filter spliced into the return cooler line, its under $20 and will be very beneficial to the life of your transmission.