How to service tranny & what fluid to use??

[synergy_58]

Hello to all. I'm new to this forum, made a few posts on th oil site and received wonderful info. I have a few transmission questions from a couple of friends.

I own a new Toyota Tacoma V-6, 4x4 TRD xtracab and I'm not ready for a transmission service, but I have two friends, Londi and Donna who are concerned about what they need to do.

Londi has a 2001 Chevy Tahoe 2x4, 5.3 ltr. automatic transmission w/114,000 miles. She has never had her transmission serviced, The fluid is a medium red color, not quite as bright red as new fluid.

Donna has a 1998 Toyota Corolla w/131,000 miles on it, and likewise she has never had her transmission serviced.

Question: How/what should they service their transmissions?
Do the cars have filters that have to be changed?
How do they get all of the fluid out of the transmission?
It doesn't seem like it would be a hard job to do. We've looked at the pans and all the bolts. My dad told me that I couldn't just drain the pan fluid, that I had to drain the converter (?) fluid too.

Well anyway, I could use a better understanding of this and any advise on how and what to do, as well as the best fluids to put back in would be outstanding!

Thanks so much in advance.

Anxiously awaiting replys.

Judy in Pensacola, FL.

 

[Matt_S]

The Chevy has a serviceable filter inside the transmission pan. To service this trans, remove all the pan bolts in such a pattern as to control the flow so you don't spill it all over the place. My preference is to pick your favorite corner and remove those bolts all the way, then progress away from that corner, loosening the bolts so that the fluid comes out in a controlled manner. Doing this, the wider the catch pan, the better.

After you get the pan down remove the magnet and wipe it and the entire pan down with a clean cloth or paper towel to clean it off. Don't use any chemicals, you don't need them and don't want to contaminate the fluid. I also like to wipe off anything inside the transmission that looks dirty. The filter will just pull out, then you can install a new one.

When you buy a trans filter kit for this, it may or may not come with a new gasket. If not, the trans has a reusable gasket. If it does, use the new gasket and bolt the pan back on. The torque spec is 11 ft/lbs, I believe. If you don't have a torque wrench, tighten them snugly and evenly in a criss-cross pattern. Overtightening or uneven tightening is BAD and will cause leaks. If you do it right though, you'll have no problems.

After that, fill it up with the right amount of fluid and you're in business.

As for the Toyota, I'm no expert but I believe this is just a simple drain and fill. Remove the drain bolt from the pan, drain it, put the bolt back and refill. There is no servicable filter on this trans.

As for fluid, I like M1. Royal Purple and Amsoil are also highly recommended. Your friend will be spending some bucks, though, if she goes with synthetic. If you go with conventional ATF, you would do very well to add a bottle of Lubeguard Red along with it. The Toyota may require a special Toyota ATF, but if not, any of these three fluids should work fine.

Finally, the only way to get ALL the fluid out is to do a flush, which can cause problems, especially on older transmissions that have never had a flush before. If you get into a pattern of doing a pan drop/refill every 25 - 30k, you'll never need a flush. These cars also don't have a way of draining the converter without dropping the whole transmission, so don't worry about that. The fluid circulates through the converter anyway, so the new fluid will reach those parts and mix with the old.

 

[RF Overlord]

Judy:

I agree with everything Matt_S said ^^^

You might want to also consider adding a drain plug to the Tahoe's pan while it's off...it'll make future ATF changes much easier and MUCH less messy. B&M sells a nice one for about $10 available at most speed shops.

 

[Matt_S]

RF Overlord's idea is a good one and will make future drains much easier, although you still have to remove the pan every 25 - 30k for a filter change. There are a couple things to consider, though. First, be careful where you drill. You need to make sure the pan location you pick will have at least 3/4 - 1" of clearance inside the trans. Second, when removing the plug in the future, you need to use two wrenches: one on the fitting that attaches to the pan, one on the drain plug. This will prevent the plug from loosening and leaking.

Actually, I bought one for my car and didn't have the heart to drill into my transmission pan. Not that the plug is bad, I just couldn't imagine possibly doing any harm to my baby, if you know what I mean (OK, I admit it, I wussed out

). I'll mail it to you for the cost of shipping if your friend wants it.

 

[unDummy]

Toyota Corollas usually have drain plugs. But, as a precaution, I'd check with the dealer for a filter service kit since this vehicle is over 100k miles. If it has a kit, then change the filter, clean the pan, magnets, refill and start a drain/refill maintenance program with that transmission. At 131k miles there is plenty of wear already. I'd use regular cheap Dexron3 or multivehicle ATF.

Same recommendation for the Chevy. Get a filter service kit with gasket/filter...... Definitely locate a drain plug kit. Don't bother with the torque converter draining unless it already has a drainplug easily accesible. Just drop the pan, clean it and the magnets if there, replace filter, install drain plug, reinstall pan and top off. At this point, start a regular drain/refill program.

Your Tacoma can also start a drain/refill OCI now. Its never too early! Toyota ATF is pretty cheap and you'll probably need only 3-5 quarts for a drain/refill.

Drain/refilling using a drainplug replaces from 30-70% of the ATF depending on the transmission. It removes a reasonable amount of fluid an associated wear suspended in the fluid. It also allows you to top of the transmission without shocking it(partial fluid change). And, regular drain/refills will negate the need to replace the filter frequently. 100k mile filter change interval will be good enough.

I myself use synthetic ATFs always. But, for older vehicles, I find that the regular mineral oils are good, especially if budget is an issue. I wish that everyone would start an ATF change program the minute they purchase their new or used vehicles. Most transmission failures are preventable.

 

[synergy_58]

Hi guys,

Great detailed info! We're going to try and tackle both transmissions this Saturday. As for my Tacoma, I only have 2600 miles on it. I'm going to do my first oil change this Sat. as well.

Question. Is it okay to use new synthetic fluid mixed with the existing ATF that will remain in the transmission? So, if I usa M1, just add the required amount right in with the rest of the fluid?

At what mileage should I start my Tacoma's service?

Do I need to put any sealer on the pan and gasket?

Thanks so much guys, this has been a big help.

Judy in Pensacola,

.

 

[Matt_S]

Synthetic fluid will mix with regular just fine. You'll basically wind up with a blend of synthetic and regular.

I would say you should change the Tacoma's fluid every 25 - 30k or sooner if you prefer. The best advice, as far as I'm concerned, is 25 - 30k, though.

Don't use any sealer. Transmissions are very funny creatures and can be very sensitive to lubricants. You don't want to do anything that would affect that, as sealants can leach various chemicals into the oil. If you tighten the pan bolts properly, you should have no problem. I've done it twice on my car now, reusing the original gasket both times, and it's dry as a bone.

 

[unDummy]

I started two Tundra transmission services at the 1st oil change. They had drainplugs and used about 4 quarts Toyota ATF at $4 a quart. At 20k miles, one of the Tundra's transmissions was acting up. It took 2 drain/refills in the same day to make it happy.
I would never wait 25k-30k miles. Thats abuse.

If the drainplug has a copper washer, it could be reused or replaced. If removing the pan, you'll need a new gasket. There is no need for RTV/sealers/teflontape.... I don't care for reuing old gaskets. They're not too expensive.
If you don't want to touch the pan or the drainplug, there are "fluid extractors" that can siphon the ATF through the dipstick.

Synthetic and regular ATFs are fully compatible. You can use either, mix, match, whatever, whenever you want.

I'm a big fan and user of Mobil1 ATF. Its price is right and availability is excellent.

I worked as a transmission rebuilder and hold multiple ASE certifications(including automatics). Most shops would go bankrupt if normal scheduled transmission maintenance(similar to oil changes) was performed.

 

[Matt_S]

Well, considering Toyota calls for the fluid to be inspected at 60k and replaced if the vehicle is run under "special operating conditions", I hardly think 25 - 30k could be considered abuse. Of course it's Judy's truck, so it's her choice. IMO, replacing the fluid at every oil change is very excessive, although you certainly would do no harm.

http://www.toyotapartsandservice.com/smg/pdfs/truck_service_03_49.pdf

 

[Alan]

On the Corolla there is a 14mm bolt to drain both the transmission and differential.131k with the same fluid could be

for that transmission sorry to say if you flush it.


Even a simple drain and fill might cause disaster

!

 

[Ken2]

I'd use Auto-Rx to clean both of those transmissions before I completely flushed and refilled them. As Alan said, just changing the fluid in a high mileage transmission can cause problems.

Be sure you use transmission fluid of the correct spec, regardless of whether it's synthetic or not or which brand. Check, but those two older cars probably use Dexron ATF. You new Toyota might use Toyota's T-IV ATF. Don't use ATF of the wrong spec.


Ken

 

[FL-400S]

I just did a drain and fill on my 3.4L V6 Tundra at 12500 miles. I HAVE to use Toyota T-IV fluid. $3.75 a quart at the dealer. Pull the drain plug, about a gallon comes out. Replace plug, add 4 quarts through dipstick and check it. Easy as pie. Did the rear diff the same day and filled that with 75W140 Red Line.

 

[Alan]

My Toyota's are both Dex III speced,lucky for me as this stuff is cheap compared to T-IV.

It's so simple to change the ATF that I try to do it twice year on both rides,that working out to a drain and fill every 5-6K miles.

Off topic:I'd be plenty

if I had an ride with a failure prone Honda 5spd auto.I read stuff like guys being really meticulous and still getting failures within 30K miles.

should of bought

 

[erch]

I am very curious about why Alan says there could be disaster for the transmission on the Corolla if you do a simple drain and fill. What problems could this cause? I would think some new fluid would be better than all old fluid. Help!!!!

 

[The Critic]

Taco V6-Drain/Refill every 15-20K with $4/qt Toyota T-IV ATF. Do the first drain/refill before 10K if you wish to remove some of the manufacturing debris, but not necessary.

Tahoe- GM specs DexIII for a 10yr/100K service interval for that truck, so simply do a pan drop, filter change, and reinstall the pan with a new gasket and refill with fresh DexIII-H. Supertech DexIII-H is dirt cheap for $1.50-$2/qt, add a filter and gasket to that for a total of around $20. Depending on the transmission, it takes either 5.0 quarts or 7.7 quarts for a drain/refill, so measure the amount of fluid that you drain from the transmission. Continue to replace the fluid thereafter every 15-20K.

Corolla- This transmission is overdue for service. Drain and Refill the transmission with Supertech DexIII-H, depending on whether you have the 3-spd or 4-spd auto, they take 2.7 qts and 3.3 qts for a drain/refill respectively. After draining and refilling with fresh fluid, drive the car on the highway for 10-15 miles to allow the fluid to "mix." Then, drain/refill the transmission once more so that 2/3 of the total ATF will be new. Continue to drain/refill this transmission every 15-20K with DexIII-H.

Hope this helps,
Mike

 

[hounddog]

A flush DOES NOT hurt high mileage transmissions and is the best thing since sliced bread for auto trans,and consumers.Handled and sold litery HUNDEREDS of flushs on high mileage auto transmissions.Unless was already ready to die all they EVER showed was a improvement in shift quality.Find some coupons to eaither dealers or good trans shops.Spend $150 on these transmissions and get a pro to replace or clean filters and do a flush with BG products.It will be money well spent.Most top notch service centers have flush machines.Use the correct fliuds or full syn.anything else is taking a shower and wearing dirty underwear!

 

[John_E]

What do you recommend for so-called "sealed" transmissions, e.g. ZF, with "lifetime" fluid? I am thinking 40-60k mi / 65-100k km, depending on percentage of city driving.

 

[The Critic]

John,
I'd just do a pan drain and filter change at 50K with the lifetime fluid. IIRC, it a Passat takes about 4 quarts at about $15/qt, and a gasket and filter would run you about $20, so it shouldn't cost you more than $60.

Cheap insurance IMO.

Mike

 

[ChiTDI]

http://www.specialtyformulations.com/

 

[Islandvic]

For tahoe, 4l60e transmissions are very easy to service.

Like others said, drop and clean pan. It may be a PITA to get old gasket off. Use aerosol brake cleaner.

Wash off and dry with water, pull old filter off, and make sure the filter neck oring comes off. If the old one sticks in the trans still, just pull off the one from the new filter and slide the new filter in.

Add a drain plug. I found a MotorMite Universal Drain Plug from NAPA for $6. Here are my pics from a '95 Z-71 trans service w/ 4l60e trans and 167k miles.

http://www.supermotors.org/users/islandvic

Either refill with Valvoline Maxlife ATF, or WalMart Super Tech DEXIII.

Drain after a week and refill. If using the ST, drop a bottle of LubeGuard Red Bottle in.

After 20-50k mile, drain and refill again.

Your trans will be happy.

Dont flush, the filter change is more important.