2011 Toyota 4Runner, 114000 miles, which is occasionally driven on the border line of special operating conditions. ATF drain and fill is recommended every 60,000 miles, so I recently exchanged 3 gallons of fluid, first by drain and fill and then by pumping out 2 quarts at a time, topping off, repeat and finish by setting fluid level at a specified fluid temperature. No issues there, and the transmission shifts better.
There are three (3) ways non-metallic material is captured in a sealed transmission, (1) very fine particles remain suspended in the fluid, (2) some particles cling to the pan and (3) large particles that would bind up close clearances are captured by a large surface area strainer. In addition, there are no less than 4 magnets spaced in the pan to catch metal.
Here’s the question: The 4Runner Warranty and Maintenance Guide and factory manual does not recommend replacing the strainer, cleaning the magnets or cleaning the pan at any time or mileage, so I didn’t do any of that. Drain and fill is the only recommendation. If I want to do more, I suppose I could wait until 180,000 miles to inspect and back flush the strainer with used ATF, clean the magnets and pan. What is your experience with Toyota sealed transmissions in regards to the strainer and cleaning magnets? Do nothing for a lifetime of ownership, typically 300,000 miles?
There are three (3) ways non-metallic material is captured in a sealed transmission, (1) very fine particles remain suspended in the fluid, (2) some particles cling to the pan and (3) large particles that would bind up close clearances are captured by a large surface area strainer. In addition, there are no less than 4 magnets spaced in the pan to catch metal.
Here’s the question: The 4Runner Warranty and Maintenance Guide and factory manual does not recommend replacing the strainer, cleaning the magnets or cleaning the pan at any time or mileage, so I didn’t do any of that. Drain and fill is the only recommendation. If I want to do more, I suppose I could wait until 180,000 miles to inspect and back flush the strainer with used ATF, clean the magnets and pan. What is your experience with Toyota sealed transmissions in regards to the strainer and cleaning magnets? Do nothing for a lifetime of ownership, typically 300,000 miles?