3-4 quarts at a time seems to be the magic number when I am doing these flushes, of course, depending on the transmission or transaxle.
Simple procedure for Transmission Flush
- Thread starter Built_Well
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Kestas
Staff member
I disconnect one line, then tickle the ignition to find which way it's flowing. Then mark the line with an arrow for future reference.
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I never bothered to observe whether there was a co-current or counter current consistent mindset in where the hot (trans OUT) line was positioned. I just grab the hose with the easiest access and place a spare piece of hose on the rad fitting (not clamping it - but that would be an option.
Sometimes, especially on some FWD setups, the trans is the easier point of access to the cooler circuit. The minor advantage of this method is that you also get any fluid that's in the cooler if you get the return line. We HAD to do this on my son's Cherokee (4WD) since the rad connections were crimped hose attached to hard steel piping. We couldn't even see the rad cooler connections without major work. The trans connections were assembly line pinch fasteners that made connect:disconnect very easy. RWD transmission should have the return toward the back of the transmission ..or rather ..the OUT line should be closest to the front where the converter is. On FWD, it's not all that clear since both can be laterally oriented rather close, with only a vertical distinction between them. As with the co-counter mindset, I haven't managed to observe enough FWD transmissions to figure any common tendency.
Anyway, get an extra short length of hose.
Sometimes, especially on some FWD setups, the trans is the easier point of access to the cooler circuit. The minor advantage of this method is that you also get any fluid that's in the cooler if you get the return line. We HAD to do this on my son's Cherokee (4WD) since the rad connections were crimped hose attached to hard steel piping. We couldn't even see the rad cooler connections without major work. The trans connections were assembly line pinch fasteners that made connect:disconnect very easy. RWD transmission should have the return toward the back of the transmission ..or rather ..the OUT line should be closest to the front where the converter is. On FWD, it's not all that clear since both can be laterally oriented rather close, with only a vertical distinction between them. As with the co-counter mindset, I haven't managed to observe enough FWD transmissions to figure any common tendency.
Anyway, get an extra short length of hose.
I used my 4Runner's send line instead of return, it was super easy compared to vice-versa.
I put the hose into a 5 quart oil jug, since it has quart markings on the side, and had my wife in the car shifting through the gears. I just watched how full the jug was and added fluid at about the rate it was being pumped out at. When the first 5 quart jug was at 5 quarts, I moved the hose to the next one. I was able to keep it within about a 1/2 quart of full the whole time, without ever shutting off the engine.
My Camry's so happy now that she has T-IV inside her again. She shifts so well with T-IV.
About 3 weeks ago, I did a drain and refill with Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF, making the ATF about 45% Mobil 1 and 55% T-IV (we'll say 50/50).
Today I did an ATF oil cooler hose flush to replace the 50/50 mixture of Mobil 1 and T-IV with 100 percent T-IV (or near 100 percent).
I quickly noticed an improvement in shifting during the first 40 miles of driving after the flush. I'm sure Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF is a great ATF; it's just not meant for my Aisin U250E tranz. I don't think I'll ever veer from Toyota T-IV again.
Smooth shifting, no more jerkiness, less shudder when switching into and out of reverse, and fewer down-shifting probs.
The U250E's total capacity is probably 8.5 quarts (the Amsoil site doesn't know). To perform the flush, I bought 13 quarts (a case and a loose quart) from Machens Toyota yesterday for $4.83 per quart. Sure beats the $7 they originally quoted me.
To start things off, I did a drain and refill of the pan's 3.7 quarts. Then did a flush using the tranz-in hose, which enters the transmission at a lower spot than the tranz-out hose, unlike what the author of the tutorial mentioned (he said it's "usually the upper of the two lines"--not so with the '06 Camry). With the '06 Camry, the tranz-in hose (or return hose) is closer to the driver side than the passenger side.
The hose's spring clamp opened by using an 8-inch slip-joint pliers I bought from Harbor Freight. A second, smaller pliers was also helpful during the re-application of the clamp to the hose. There's limited room to work in there. Both pliers came in handy, the bigger and the smaller.
After the 3.7-quart drain and refill, I flushed with 8 quarts of T-IV ATF. (Actually, I flushed with about 7.3 quarts and added another 0.7 quarts after I had driven the car for about 34 highway miles to get the ATF nice and hot for more accurate checking on the dipstick--didn't want to overfill).
I may yet add another 0.25 or 0.3 quart after checking the dipstick level after a 100-mile trip to St. Louis. That ought to get the ATF nice and hot. Looks like the dipstick shows I can put in another 0.25 or 0.3 quart. But I'll wait for the 100-mile drive to verify.
During the flush, I'd add a quart or 1.2 quarts at a time while the car idled, but I would have to turn off the car after a quart or so because I couldn't keep up with the faster outflow of the ATF into the drain pan. When I saw the stream from the hose begin to break up, I'd shut the car off and pour in a second quart. Then I'd turn the car back and let it idle while pouring another quart or so down the ATF dipstick tube.
Sorry to be so detailed, but I'm making notes so I can review them if I ever need to do another flush. I'll probably only do drain and refills from here on out, though, because they're faster than flushes. I did enjoy my first flush, but I think the second time would just seem like a chore. However, first time was very interesting and fun. Definitely worth doing at least once.
About 3 weeks ago, I did a drain and refill with Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF, making the ATF about 45% Mobil 1 and 55% T-IV (we'll say 50/50).
Today I did an ATF oil cooler hose flush to replace the 50/50 mixture of Mobil 1 and T-IV with 100 percent T-IV (or near 100 percent).
I quickly noticed an improvement in shifting during the first 40 miles of driving after the flush. I'm sure Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF is a great ATF; it's just not meant for my Aisin U250E tranz. I don't think I'll ever veer from Toyota T-IV again.
Smooth shifting, no more jerkiness, less shudder when switching into and out of reverse, and fewer down-shifting probs.
The U250E's total capacity is probably 8.5 quarts (the Amsoil site doesn't know). To perform the flush, I bought 13 quarts (a case and a loose quart) from Machens Toyota yesterday for $4.83 per quart. Sure beats the $7 they originally quoted me.
To start things off, I did a drain and refill of the pan's 3.7 quarts. Then did a flush using the tranz-in hose, which enters the transmission at a lower spot than the tranz-out hose, unlike what the author of the tutorial mentioned (he said it's "usually the upper of the two lines"--not so with the '06 Camry). With the '06 Camry, the tranz-in hose (or return hose) is closer to the driver side than the passenger side.
The hose's spring clamp opened by using an 8-inch slip-joint pliers I bought from Harbor Freight. A second, smaller pliers was also helpful during the re-application of the clamp to the hose. There's limited room to work in there. Both pliers came in handy, the bigger and the smaller.
After the 3.7-quart drain and refill, I flushed with 8 quarts of T-IV ATF. (Actually, I flushed with about 7.3 quarts and added another 0.7 quarts after I had driven the car for about 34 highway miles to get the ATF nice and hot for more accurate checking on the dipstick--didn't want to overfill).
I may yet add another 0.25 or 0.3 quart after checking the dipstick level after a 100-mile trip to St. Louis. That ought to get the ATF nice and hot. Looks like the dipstick shows I can put in another 0.25 or 0.3 quart. But I'll wait for the 100-mile drive to verify.
During the flush, I'd add a quart or 1.2 quarts at a time while the car idled, but I would have to turn off the car after a quart or so because I couldn't keep up with the faster outflow of the ATF into the drain pan. When I saw the stream from the hose begin to break up, I'd shut the car off and pour in a second quart. Then I'd turn the car back and let it idle while pouring another quart or so down the ATF dipstick tube.
Sorry to be so detailed, but I'm making notes so I can review them if I ever need to do another flush. I'll probably only do drain and refills from here on out, though, because they're faster than flushes. I did enjoy my first flush, but I think the second time would just seem like a chore. However, first time was very interesting and fun. Definitely worth doing at least once.
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Originally Posted By: Built_Well
My Camry's so happy now that she has T-IV inside her again. She shifts so well with T-IV.
About 3 weeks ago, I did a drain and refill with Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF, making the ATF about 45% Mobil 1 and 55% T-IV (we'll say 50/50).
Today I did an ATF oil cooler hose flush to replace the 50/50 mixture of Mobil 1 and T-IV with 100 percent T-IV (or near 100 percent).
I quickly noticed an improvement in shifting during the first 40 miles of driving after the flush. I'm sure Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF is a great ATF; it's just not meant for my Aisin U250E tranz. I don't think I'll ever veer from Toyota T-IV again.
Smooth shifting, no more jerkiness, less shudder when switching into and out of reverse, and fewer down-shifting probs.
The U250E's total capacity is probably 8.5 quarts (the Amsoil site doesn't know). To perform the flush, I bought 13 quarts (a case and a loose quart) from Machens Toyota yesterday for $4.83 per quart. Sure beats the $7 they originally quoted me.
To start things off, I did a drain and refill of the pan's 3.7 quarts. Then did a flush using the tranz-in hose, which enters the transmission at a lower spot than the tranz-out hose, unlike what the author of the tutorial mentioned (he said it's "usually the upper of the two lines"--not so with the '06 Camry). With the '06 Camry, the tranz-in hose (or return hose) is closer to the driver side than the passenger side.
The hose's spring clamp opened by using an 8-inch slip-joint pliers I bought from Harbor Freight. A second, smaller pliers was also helpful during the re-application of the clamp to the hose. There's limited room to work in there. Both pliers came in handy, the bigger and the smaller.
After the 3.7-quart drain and refill, I flushed with 8 quarts of T-IV ATF. (Actually, I flushed with about 7.3 quarts and added another 0.7 quarts after I had driven the car for about 34 highway miles to get the ATF nice and hot for more accurate checking on the dipstick--didn't want to overfill).
I may yet add another 0.25 or 0.3 quart after checking the dipstick level after a 100-mile trip to St. Louis. That ought to get the ATF nice and hot. Looks like the dipstick shows I can put in another 0.25 or 0.3 quart. But I'll wait for the 100-mile drive to verify.
During the flush, I'd add a quart or 1.2 quarts at a time while the car idled, but I would have to turn off the car after a quart or so because I couldn't keep up with the faster outflow of the ATF into the drain pan. When I saw the stream from the hose begin to break up, I'd shut the car off and pour in a second quart. Then I'd turn the car back and let it idle while pouring another quart or so down the ATF dipstick tube.
Sorry to be so detailed, but I'm making notes so I can review them if I ever need to do another flush. I'll probably only do drain and refills from here on out, though, because they're faster than flushes. I did enjoy my first flush, but I think the second time would just seem like a chore. However, first time was very interesting and fun. Definitely worth doing at least once.
post of the month for me, i'll be printing it out.
I'm happy with my drain and fill regime using TIV, but if the insanity bug bites me i may do a flush to get amsoil in there.
My Camry's so happy now that she has T-IV inside her again. She shifts so well with T-IV.
About 3 weeks ago, I did a drain and refill with Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF, making the ATF about 45% Mobil 1 and 55% T-IV (we'll say 50/50).
Today I did an ATF oil cooler hose flush to replace the 50/50 mixture of Mobil 1 and T-IV with 100 percent T-IV (or near 100 percent).
I quickly noticed an improvement in shifting during the first 40 miles of driving after the flush. I'm sure Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF is a great ATF; it's just not meant for my Aisin U250E tranz. I don't think I'll ever veer from Toyota T-IV again.
Smooth shifting, no more jerkiness, less shudder when switching into and out of reverse, and fewer down-shifting probs.
The U250E's total capacity is probably 8.5 quarts (the Amsoil site doesn't know). To perform the flush, I bought 13 quarts (a case and a loose quart) from Machens Toyota yesterday for $4.83 per quart. Sure beats the $7 they originally quoted me.
To start things off, I did a drain and refill of the pan's 3.7 quarts. Then did a flush using the tranz-in hose, which enters the transmission at a lower spot than the tranz-out hose, unlike what the author of the tutorial mentioned (he said it's "usually the upper of the two lines"--not so with the '06 Camry). With the '06 Camry, the tranz-in hose (or return hose) is closer to the driver side than the passenger side.
The hose's spring clamp opened by using an 8-inch slip-joint pliers I bought from Harbor Freight. A second, smaller pliers was also helpful during the re-application of the clamp to the hose. There's limited room to work in there. Both pliers came in handy, the bigger and the smaller.
After the 3.7-quart drain and refill, I flushed with 8 quarts of T-IV ATF. (Actually, I flushed with about 7.3 quarts and added another 0.7 quarts after I had driven the car for about 34 highway miles to get the ATF nice and hot for more accurate checking on the dipstick--didn't want to overfill).
I may yet add another 0.25 or 0.3 quart after checking the dipstick level after a 100-mile trip to St. Louis. That ought to get the ATF nice and hot. Looks like the dipstick shows I can put in another 0.25 or 0.3 quart. But I'll wait for the 100-mile drive to verify.
During the flush, I'd add a quart or 1.2 quarts at a time while the car idled, but I would have to turn off the car after a quart or so because I couldn't keep up with the faster outflow of the ATF into the drain pan. When I saw the stream from the hose begin to break up, I'd shut the car off and pour in a second quart. Then I'd turn the car back and let it idle while pouring another quart or so down the ATF dipstick tube.
Sorry to be so detailed, but I'm making notes so I can review them if I ever need to do another flush. I'll probably only do drain and refills from here on out, though, because they're faster than flushes. I did enjoy my first flush, but I think the second time would just seem like a chore. However, first time was very interesting and fun. Definitely worth doing at least once.
post of the month for me, i'll be printing it out.
I'm happy with my drain and fill regime using TIV, but if the insanity bug bites me i may do a flush to get amsoil in there.
Bump.
Originally Posted By: Built_Well
3. Remove the fluid return line at the transmission (usually the upper of the two lines), and place it into a one-gallon milk jug or similar semi-transparent container. You may want to place the container in a box with rags around it so that it doesn't spill.
Great DIY. My knowledge of ATF circulating the transmission is limited. Just so I understand the logic behind disconnecting the "fluid return line at the transmission"...
Someone please correct me if I am wrong. So with the car turned ON, the transmission pump is drawing the fresh ATF from the pan. Circulating it through the transmission, torque converter, and lastly through the radiator cooler lines. By disconnecting the "fluid return line at the transmission" we are stopping the old dirty ATF just before it mixes with the new fresh ATF we just put into the ATF pan.
Do I understand it right?
Originally Posted By: Built_Well
3. Remove the fluid return line at the transmission (usually the upper of the two lines), and place it into a one-gallon milk jug or similar semi-transparent container. You may want to place the container in a box with rags around it so that it doesn't spill.
Great DIY. My knowledge of ATF circulating the transmission is limited. Just so I understand the logic behind disconnecting the "fluid return line at the transmission"...
Someone please correct me if I am wrong. So with the car turned ON, the transmission pump is drawing the fresh ATF from the pan. Circulating it through the transmission, torque converter, and lastly through the radiator cooler lines. By disconnecting the "fluid return line at the transmission" we are stopping the old dirty ATF just before it mixes with the new fresh ATF we just put into the ATF pan.
Do I understand it right?
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Sunfire- Yes you are on the right track. There are some good online videos that illustrate how automatics work. The most amazing part would be the torque converter. Remember the first time I cut one open as a kid. And I thought the flux capacitor in the DeLorean was complex!
Builtwell- Good to hear its back to normal. Hopefully one of these days you will try a good atf like Redline or amsoil. They work much better in our transmission. Never been a Mobil 1 ATF fan. Are you planning on upgrading the filtration anytime soon?
Builtwell- Good to hear its back to normal. Hopefully one of these days you will try a good atf like Redline or amsoil. They work much better in our transmission. Never been a Mobil 1 ATF fan. Are you planning on upgrading the filtration anytime soon?
Originally Posted By: crinkles
Originally Posted By: Built_Well
My Camry's so happy now that she has T-IV inside her again. She shifts so well with T-IV.
About 3 weeks ago, I did a drain and refill with Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF, making the ATF about 45% Mobil 1 and 55% T-IV (we'll say 50/50).
Today I did an ATF oil cooler hose flush to replace the 50/50 mixture of Mobil 1 and T-IV with 100 percent T-IV (or near 100 percent).
I quickly noticed an improvement in shifting during the first 40 miles of driving after the flush. I'm sure Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF is a great ATF; it's just not meant for my Aisin U250E tranz. I don't think I'll ever veer from Toyota T-IV again.
Smooth shifting, no more jerkiness, less shudder when switching into and out of reverse, and fewer down-shifting probs.
The U250E's total capacity is probably 8.5 quarts (the Amsoil site doesn't know). To perform the flush, I bought 13 quarts (a case and a loose quart) from Machens Toyota yesterday for $4.83 per quart. Sure beats the $7 they originally quoted me.
To start things off, I did a drain and refill of the pan's 3.7 quarts. Then did a flush using the tranz-in hose, which enters the transmission at a lower spot than the tranz-out hose, unlike what the author of the tutorial mentioned (he said it's "usually the upper of the two lines"--not so with the '06 Camry). With the '06 Camry, the tranz-in hose (or return hose) is closer to the driver side than the passenger side.
The hose's spring clamp opened by using an 8-inch slip-joint pliers I bought from Harbor Freight. A second, smaller pliers was also helpful during the re-application of the clamp to the hose. There's limited room to work in there. Both pliers came in handy, the bigger and the smaller.
After the 3.7-quart drain and refill, I flushed with 8 quarts of T-IV ATF. (Actually, I flushed with about 7.3 quarts and added another 0.7 quarts after I had driven the car for about 34 highway miles to get the ATF nice and hot for more accurate checking on the dipstick--didn't want to overfill).
I may yet add another 0.25 or 0.3 quart after checking the dipstick level after a 100-mile trip to St. Louis. That ought to get the ATF nice and hot. Looks like the dipstick shows I can put in another 0.25 or 0.3 quart. But I'll wait for the 100-mile drive to verify.
During the flush, I'd add a quart or 1.2 quarts at a time while the car idled, but I would have to turn off the car after a quart or so because I couldn't keep up with the faster outflow of the ATF into the drain pan. When I saw the stream from the hose begin to break up, I'd shut the car off and pour in a second quart. Then I'd turn the car back and let it idle while pouring another quart or so down the ATF dipstick tube.
Sorry to be so detailed, but I'm making notes so I can review them if I ever need to do another flush. I'll probably only do drain and refills from here on out, though, because they're faster than flushes. I did enjoy my first flush, but I think the second time would just seem like a chore. However, first time was very interesting and fun. Definitely worth doing at least once.
post of the month for me, i'll be printing it out.
I'm happy with my drain and fill regime using TIV, but if the insanity bug bites me i may do a flush to get amsoil in there.
I have an 03 Camry which started to shift a bit hard and had a noticeable delay from R to D and any revving during that delay obviously led to a pretty unsafe forward jump of the car... lol it had gotten to 85k. I opened up the pan and found that the magnets were not there
Anyway, whether it was never put in at the factory or some mechanic took them, I'll probably never know. Bought new ones (10 bucks each!!!!!!
) and used Method 2 stopping twice to fill up the transmission to make up for the slow rate it was going in.
Anyway I used Amsoil ATF (the newest reformulation with a bit higher viscosity at operating temp) The transmission is smoooooooth like buttaaaaaa now lol And practically no delay in shifting from D to R. I've done this is a 2000 camry with similar results.
Both times added in 6 oz of Auto-Rx and ran for a few thousand miles (supposed to be around 1.5k according to them). Anyway, after dropping the pan I was nearly blinded by the shineyness of the metal inside lol But i have to admit I've never dropped a pan of a transmission that was not treatment with Auto-Rx yet. Highly recommend if you want to use a high OCI atf like Amsoil.
* We need to ransack some Toyota dealers due to these high OEM part prices... Anyone interested in joining me? (kidding... probably...)
Originally Posted By: Built_Well
My Camry's so happy now that she has T-IV inside her again. She shifts so well with T-IV.
About 3 weeks ago, I did a drain and refill with Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF, making the ATF about 45% Mobil 1 and 55% T-IV (we'll say 50/50).
Today I did an ATF oil cooler hose flush to replace the 50/50 mixture of Mobil 1 and T-IV with 100 percent T-IV (or near 100 percent).
I quickly noticed an improvement in shifting during the first 40 miles of driving after the flush. I'm sure Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF is a great ATF; it's just not meant for my Aisin U250E tranz. I don't think I'll ever veer from Toyota T-IV again.
Smooth shifting, no more jerkiness, less shudder when switching into and out of reverse, and fewer down-shifting probs.
The U250E's total capacity is probably 8.5 quarts (the Amsoil site doesn't know). To perform the flush, I bought 13 quarts (a case and a loose quart) from Machens Toyota yesterday for $4.83 per quart. Sure beats the $7 they originally quoted me.
To start things off, I did a drain and refill of the pan's 3.7 quarts. Then did a flush using the tranz-in hose, which enters the transmission at a lower spot than the tranz-out hose, unlike what the author of the tutorial mentioned (he said it's "usually the upper of the two lines"--not so with the '06 Camry). With the '06 Camry, the tranz-in hose (or return hose) is closer to the driver side than the passenger side.
The hose's spring clamp opened by using an 8-inch slip-joint pliers I bought from Harbor Freight. A second, smaller pliers was also helpful during the re-application of the clamp to the hose. There's limited room to work in there. Both pliers came in handy, the bigger and the smaller.
After the 3.7-quart drain and refill, I flushed with 8 quarts of T-IV ATF. (Actually, I flushed with about 7.3 quarts and added another 0.7 quarts after I had driven the car for about 34 highway miles to get the ATF nice and hot for more accurate checking on the dipstick--didn't want to overfill).
I may yet add another 0.25 or 0.3 quart after checking the dipstick level after a 100-mile trip to St. Louis. That ought to get the ATF nice and hot. Looks like the dipstick shows I can put in another 0.25 or 0.3 quart. But I'll wait for the 100-mile drive to verify.
During the flush, I'd add a quart or 1.2 quarts at a time while the car idled, but I would have to turn off the car after a quart or so because I couldn't keep up with the faster outflow of the ATF into the drain pan. When I saw the stream from the hose begin to break up, I'd shut the car off and pour in a second quart. Then I'd turn the car back and let it idle while pouring another quart or so down the ATF dipstick tube.
Sorry to be so detailed, but I'm making notes so I can review them if I ever need to do another flush. I'll probably only do drain and refills from here on out, though, because they're faster than flushes. I did enjoy my first flush, but I think the second time would just seem like a chore. However, first time was very interesting and fun. Definitely worth doing at least once.
post of the month for me, i'll be printing it out.
I'm happy with my drain and fill regime using TIV, but if the insanity bug bites me i may do a flush to get amsoil in there.
I have an 03 Camry which started to shift a bit hard and had a noticeable delay from R to D and any revving during that delay obviously led to a pretty unsafe forward jump of the car... lol it had gotten to 85k. I opened up the pan and found that the magnets were not there
Anyway, whether it was never put in at the factory or some mechanic took them, I'll probably never know. Bought new ones (10 bucks each!!!!!!
Anyway I used Amsoil ATF (the newest reformulation with a bit higher viscosity at operating temp) The transmission is smoooooooth like buttaaaaaa now lol And practically no delay in shifting from D to R. I've done this is a 2000 camry with similar results.
Both times added in 6 oz of Auto-Rx and ran for a few thousand miles (supposed to be around 1.5k according to them). Anyway, after dropping the pan I was nearly blinded by the shineyness of the metal inside lol But i have to admit I've never dropped a pan of a transmission that was not treatment with Auto-Rx yet. Highly recommend if you want to use a high OCI atf like Amsoil.
* We need to ransack some Toyota dealers due to these high OEM part prices... Anyone interested in joining me? (kidding... probably...)
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Now add a Magnefine and your Camry will last longer than you will. Its the best $20 you will ever spend. Buy from our sponsor not the Magnefine website.
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