When to drain and fill ATF for Toyota

[Leo99]

Originally Posted by Farnsworth
Pennzoil, Havoline (Chevron) make multi fluids too. They get the test specs and meet those specs. Idemitsu does it better IMO and makes a whole boat load of specific car fluids. That's the best way.. They explain why they go through all the trouble on their website.
You got a jewel of a used car with those miles, lucky. Actually I would have Toyota service it at 30k and pay the fee. The theory being don't fix what isn't broke.Don't tinker and make it worse.


At 4000 miles a year and no towing, I would leave it be.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted by Farnsworth
Pennzoil, Havoline (Chevron) make multi fluids too. They get the test specs and meet those specs. Idemitsu does it better IMO and makes a whole boat load of specific car fluids. That's the best way.. They explain why they go through all the trouble on their website.
You got a jewel of a used car with those miles, lucky. Actually I would have Toyota service it at 30k and pay the fee. The theory being don't fix what isn't broke.Don't tinker and make it worse.


Technically Valvoline doesn't meet any of those specs which is why it just recommended for applications which call for a particular spec, not that it's actually approved for that particular spec. It's Valvoline that's making the recommendation, not the manufacturer. The manufacturers only approve the fluids that meet their spec.

 

[chad8]

There are only 5 transmission fluids i have found that are engineered to meet the WS specifications.
I have not found any of them that are licensed or approved by Toyota except WS which used to be made for them by exxon-mobil .
I can not find the current manufacturer in the USA.
In Japan they use Aisin and have used idemitsu as factory fill in the past.
Yes, there are a bunch of others that will work , but for how long.
All the below listed are conventional non-synthetic fluids .
I have some Idemitsu here that i will be using this week.

idemitsu tls-lv
toyota WS
aisin ws
ravinol ws
enenos ws

I would think that some of the synthetics , particularly maxlife, redline , and Amalie , hold promise for these transmissions , but because of their cst weights being off and not knowing the ad pack , I will not use them in my Toyota.
I was told by my friend , a senior master Toyota tech , to use only licensed OEM fluid. I think he is wrong , but understand his thinking .
I believe that idemitsu is as close as i can get and I only paid $2.50 a quart.
I will say that I am using Wolf's head multi-synthetic in a hyundai of mine with no issues so far.
I would not hesitate to use it again over SPIII .
Just shows that i am not just a FF guy.

 

[Tundragod]

Originally Posted by danez_yoda
If I were to do it again and depending on your usage I would do a simple (well relatively) drain and fill every 30 K miles. This is only ~ 3 qts drained and replaced. You will need a way to monitor the transmission temperature to set the fluid level correctly. I use a cheap ODB2 code reader and a torque pro app or equivalent to do this. make sure the truck is on level ground not a inclined garage or driveway.

once you get that part done, go at it. Remember to be clean when you do it so you don't get dirt in the transmission. One of the motivations to remove the dipstick was that was where a lot of the dirt was getting into the transmission. I'm sure there were more business decisions for that but that technical reason is one i would buy as one of the few advantages of a sealed transmission.

It is more difficult to service properly though that is for sure.


Is it 3 qts? Mine had over 4 qts came out. 2012 Highlander Limited.

 

[DGXR]

I also agree on doing a simple drain & fill right now. Assuming your Highlander is not in severe service, do another drain & fill at 60k miles and every 30k thereafter.
At some point you need to drop the pan and replace the filter & gasket, I'd suggest doing this around 90-100k miles. Doing this filter replacement once in a vehicle's life is usually enough, as long as it's not in severe service and the trans fluid is kept fresh with regular drain & fills. This is what I'm doing with my Tacoma, it's at 156k miles and runs great.

 

[Jake_J]

Originally Posted by atikovi
Originally Posted by NH73
It is OK to use Valvoline Maxlife ATF as well.


If you want to save $10-$20 in fluid on a part that would cost $3-4,000 to replace, go right ahead.


That's just plain old stupid fear mongering, I've used Maxlife in three different Toyota automatics in addition to a couple Honda's, and a Mazda and they all shifted great afterwards. I'd like love to see just one verified and document case of somebody blowing up a Toyota automatic (that calls for WS) by running Maxlife.

 

[atikovi]

Originally Posted by Jake_J
Originally Posted by atikovi
Originally Posted by NH73
It is OK to use Valvoline Maxlife ATF as well.


If you want to save $10-$20 in fluid on a part that would cost $3-4,000 to replace, go right ahead.


That's just plain old stupid fear mongering, I've used Maxlife in three different Toyota automatics in addition to a couple Honda's, and a Mazda and they all shifted great afterwards. I'd like love to see just one verified and document case of somebody blowing up a Toyota automatic (that calls for WS) by running Maxlife.


Blowing up isn't the metric to go by but having to endure poor shift quality day in and day out as pointed out in previous posts is. You have a lot to learn grasshopper.

 

[Jake_J]

Originally Posted by atikovi
Originally Posted by Jake_J
Originally Posted by atikovi
Originally Posted by NH73
It is OK to use Valvoline Maxlife ATF as well.


If you want to save $10-$20 in fluid on a part that would cost $3-4,000 to replace, go right ahead.


That's just plain old stupid fear mongering, I've used Maxlife in three different Toyota automatics in addition to a couple Honda's, and a Mazda and they all shifted great afterwards. I'd like love to see just one verified and document case of somebody blowing up a Toyota automatic (that calls for WS) by running Maxlife.


Blowing up isn't the metric to go by but having to endure poor shift quality day in and day out as pointed out in previous posts is. You have a lot to learn grasshopper.


You can use whatever metric makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside, but if you state that by using Maxlife you risk having to replace the transmission then better justify that risk not just backtrack to "but it feels different". Perhaps you should have written "If you want to save $10-$20 on fluid to risk the indignation of shifts that feel different, go right ahead".

 

[brslds]

if the highlander has a transmission filter get that changed. Then worry about what ATF you will run in it. I've used maxlife, maxlife with lubeguard red, and now amsoil. No issues.

 

[dave1251]

Originally Posted by atikovi
Originally Posted by Jake_J
Originally Posted by atikovi
Originally Posted by NH73
It is OK to use Valvoline Maxlife ATF as well.


If you want to save $10-$20 in fluid on a part that would cost $3-4,000 to replace, go right ahead.


That's just plain old stupid fear mongering, I've used Maxlife in three different Toyota automatics in addition to a couple Honda's, and a Mazda and they all shifted great afterwards. I'd like love to see just one verified and document case of somebody blowing up a Toyota automatic (that calls for WS) by running Maxlife.


Blowing up isn't the metric to go by but having to endure poor shift quality day in and day out as pointed out in previous posts is. You have a lot to learn grasshopper.



You have not learned a thing about ATF if nearly 10 years. Why are you attempting to ridicule a person who makes logical decision?

 

[khittner]

I've had pan drops & filter changes done by a recommended local transmission shop on my wife's '11 Highlander (U760E 6-speed) at 30K, 75K, and 120K miles. I used Maxlife for the first change, and Amsoil LV on the second two. The shop manager has told me that I can lengthen the interval to 50K, based on the absence of paste that they're finding in the pan, filter, or on the magnets. The car shifts nicely at 161K, and I have no concerns about making it to 300K. I let the shop do it since it's <$100 in labor.

 

[RoyFJ]

Heat and not combustion by products is the enemy of atf, molakule's article explains it quite well. I use AISIN AFW+ synthetic WS compatible oil, I do a full flush every 30000. AISIN is Toyota subsidiary who also make the transmission and other parts. I use a Magnefine filter in line as well as Hayden 679 cooler. All this maybe overkill but heck, fluid is cheap, transmission isn't. My shifts are virtually imperceptible when compared to the same transmission on other vehicles even under heavy stress be it off road mud and sand or hills on a hot day or stop and go traffic.