ARx problems in ATF

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i like ARx but have never tried it in ATF. wifes 05 RAV4 had 25K and original ATF so thought i'd add 4 oz and drive it at least 500 miles before doing two drain/fills w/ T-IV. ATF was brown, not red at all but not a burnt smell. lot of short trips too.

Day 1 - within 5 miles the Maint Req light comes on and stays on. drove it for a week then did a 4 qt drain/fill and the ATF came out purple-black! never seen anything like that. only 150 miles on the ARx treatment

This was a shock and tells me ARx indeed works even in a week.

it's been two weeks since and Maint Req light still on. car runs very smoothly. I just got 4 more qts of T-IV so will drain/fill again. stealership wanted $275 for a flush (!)

anyone else had this problem before?
 
Uh, no. I used it in Dex-III (original fill on my Buick). It made the transmission shift a lot better. No change in fluid color. Although some of the shifts felt very, very soft towards the end of the run. Even flooring it at speed I couldn't get it to shift roughly.
 
Why did you add ARx to a transmission with only 25k? Two consecutive drain and refill with a quality ATF should have been enough.
 
i changed the oil myself since we bought it used in 2007, so it hasn't been seen by the dealer since then.

yes, drain/fill should have been enough but i'm an additive junkie and thought, 4oz? what could go wrong. I don't really believe anything has gone wrong, it might be some sensor that detects changes in friction or something.

the reason i thinks it was the ARx is the light came on 5 miles after i put it in, but i also don't know the parameters for it coming on in that car

has anyone ever seen purple-black ATF?
 
How many quarts do you put back in when you drain your atf? purple black toyota T-IV after it is drained is pretty normal.
 
Its the oil light you are referring to. It has nothing to do with the transmission. There is a big difference between the check engine or CEL as its commonly reffered to and the service required light. Most come on at 5k in toyota platforms to remind you to change your oil. I would recommend a cooler line flush after ARX treatment. Drain and fills are worthless especially when a cleaning product like ARX is used in old fluid. No worries. Reset the light and sleep well.
 
Let's see now, we pour ARX into the transmission, and moments later the CEL comes on. Then we continue driving (without so much as checking the OBD2 code) for a week??
 
yes, but it drove perfectly. i know ARx is used in transmissions so i wasn't too worried

thanks AzFireGuy, it has been 5,000 since we bought it (she doesn't drive it much) so it must have triggered like an ominous coincidence after the ARx. My apologies to ARx in thinking it was ATF related.

what a freak thing - i found out how to reset it w/ the odometer reset and ignition. i'm still learning about these toyotas

the manual doesn't even state total ATF capacity, anyone know?
 
Automatic Transmission, U241E Initial Fill..........3.7 quarts
Automatic Transmission, U140F Initial Fill..........3.7 quarts
Automatic Transmission, Total Fill
4 speed U140F..........8.8 quarts
4 speed U241E..........9.1 quarts
 
Cold weather viscocity increases with respect to pour point are minimal to non existant when ARX is used as directed. On the other side of the coin, ARX will not adversely affect the viscocity of the ATF or motor oil, unlike solvent brews.

The benefits of cleaning up modular shifting valves is a great idea now, before old man winter sets in. If I had a shifting problem in the dead of winter, I would not hesitate to run ARX.
 
Originally Posted By: [RT
ProjUltraZ]yes, but it drove perfectly. i know ARx is used in transmissions so i wasn't too worried

thanks AzFireGuy, it has been 5,000 since we bought it (she doesn't drive it much) so it must have triggered like an ominous coincidence after the ARx. My apologies to ARx in thinking it was ATF related.

what a freak thing - i found out how to reset it w/ the odometer reset and ignition. i'm still learning about these toyotas

the manual doesn't even state total ATF capacity, anyone know?


That's why I asked early if it was reset. You are dealing with a bulletproof aisin transmission. Adding additives and overfilling it will destroy it in no time. I am running Mobil 1 synthetic ATF on mine. You can also use Amsoil or Redline D4. The Toyota ATF is a synthetic blend. You can do better by going with a Synthetic.
 
Thanks Gary, i appreciate it. Good to know about 9 qts total

so 9-4 = 5qts old left in. then pull 4 again and about 7 qts will be new w/ 2.2 qts old ATF and .9 oz ARx remaining.

yeah Rick i didn't think it would thicken the ATF, a slight decrease in friction is what i suspected would happen

Billy, i learned my lesson and no more additives for her trans. i'm careful not to overfill, i check the dpstick w/ the car running several times and the next day.
still under warranty til next year so i'll stick to T-IV and sssshhhhh on the arx. i'll forget it happened thanks
 
Originally Posted By: Rick20
Cold weather viscocity increases with respect to pour point are minimal to non existant when ARX is used as directed. On the other side of the coin, ARX will not adversely affect the viscocity of the ATF or motor oil, unlike solvent brews.

The benefits of cleaning up modular shifting valves is a great idea now, before old man winter sets in. If I had a shifting problem in the dead of winter, I would not hesitate to run ARX.


Are you referring to a Florida winter? How about a Canadian winter? I'm not trying to start trouble, just looking for an answer since I have a bottle of the stuff and was thinking of treating an AT. I will be spending time in Canada this winter and have 2000 miles to go before my 25000 mile tranny service is due. I wanted to run it a little longer than 1000 miles on the advise of some members via PM. Thanks.
 
ADFD1,

I am sorry that my Zahn cup ensemble has disappeared, likely thrown out by my wife, or perhaps sold at a yard sale. And no I no longer have an industrial lab freezer that can give me temperatures down to minus 20 F.

But what I did just for you was to see the effects of ARX loaded into a cheapo ATF, Warrens brand/Dextron III/Mercon. I loaded up three graduated cylinders, the first at a ratio of 1 fluid ounce per quart(ARX to Warrens ATF), the second at 2 fluid ounces per quart ratio, the third at a ratio of 3 fluid ounces per quart.

Before putting each graduate into my freezer, maxed out at 20 degrees F., I installed identical pipetts. After 3 hours I pulled the samples and allowed the samples to drain and found that the samples 1 and 2 drained at the same rate as the straight unaltered Warrens ATF. The third sample representing a treat rate of 3 fluid ounces per quart was only 2 seconds slower over the course of 30 seconds. But remember that this 3 fluid ounce per quart ratio is at twice the recommended dose, for the most part.

I do not see the need for running the cleaning dose for much more than the recommended mileage, which is 1000 miles. A closed system such as an Auto Trans does not have the same type of deposits that form in an engine. An engine sump digests massive amounts of blow by gasses, atomopheric moisture, dust or dirt, etc. The Trans only has fluid degredation due to heat and gear shearing for the most part.

If you are concerned about the Canadian winter, I can sympathize, I grew up in New England and lived in Chicago for 10 years. I don't know your driving habits, but if you want to run a slightly elevated mileage beyond the ARX recommendation, I guess you should start your application soon. Personally I stick with the 1000 miles. There is normally no need to run it any longer. Filtration is close to no existant on most transmissions, so why circulate spent fluid containing deposits any longer than you need to.

Hope this helps you. There is really no need to run any more than 3/4 of an ounce to an ounce per quart max per quart, to do a good cleaning of an Automatic trans, run for 1000 miles. There is no rinse phase like on motors.

Hope this is helpful to you.
 
This sounds like a good test, but 3 hours is really not enough time, if someone comes home from work at 6 P.M. and they go to leave for work the next morning at 5 A.M. or so. This test needs to be run at least 8 hours and maybe at the max 12 hours.

If you guys want me to do this I can put arx in a quart of transmission fluid since my freezer goes down to about 0 degrees.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: c3po
This sounds like a good test, but 3 hours is really not enough time, if someone comes home from work at 6 P.M. and they go to leave for work the next morning at 5 A.M. or so. This test needs to be run at least 8 hours and maybe at the max 12 hours.

If you guys want me to do this I can put arx in a quart of transmission fluid since my freezer goes down to about 0 degrees.


c3po, please do this test, it will be interesting to see.
 
Originally Posted By: panthermike
Originally Posted By: c3po
This sounds like a good test, but 3 hours is really not enough time, if someone comes home from work at 6 P.M. and they go to leave for work the next morning at 5 A.M. or so. This test needs to be run at least 8 hours and maybe at the max 12 hours.

If you guys want me to do this I can put arx in a quart of transmission fluid since my freezer goes down to about 0 degrees.


c3po, please do this test, it will be interesting to see.


panthermike, thanks for the response, I will do this test, how many ounces of arx should I put in a quart of ATF, 2 or 3 ounces, we need to agree on a time frame, so is it 8 hours, or maybe 12 hours.
 
I would think the same as Rick's test, maybe 1-2 ounces. As for time, I would say 10-12 hours is realistic for sitting overnight. Perhaps one bottle for 8hrs?
 
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