Pull the pan on 2002 Tundra A340F, filter change?

[simple_gifts]

Vehicle is 2002 Tundra V8 4WD. Transmission is AW A340F; about 150K

Not owned by me.

These have a reputation for grenading; a bit worried that if I do a service and something happens subsequently, well....

Wanted to do a drain and fill, pan has a drain plug; I also have a Mityvac yet to be used.

I see that the transmission filter is the metal screen type. Is there any reason to even change this? I did one on a 98 Protege and it didn't seem to have any value to the filter change. A few years ago I had the dealer do a transmission service on the Toyota but I suspect that might have been just a D+F. (was about $100) I was not convinced by the service writers answers when I asked about the filter.

I guess what I am asking is "Is just a D+F considered reasonable maintenance for this transmission?"

Thanks.

-Thomas.

 

[ARB1977]

My Tacoma has the screen. Never did a pan drop but did flush it by removing the return line till a gallon came out then added four qrts. I did this five times. Now I do drain and fills every 30K or so. I also added a magnafine filter as well since there is no filter in the pan.

 

[RF Overlord]

Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
I guess what I am asking is "Is just a D+F considered reasonable maintenance for this transmission?"
The answer is: "it depends".

ANY service is better than none at all, but a single drain & fill may not be sufficient with that many miles. If you don't want to do a complete fluid exchange, then I would say do a drain & fill now, then another one at each of the next couple of oil changes.

Normally, if the transmission had been properly serviced from new, periodic drain & fills would be more than adequate.

 

[quint]

This is the same transmission thats in my Sequoia. I bought it with 72k miles on it (unknown previous history), and did a drain and fill every 5k miles until 110k miles, which is when I started doing it every 10k miles. At 120k I dropped the pan to clean it out and replace the filter.

What a total waste of time. There wasnt a single spec of dirt, metal, sludge, or anything on the filter. Nothing. That pan was spotless. The typical greyish-black film thats on most transmission pans? Not a sign of it anywhere. Some very slight buildup on the magnet. I pulled it off, wiped it down as best I could, and put it back. I was starting to get suspicious that his transmission had been replaced before I got the truck. It was just too clean for this many miles. I cleaned the old RTV off the pan and transmission, put a new bead of RTV on the pan, and buttoned it back up. Probably took an hour, maybe a little more. I let the RTV dry overnight, filled it back up in the morning... thats the last time the pan will ever get dropped on this tranmission!

 

[simple_gifts]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone; I decided to D+F only and just did an iteration tonight. Drained out 4 qts and refilled with Maxlife Dex/Mer. Probably do (2) more. After I cleaned up, my friend and I went for a ride and she immediately thought it shifted better. She knows her vehicle, I will give her that. The old fluid "looked tired" if there is such a thing. The viscosity was definitely lower than the Maxlife.

 

[Donald]

You don't say clearly how many miles are on the current ATF. I would think it needs a complete fluid exchange. A cooler line flush done yourself is pretty easy and is the most cost effective. Trying to get to say 95% with drain & fills will take a lot of new ATF and is wasteful as towards the end you are tossing old ATF that is maybe 80% new to then get to 85% new.

A $20 Magnefine inline filter would be a good addition also given the transmission only has a screen.

 

[simple_gifts]

Quote:

I would think it needs a complete fluid exchange


I do too; Prior to the dealer service 25K ago, I might take a stab and say it has never been serviced.

I'll research the cooler line flush; but I'm not likely to suggest this to my friend. There was some hesitation on her part to let me do what I did and I had to explain how I was draining fluid out, and how I would guarantee that I put the right amount back. (I poured the drained fluid into a 5qt M1 EP bottle with side scale) I had her double check the amounts so that gave her some confidence that there was little risk; I think the better shifting convinced her this is a worthwhile maintenance task and I was knowledgeable. It took a couple months of nudging and I resisted suggesting what the consequences of not doing it are.

Probably do a few more D+F's, but will look into the cooler line; It is probably the "better way" but I'm sure you know sometimes there are other considerations that need to be managed.

 

[Donald]

I would push for the inline filter next. Your suggestion is based upon the back that her transmission has no real filter and that wear particles will continue to float around in the ATF causing more wear until they leave as part of a change (or partial) of the ATF. $20 at stores under various names. A 5 minute install once you know which line is which (the cooler in temp of the two).

 

[INDYMAC]

My 2000 Tundra has the same transmission. I have 200K+ miles on it now. And if your friend is like me, she wants her truck to last forever. You can't overservice these transmissions. But you can underservice them and they will grenade!

The ATF expands quite a bit when hot, so doing D&F's when the tranny is cold actually does make for more accurate fluid replacement. It may not be an option for you though, unless she lives next door.

If she ever does start having shifting problems, Auto-Rx will be her next best friend.