Tranny fluid change

See no love for this neglected thread/lol
Good question BTW

 

it's never been a problem iirc, hopefully, fluid changes are as ease as removing the fill and drain plugs on past gens. remove the fill plug first, in case you can't get the drain plug out. fill until fluid begins to seep out over bottom of hole threads.

 

i imagine you have to subscribe to toyotatechinfo for $15. and download what you need.

 

yes, that's the hardest part. almost worth it if you can find someone to do it for a hundred bucks.

 

I'd assume it's very similar to third generation. Description of that follows:

There is no dipstick, but you can rest assured that if the fluid level was right to begin with, and there's no leakage, it's still right.

There's a fill and drain bolt, with washers that should be replaced, relatively cheap insurance. Both bolts have a 10 mm hexagonal pocket, requiring a corresponding male driver for remove/install. Torque for both is 29 lb/ft.

Purchase 4 quarts (or liters) of Toyota ATF-WS in advance, you'll need roughly 3.5. The simplest method to get the fluid is via a funnel above with a 3 foot tube extension. Keep the tube OD 5/8" or less and it should fit ok.

Raise the car and level it. For a DIY'r it's not that hard. What I do is raise the front, support on jackstands, then repeat at the rear. The aim is to raise the car enough for access and to get it roughly level.

Remove the fill bolt first, just to ensure no problems, then position a drain pan and remove the drain bolt. Reinstall and torque the drain bolt with new washer, and add fluid through the fill hole, till it starts coming out. This sets the correct level. Reinstall and torque the fill bolt with new washer.

 

changing the fluid is the easy part. the rest makes me drop it off at my local gas station.

 

I'm getting to that mind set, especially regarding getting up on my roof. But getting under a car I'm still ok, just work methodically, and always put something non-compressible and thicker than me under, first. And carry a cell phone, lol.

 

yep, the gutter cleaning is going to be outsourced in the near future.

i wouldn't mind crawling under the car, but getting it up on jacks and level just sounds like too much effort. if the local guy will do it for $60. labor, i'm cool with that.

 

I'm the same way. I'm not getting under my car supported only by jacks anymore. Just me. I will drive the front end up on ramps and support the rear with jacks, that way the area I am working in is on its own wheels. I don't go on the roofs anymore, and I won't climb into an attic without a proper latter. Too many of my friends have had to change their careers/jobs due to at home injuries that could have been prevented. Once you injure your back, neck, collar bone or shoulders, fewer companies want to risk hiring you!! Plus if you have a good paying job that requires you to be able to use your body, it pays to keep that body in one piece. One guy I know was cleaning his rain gutter (had been doing it for years) lost his balance, fell, broke his collar bone, arm and leg. Out of work for nearly 2 years. Rehab was the worse. Lots of loss of income. Total life changer. I use him as my "no brainer" reminder.

 

Maybe you're asking too much from a new car. Just sit and drive for now. Worry about the tranny fluid a bit later.

 

Maybe trade it at 125K. Beginning to wonder if that is the best option.

 

I've always believed that it's best to keep a car for a decade or more, and 250k+ miles. That was my plan when I bought my 2010. Instead, I kept it for 6 years and 130k miles.

Those were 130k absolutely trouble free miles. Could it go more? perhaps. But there is a lot of expensive technology on that car, and if anything does go, it will not be a small bill. I got lucky on the 2010. I'd have loved to keep it another 5 years, and get up to 250k miles, but I'm happier knowing that (at least for the next 3 years) there won't be any surprise repair bills. (Not that this didn't come for a price...)

 

Remember, change the transaxle's ATF WS fluid using some routine: every 60,000 miles, every 100,000 miles or my favorite: 30,000 miles then 90,000 miles then every 90,000 miles.

And NEVER change a tranny's fluid unless asked, they have privacy rights, too.