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In celebration of hitting 200K mi today, I performed an oil change and ATF drain and fill.
Being the first time I have performed these fluid changes Myself, I am shocked at how dark both old fluids are.
Is this typical of what you guys are seeing or are these particularly dark?
I had the oil changed 7200 mi ago with Pennzoil Ultra 5W30 and a Bosch D3330 filter.
The ATF fluid was last replaced 100k mi ago and was certainly in need.
Sheesh, so dark. It seemed reddish on the stick and didn't smell burnt.
The PPU can get that way fast if you have not been running a quality full synthetic before. According to the cw, it will clean faster than almost anything, including HDEO. I was doing 5k changes on dino, and it came out carmel-colored. The I switched to PP (not the ultra, but very similar) and it was dark in less than 1k miles from the cleaning action. After a few OCIs this will taper off as it gets clean and stays clean.
On the ATF, I really don't like doing whole flushes at that interval. A drain/fill every 30k keeps the fluid refreshed and performance from suffering. Like you, I notice that if you do a drop test (take out the dipstick, put a drop of ATF on paper) it can look red, but then when you drain or pump it, it looks black from the suspended particles you can't see on the stick/drop test.
Yup, 109k was way too long. I was going through my service records, seeing what all had been done over the years and what is needed. I'll do another drain and fill in 5k, then once every 30k. The shifting seems smoother with the Valvoline Maxlife ATF.
Yup, 109k was way too long. I was going through my service records, seeing what all had been done over the years and what is needed. I'll do another drain and fill in 5k, then once every 30k. The shifting seems smoother with the Valvoline Maxlife ATF.
When I switched to a full synthetic ATF the shifting improved dramatically. Not only that, but it got BETTER after a few thousand miles more. I was a late convert to full synthetics for engine oil and ATF but they are worth it and it sounds like you are doing the right thing with good fluids and attention.
If you did a full flush, 5k is too soon, but if you did a drain/fill that is a good interval to get some good cleaning and then replenish. It is easy on these cars to do a full flush because you can crack the system at the radiator/cooler and then use the transmission to do the pumping in 2qt increments, basically like this:
Quick question, can't find a way to post but this thread may be appropriate. Can I add magnets in transmission pan to collect more metal then remove after I have changed fluid a few times. I'm trying to change fluid by changing repeatedly over a month or so. Car now has 257,xxx miles, I put 3,000 on myself. Has immaculate service records until 180,000 from dealership. Do I g a bit of a preventive maintenance restore project to it.
Most of these pans have magnets in them, magnetized bolts, etc. You can add more of course, but I doubt it will add any additional effectiveness.
These transmissions are known to work well and not be high-maintenance. I've seen one professional Toyota mechanic say that every filter change he ever did was a waste, just change the fluid regularly and be comfortable with that. I'm particular about maintenance, but I'm following that advice with the ES300 transmission.
Using synthetic ATF (Royal Purple) was the best thing I've done for me ES. Not only does the transmission shift better, the fluid does not darken near as quickly allowing me to run longer between changes.
Oil is fine, ATF is not. I would stick with Type 4.
That's some really specious reasoning based on no analysis and only mileage run and pics of filthy fluid.
I agree w/Lexus2000, synthetic fluids have been money very well spent. I'm a later convert to them but am now sold. Particularly for ATF. T-IV is not a horrible fluid; it's just profoundly average dino fluid. My transmsissions are now running better than ever on synthetic fluids.
That's some really specious reasoning based on no analysis and only mileage run and pics of filthy fluid.
I agree w/Lexus2000, synthetic fluids have been money very well spent. I'm a later convert to them but am now sold. Particularly for ATF. T-IV is not a horrible fluid; it's just profoundly average dino fluid. My transmsissions are now running better than ever on synthetic fluids.
Thanks for the opinion, everyone has one. I used a syn ATF in a Lexus that called for Type 4. The experience was not good at all and it was expensive.
I now use the ATF that Lexus indicates. It is cheaper and it works fine.
I hope that meets your standard for an opinion.
As for the color of the fluid, I know the color of clean ATF and that ATF was not clean. Motor oil is "dirty" after 500 miles or so.
02-27-15, 02:09 PM
Oil and Trans fluid replacement
