Originally Posted by DrewGS350

Just had a transmission flush and differential fluid replaced at the dealer. Have 94k and plan on keeping her for a while.

Originally Posted by burny

My local Toyota joint wants about $150 labor plus fluid costs. I think I'll continue to do it myself. They have a dedicated machine now for the WS and another for the T-IV. My Lexus joint won't do the flush.

Originally Posted by gr8fulRed

yeah, I found the same thing here in Okc a few months back when I was wanting to replace my ATF. Local Lexus store said they do a drain and fill (no flush) but only at 120k miles and then couldn't even tell me for sure if they do MULTIPLE d&f's to remove all old fluid. Toyota said they do a use a dedicated WS flush machine and have "no problems". How can there be two different schools of thought on how to properly service these GS transmissions even at the dealership level??! I ended up using this DIY tutorial to replace it all myself...but still wonder if the machine flush method is a "safe" alternative moving forward. For $239 (what Toyota charges)...it's a pretty cheap service, considering the fluid alone is $129 or so.

Originally Posted by burny

He chose to do it incrementally. I did all 12, but only 3 at a time. Drained 3, filled 3 new qts. Started engine a few seconds and drained 3 more. repeated until cherry red was coming out the drain bolt then did the top off procedure. Will need 2 people if choose to do it this way. Buy 13 quarts as you will need 12 plus a partial.

Originally Posted by imdrax

Im curious why you say you need 2 people to do it your way? Unless im misunderstanding what it is that you are doing. Why cant you just drain, plug drain, fill, plug fill, go up start car shift through gears on stands, then turn off and go under and repeat? I see no need for 2 people unless you are having someone turn on the car with drain plug out while you fill? does the fill hole not fill into the pan? if not then I could see a case for doing it like this just like you would on other cars using the coolant line method.

Originally Posted by alchemist

I think you may have answered your own question. It's so you dont have to go back and forth. One guy can stay under the car and do the drain and fills, while the other person is in the car running it through the gears. And no....you wouldnt turn car on with drain plug out.

Originally Posted by alchemist

What did they charge for each and did they use the BG machine for the flush?

Originally Posted by burny

did you use the method of jumpering the 4 and 13 pins on the OBD? The car has to be in operating temp range in order to get the correct fill. The fluid expands as temp increases.

Originally Posted by alchemist

To change or not to change that is the question. As a highly debated topic on this forum, I felt it was necessary to share my experience.

Yes, I am aware the tranny is ‘sealed’.
Yes I am aware the claims of ‘lifetime’ fluid.
Yes I understand Lexus does not recommend changing the fluid nor does your favorite ASE certified Lexus technician.

Whatever. I am keeping my car until at least 250k miles so in my opinion this is absolutely necessary. My car just passed 100k miles.

First, let’s look at the evidence. After my first drain and fill of 2 Quarts of fluid, look at the difference between new and old fluid.



Now I am aware this may not tell the whole story. Just because the fluid is black, it does not mean it has lost its viscosity and lubricating ability and it still may feel super slick. So I sent a sample to Blackstone labs for analysis. Here is the result:

Their written analysis from Blackstone and breakdown below:

“We see lifetime oils a lot and the name can be very misleading. Since this fluid was the original fill, these metals are from the original break-in. Most of the metal is from new parts wearing in when the transmission was new and some of it is just normal accumulation over the last 100,000 miles. Now that this oil was changed, your next report should show some nice improvements as this stuff washes out. Your samples should look more like universal averages, which show typical wear after ~32K miles on the oil. No contamination was found. You are however, starting to lose viscosity at varying temperatures. Therefore, you changed at the appropriate time. Check back in 20,000 miles without draining."



It needed to be changed probably 20k miles ago.

Below I describe the procedure I found most efficient. I performed a series of drain and fills and did not do a flush as I was concerned of dislodging something that would affect the solenoids down the road. If I had fewer miles I may have just taken it in to a shop that had the BG PF5 machine and let them do their thing.

Disclaimer: Attempt at your own risk. This is the method that I found most useful and efficient – yours may differ and may not be the exact as described herein. As with any do-it-yourself project, unfamiliarity with the tools and process can be dangerous. This project should be construed as theoretical advice. I will not be held responsible for any injury due to the misuse or misunderstanding of this DIY project.

Here is an overview of what I did.
1. Drain 2-2.5 quarts/fill 2-2.5 quarts
2. (5000 miles later) Drain 2-2.5 quarts/fill 2-2.5 quarts
3. (5000 miles later) Drain 2-2.5 quarts/fill 2-2.5 quarts. Use fluid check procedure. Make sure ATF temp is below 46°C (115°F) and check fluid by opening overflow tube. Add fluid as necessary.
4. Repeat Steps 1-3. ***Note*** You do not need to wait 5000 miles between drain/fills. The fluid will be circulated with one drive down the block. I waited 5k miles because I changed my fluid when I did my engine oil change.

KEY POINT – as long as you replace exactly what you drained, you will have no issues. If you are off ½ quart you should not have a problem. I decided to check the fluid level at step 3 so if I was off more than I thought, I could adjust it accordingly, but I felt it wasn’t necessary to do this every time. After step 3, my fluid was perfect so steps 1-2 obviously worked (ie. Replacing the exact fluid that came out).

Ok, here we go…

Stuff needed:
- 12 quarts ATF World Standard (WS) fluid
- Fluid transfer pump or large syringe
- Crescent wrench or 20mm wrench
- 10mm wrench
- 14mm wrench



First, the steps for simple drain/fill:

I used rhino ramps. For the basic drain/fill, leveling the vehicle is not necessary. I actually think more fluid will drain out with the car in this position as the drain plug is to the rear of the tranny…



Remove plastic panel covering tranny. Three 10mm bolts and two plastic 10mm fasteners



Here you will notice the drain plug. 14mm bolt.



Drain fluid. It was soooo black.






***Note*** You have a couple options here. You can drain into a pan then measure the fluid in an empty container OR drain directly into empty container.








EXACTLY 2.5 quarts came out when I drained mine. Yours may differ.




Replace drain plug. Now you will access the fill hole on the driver’s side of the tranny. It is behind a cover, which is held by two 10mm bolts.










The fill plug is rather large. I used a crescent wrench to remove it. You can also use 20mm wrench. You can see it is stamped WS







Now add the EXACT amount of fluid that came out when you drained the pan. Use a fluid transfer pump or syringe.



Replace everything and you are done for the simple drain/fill step.

---→5000 miles later I did another drain/fill

next post...using check procedure...