damon

Talked to my Service Rep at Toyota of Plano ( next door to Park Place Lexus ) & he informed me that the BG Tranmission Flush machine they use is indeed utilizing Toyota T-IV Transmission Fluid.

My receipt did not specifically indicate this. My rep there was Randy George , whom had previously worked for a Lexus Dealership.

Direct Line 972-977-5796

Pilot

There is no transmission filter on the first gen LS, only a metal screen. I would not worry about this, but change the fluid.
I also change trans fluid at every oil change. It is simple and right there close to the engine oil pan.
I buy the type lV fluid at the Lexus dealer, when I purchase the oil filters. Cheap insurance against expensive repairs. I once had a transmission shop forman tell me that almost all auto transmission repairs are caused by never changing the fluid. He indicated that most transmission repairs start at 1000.00, and go up from there.

Pilot

persian451

I flushed my tranny yesterday at Poway Toyota and they were really cool... i brought in a case of T-IV
and they used some BG ATF cleaner and flushed the tranny for 100 (flush labor = 75, ATF cleaner was 20)

So far i noticed the shift is indeed smoother than the 76 ATF fluid i had before. Also when you gun the car, the car has a quicker response and shifts better... in other words, it performs well under any conditions...

i think its something every ls400 driver should do if they dont haev the T-IV

LamSV

Hello Pilot,

I will try this routine with my next oil change. I also bought 2 quarts of T-IV ATF from Lexus of Clear Lake (@ $6.30 per quart). I thought this was pretty expensive for the "red" fluid. I checked out Star Toyota but they wanted $31 per 4 liters). One liter is slightly more than one quart.

Cheers

LexLS

I just got my car back from a tranny flush as well. I swear the previous owner must have put in the wrong fluid. I put in Toyota Type IV with a brand new strainer. WOW what a difference, before it shifted really harshly but now it's super smooth, you can barely feel the shifts.

ychachad

Toyota doesn't even make the big 4 liter (1 gallon) cans anymore. Gates Toyota in SOuth Bend sells for $4.50 per quart. Seems high, but not really, considering it is synthetic fluid. Synthetic AT fluids in Walmart still run in the 4-5 buck range.

Curt

Y. Chachad said:
Hey, Y. Chachad,

The guy at the Toyota parts counter told me the Toyota Type T-4 transmission fluid is not synthetic. I still bought it anyway, since everyone says my LS400 just can't live with any other type of fluid. Are you sure it's synthetic?

I just bought a 1990 LS400 with 214,000 miles on it. The transmission fluid is brown, so I'm planning to change my 2 quarts of fluid today. I'll keep changing 2 quarts at a time until it clears up. I did not get maintenance records from the previous owner.

My transmission has one very minor flaw. If I'm traveling at highway speed and I accelerate, I hear or feel (I'm not sure which, since it is so slight) a little rumble that lasts for about one second. At all other times the transmission works perfectly. I'm not planning to do anything about it except change the fluid. If anyone has any other ideas or suggestions I'd be glad to hear them.

Thanks.
Curt

Pilot

It is easy to flush all the fluid, by simply taking the small return hose off the lower driver side of the radiator, and then place a plastic hose on the radiator fitting and drain to a bucket. Start the car and watch the fluid being pumped into the bucket. Then start adding new fluid pretty fast thru a funnel on the fill tube. When the fluid pumping out the hose turns bright red, then stop and reconnet the hose and radiator. Then check the fluid level with the car running, and top off to the full mark. I did this and it took 3 gallons of Type IV fluid. I bought a case of qts which is 3 gallons from the local Toyota dealer. It cost about 45.00 which was way cheaper than the Lexus dealer.

Pilot

91 LS-400
01 RX-300

azari

Hey guys,

I just had my tranny flushed with Dexron type III. Is this going to cause any problems? My mechanic said (he is a Toyota certified technician, but not a lexus technician) that Dexron III is fine. Should I have used ATF Type IV? if so, where could I have bought it from? is there a price difference between type III and IV?

Thanks very much

azari

no answers??!!!

persian451

Toyota T-IV is specifically made for all automatic transmissions by Toyota and Lexus. Dextron III is usable for, however it is recommended and better to use T-IV synthetic atf. It costs alot more of course.. prob around $5-6 / qt

but there are a couple places that can get it for you for around 3/qt

you should have asked before yoru did the flush with standard atf.

I first got my car done with dextron atf, not knowing about T-IV... and I did a flush at Toyota with the T-IV and felt a huge difference in my tranny's performance and response

azari

ok, here's what happened: The technician told me that he paid around $90 for ATF alone (only fluid, no labor). I know that he never lies to me (for sure), so the $90 is the real cost of ATF. Knowing this, and also knowing that Dexron III is $2.50 and Type IV is $5.25 at the dealership, which ATF must he have used you think? Dexron III or Type IV? thanks

ychachad

It seems, either way, you got ripped by your trusty mechanic. Cost of Toyota Type IV fluid is $5.00 per quart and the car needs 9 quarts (from Toyota dealer, not Lexus dealer). Total material cost cannot exceed $45.00.

azari

9 quarts is all it takes to completely flush a tranny? if that's true, then indeed I got ripped off!

azari

actually, when I was coming from work today, I stopped by the mechanic and asked him which ATF he used, and he told me that it was in fact T4. So i'm happy now.

thanx