99lsguy

5ofakind,

Great to here positive results

I've got 10 quarts left in my case so I'll give it a shot. (maybe buy a extra couple for insurance)

Did you just start it up cold in the morning to do this, or later in the day after a few trips = just wondering.

Also, was your car up on ramps?


Thanks!

TooPhat

Stupid Question Time
where do I launch the tranny fluid into the transmission. Can't seem to locate it by poking around?

5ofakind

99lsguy -

my car was up on ramps -

I drained the tranny pan first - about 2 quarts came out. Reinserted drain plug & added 2 quarts.

I then started the car in the morning & I just let it get to normal operating temperature on its own by idling. I then shut it off. I then disconnected the driver's side trans return hose & connected another small piece of hose ( clear hose if you want to but I just used another piece of black hose ) to drain into bucket. I then restarted the car & left it to idle.

Transmission oil will come out. Be patient. It will not always be a steady flow. It will spurt sometimes & then flow a little, drip a little. This cycle will continue over & over. At least mine did. Just keeping adding oil at a pace that is coming out. If you want to measure how much came out, then grab a couple of 1 gallon milk jugs to measure what is in your bucket. It is ok to shut the car off if you want to measure how much has come out at any point. I ran through 9 qts & the color was pretty cherry red at the return end.

I shut off car, reconnected original return hose, check the fluid level, topped off if necessary.

Most important dont overfill, if you do, just drain some out thru drain plug.

Good luck & let me know how you make out.

Jeff

5ofakind

TooPhat - What do you mean by launch ???

If you mean drain plug -- it is under the car on the transmission pan. If you mean where do you add it --- then it is on the drivers side marked - Trans Fluid -- put fluid in fill tube.

I have a '92 LS-400. Hopefully '99 is much different.

Jeff

TooPhat

5ofakind - yes I meant "insert"....pour into car...hehe oops...thanks for the help....right there beside the oil dipstick I've been puliing everyday....wow me smart

99lsguy

5ofakind,

Very good post - thanks for the details and what to expect. Very reassuring

I figured the ramps are a good idea to get some height from the return hose down to a bucket so you could let gravity be your friend. Good logic!! I'll probably pre-mark 3 milk jugs @ 1 quart intervals to keep accurate monitoring of "what comes out- and what I put In"...

It may be a week or so but I'll get to it and let you know

Thanks again for the help

Roy

5ofakind

99lsguy - good luck.

TooPhat

I Just changed my tran fluid to type 4 and it's a huge differnence. I'm not sure what was in there before but I'm assuning it was typeII. I had the exact symptoms you were experiencing off the line. As fas as the delayed shifting from park to a gear I am unsure. But I do know a friend of mine (dbullen here on CL) was looking at an SC400 with the smae problem. Can't remember what the fix was....but he took it to the dealer before he bought it and they quoted him in the 1000-1500$ CDN range to fix it. Hopefully yours can be fix with a trans fluid change!! Try that first.

RA40

iTrader: (6)

Check the condition of the ATF fluid.
How was the shifting when you initially purchased the vehicle?
With the tranny set to <P> or <N> does the engine rev freely?
Doing manual upshifts at normal (low load) driving, how is it?
This may also be a sensor problem.

My Toyota service rep told me that trannys can go well into the 300K under ideal situations. The average is 125K to 225K miles of longevity before they may need work/replacement.

ayan01

any thoughts to using Amsoil synthetic ATF over the Toyota T-IV? I'll probably use the partial flush process as well. Any concerns with these two different products mixing intially? Please advise. Thanks.

Pilot

Amsoil ATF is a very high quality product. It is compatable with all ATF fluids, but I would still suggest a full flush so you can have the full synthetic benifits of Amsoil.

Pilot

LeXuSrAcIn

When the car shifts, theres a little bit of lag and it jumps RPMs. The car doesnt shift smoothly at all. I have used Lucas Transmission Slip but it hasnt helped at all. You guys have any idea of what else to use? I just need something thats gonna make the car Lexus smooth again. The trans fluid was changed about 20k miles ago. Probably even less than that. There are ALOT of trans fluid additives out there that claim they help promote smooth shifting and I know that atleast one of them has to work. So far all I know is that the Lucas stuff doesnt work. Has anyone tried Prolong?

SharpLS-96

Try doing a complete transmission fluid change ( all 12 quarts) since it almost needs it anyway. Every 24K miles is the recommended service but since your fairly rough/hard on the car you should probably do it every 10-15k miles or so.
Use only Toyota Type T-IV!!!! NO OTHER ALTERNATIVE!!

persian451

yea probably the wrong tranny fluid

ychachad

I just picked up severals quart of Valvoline Maxlife Dexron/Mercon Tranny Fluid for cars over 75k miles to be used in my PS pump. I was surprised that on the back of the bottle, it specifically states that this multi-compatible fluid can be used in Toyota/Lexus applications requiring T, T-II, T-III and T-IV fluids. And at $2.58 a quart versus $4.20 for OEM, one can save several $$$ over the OEM T-IV fluid, with the added benefit of a seal conditioner. I think I am going to go for it, and do a complete tranny flush with this fluid as soon as the weather warms up a bit over a weekend.