chris81964

I did the drain and fill again. I will do it again next week. The oil is still dark. I hope next time around it will be better.

Pamperme

Help me understand this please. Since when does 100k miles equal lifetim?. Hyundai offered a 100k mile warranty not a lifetime one. Chrysler offered a lifetime warranty and it didn't stop at 100k miles. My 1997 Nissan maxima when I had it had a timing chain that was said to last the life of the engine. I racked up 220,000 miles and even when I got rid of it, timing chain was still fine. My 2004 Lexus has 168,000 miles with a dedicated Lexus service history at Lexus and transmission fluid was "inspected", never changed. It still shifts smoothly too. I'm curious who on here has high miles and never changed their 6-speed transmission fluid? I'm also curious who on here has ever had a transmission failure? Anybody? Since Lexus has clearly defined intervals for other items and fluids beyond 100k miles, is it too much to believe that despite the "dirty" fluid some have seen that the transmission was actually designed to operate with its fluid with the longevity expected out of an Ls430? Maybe the transmission fluid really is lifetime, not just 100k miles. Perhaps this is even remotely possible? Wouldn't the engineers have specified an interval if it required one just like they did withe the pre2004's?

Dailow

For those of you who have had this service done, was it a straight up fluid replacement with no parts having to be replaced?

I checked with Sewell Lexus who mentioned that Lexus didn't make a transmission filter for these "sealed" transmissions, but in doing some reading, some people have replaced the filter while performing this maintenance.

The weird thing is, while Sewell doesn't list the filter on their site, other sites do. There are a lot of aftermarket filters out there, but Carson Toyota supposedly lists an OEM filter for sale, hence my confusion.

Lynzoid

There definitely is a filter for A761 tranny. And it is replaceable.

xuserx04

iTrader: (6)

I have changed my trans fluid a couple of times already. Currently my 2004 LS has 268k miles on it. A friend of mine never changed the tranny fluid on his high mileage 2005 LS but last time I saw him he told me he just replaced the transmission. He was cursing Toyota/Lexus for saying that LS never needed transmission fluid change for the life of the vehicle.

From what I've seen if you change it every 50k from the start you should be ok. If you never changed it before and now you are passed 100k if you get it changed you might have problems in the future. Think of it this way. Tranny has used that same fluid for a long time now and if you never changed it in a way it created it's own "environment" and still works fine and might do so for 100k more. If you disturb that environment (draining fluid and all those particles with it that been there for all that time) you might start to notice it.

With that said, another good friend of mine had to get a new tranny on his 2001 LS just past 400k mile mark with regular trans fluid changes. I guess it's just something that won't last forever plus a lot of it also depends on how you drive, do you warm up the car before driving etc.

So to sum it up I would recommend changing it every 50k miles. In all honestly it's not that expensive to do if don't do it at the dealer and buy you own fluid. If I remember correctly I didn't buy my own fluid and paid $200 the first time I did it a few year back. After that I just brought a box of fluid and had a reputable transmission shop drain and fill it for $80.00. And if you never changed it DON'T TOUCH IT. I would say you should be good at least till you reach 300k miles.

This is just my 2 cents. I'm not a mechanic and not an expert. This is just something I have noticed with my own LS and talking to other drivers with high mileage LS430s.

Jabberwock

I will do my first AT full fluid replacement at 50k miles, likely this summer. Note that a full fluid replacement is not necessarily the same process at an AT flush. Most dealers have a machine that can replace all the old AT fluid with new fluid. The problem with having a shop do a power flush is that on a very dirty transmission the process tended to stir up lots of debris in the AT that could end up clogging small passages or causing shift solenoids to stick. So make sure your shop is using a low pressure AT full fluid replacement process and get your fluid replaced - your AT will thank you.

BradTank

I'm in that zone where I have a 2004 with 130k miles when I purchased it, but the transmission fluid has never been changed according to records. The previous owner though maintained the car meticulously, with all the dealer services done.

When I inquired to a dealer about changing the fluid, the service advisor was actually very unsure and didn't make me comfortable doing it, almost like I was a test case. On previous cars, I would do a simple drain and fill myself.

I think I'm just going to leave it alone at this point, if the car had say under 60k miles I'd change it, but I actually think now I'd be taking on more risk by changing it. I've also heard techs say at a certain point with transmission fluid, you're almost just stirring up trouble rather than preventing something.

RA40

iTrader: (6)

Just some info from us earlier gen peeps. The incremental drain on regularly maintained trannies keeps the additive package in good condition. This is a regular service at 50 or 60K interval for us but it is often ignored until the symptoms of poor shifting surface. Luckily we have a dip stick to gauge the fluid and when it is dark or burned, this is a good indicator of the fluid being past the service life. Because it is easy to drain and fill, some of us will do this partial drain at 30K miles so we are assured there is fresh fluid circulating. 2 qts for our cars.

In these WS trannies and depending on how long the fluid has been in there, 50K intervals may be a stretch. If this drain interval is begun early, there should not be a problem. Once the fluid is dark one also must contend with any deposits that float through the system. Doing nothing, the tranny is only going to get worse. I would be in favor of the incremental drain rather than leaving it to die as the fluid loses all it's additive/lubricity package.

My Toyota mechanic has told me on unserviced trannies they vary but typical range can be from 160-250K miles before replacement. For us earlier gen drivers, regular fluid changes has shown enough samples going beyond 300K with regular servicing. Of course for the owner/driver who isn't concerned with long term, they will dump the car beforehand. For those who are long term owners, a simple fluid change promotes a long tranny service life.

Bocatrip

High mileage cars that have never had trans fluid changes have buildup on the clutches which if disturbed once a trans fluid change is done can actually cause the clutches to start slipping. "Less is More" when dealing with high mileage never changed transmission fluid.

toyo

It's not the "floating particles" that cause the problems on high mileage transmission when you change the fluid. Transmission fluid is highly detergent. As the bands start to wear due to normal wear and tear, etc the new fluid cleans the bands and related parts causing the fluid to become contaminated. Once the fluid is contaminated it breaks down very early. Next thing is slipping, solenoids sticking, etc.

mywong23

I'm from the old school that advocates fluid changes. Because the trans is never completely drained, actually maybe only 25-33% comes out, this process should be described as a fluid "dilution".
I am not talking about a power flush, just a pan drain....

So until the engineers can specify how many miles qualifies as a "lifetime", I feel keeping relatively fresh fluid is the best way to maintain a trans. An occassional filter change probably would hurt either

I can only guess that there may be some point in a trans life, that changing or diluting the fluid could be detrimental.
Hopefully none of my trans will ever get to that stage...

***************
At least our engines have a dipstick, I heard a rumor that BMW sealed trans, don't even have a dipstick.....

toyo

Very well said Mywong23!

AlexusAnja

Actually the Lexus sealed trans doesnt have a dipstick. If you have one, its not the sealed trans.

04LS

I'm a newbie to the site, A year ago I purchased a used 2004 LS 430 with 85,000 miles. The maintenance schedule shows to change the sealed tranny fluid at 120,000 miles. I'm a DIY kinda guy but understand the tranny being sealed is a bit tricky to change. I have talked to a couple Lexus dealerships and I'm getting conflicting answers. One said they do a flush and the other said thats bad and they only drain and refill changing only about 25-40% of the fluid. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated. I want to make sure its done right because I plan on keeping this car a long time.

Thanks,
Wes

AlexusAnja

Do not flush, but just drain and fill. Flushing always causes issues.