ES3

Can it be done at home without much trouble? I'm not wanting to flush, just replace fluid, since my car as 135k on it. I was told flushing is not a good idea. I think Lexus wants 130 bucks to change the fluid? That seems CRAZY high?

1993ES300x

i think changing the tranny isn't hard , there's a few DIY on tranny in this site.. just do a search.. some DIY include pictures which will explain everything. 130bucks is too high for a tranny oil change. but if you go to a local auto shop. they probably charge you less. but if you go to a local oil change places that just do oils.. they might take off your oil pan for speed up the job. that's what my local auto shop does for 50bucks. anyways. i'm too lazy to put a link in this post about the tranny oil change. but if you use the Search forumes.. you've just found yourself a new best friend.

HarrierAWD

Generally yes. If you have an SUV, you can usually do a drain-n-fill without even jacking it up. Make sure that you use the correct fluid (genuine Toyota IV.) It's a pain in the hiney to fill tranny fluid to correct level, so measure the fluid drained and put the exact amount of new fluid in. (Use wife's kitchen measuring cup when she's not watching.) Dispose of the old fluid properly.

ES3

Thanks guys, also, if my tranny fluid is clear and not brown or black, would you even recommend a fluid change? at 135k, I've had NO problems with the car's tranny.

1993ES300x

now that's a good question.. if the fluid is pink/red then you're fine..

i have a question of my own on this that i been wondering. is tranny and engine fluid the same, as in replacement wise? it's said i should change my engine oil every 3000miles or 3 months, right?. so if i leave the car sitting there for 3 months wihtout driving it. does the engine oil still need to be replaces? is that the same for tranny oil , that there's a time limit to it??

HarrierAWD

Believe it or not, tranny fluid never needs to be changed under normal condition. So you can safely leave it alone. You should still check your tranny fluid color and level on a monthly basis. Should you detect any discoloring, change the fluid and get the tranny checked by mechanic before the problem becomes worse. Some people just keep changing the fluid without finding the root cause until it's too late and the tranny needs a rebuild.

Generally Lexus dealers do tranny fluid change every 30K or 60K miles. I let them do it because if I asked them not to, it'd save me a lousy $20 from the multi-hundred-dollar "package deal" and they'd look at me like I'm some kind of cheapskate.

Unlike engine oil, tranny fluid does not get contaminated under normal condition. It is simply a type of hydraulic fluid, like power steering and brake fluid. The slight moisture absorbed (if any) is evaporated when it's being driven since the tranny gets warm.

One exception to the rule is when you often tow a trailor or drive high-speed in desert without a tranny cooler. In that case, 30K tranny fluid change would be wise since tranny fluid can deteriorate under high load / high temperature condition.

TunedRX300

ATF also serves as coolant to protect tranny from overheating, heat is one of the major causes for tranny failure. I just changed my RX300's ATF and the color has become brownish, it is not the cherry color that T IV should be.