Lexmex

Look in the hole on the passenger side of the front bumper and see if you see the cooler I posted earlier in this thread.

There's nothing to worry too much about the drain and fill. Just make sure after you have poured in four bottles to carefully check the dipstick to see where you are at in terms of your level. I know a few other people in this forum also have some pointers on this.

skippy911

Do you have pictures of what needs tobe removed to get the tranny pan off so I can clean those magnets? I am going to follow this well written tutorial http://rx300how2.home.comcast.net/xm...id_change1.htm Also do I need a torque wrench for the drain plug or do I just tighten it by hand? I know in the tutorial he mentions Drain Plug torque: 49 N-m, 500 kgf-cm, 36 ft-lbf

Thanks

PS: Is dextron 4 the same as toyota atf 4?

salimshah

Skippy911:

To get to the magnets you have to remove the pan. To reattach the pan, torque wrench and proper torque is essential (less torque would lead to leaks and over torqued would deform the pan/gasket and you will have leaks).

Drain plug is no different that oil-drain plug. The specified torque is needed to crush the washer without stripping the threads.


People may disgree with me, but there is nothing wrong with magnets holding metal filings. That is their job and as long as they are on the magent, they are out of the stream. Once you do drop the pan then sure, go ahead and clean every thing out.

Personally, I have not reached the conclusion that failure of RX transmission happens by following the reccomended service interval by Lexus. Changing the fluid more frequently will certainly not hurt you, but it may not help you.

Couple of Important things to remember:

1. Dexron IV is NOT the same as Toyota IV transmission fluid.

2. Collect and measure the drained fluid. For starters add the same amount as you drained.

3. If you do drop the pan, make sure you get a new gasket.

4. Make sure you do not introduce dirt when the pan is removed.


Salim

skippy911

Thank you for the input Salim. Do you have any pictures on what needs to be removed to get the pan off? Any idea what the torque for those needs to be?

TunedRX300

I did a photo DIY on getting the tranny pan off here. Just a kind suggestion: Search is a very useful tool, use it and you will find many answers.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=220061

salimshah

The two times I have dropped the pan was for a GM (oldsmobile) and my Son's SC400. The transmission fluid is very icky/yucky fluid. The SC pan uses FIPG as gasket and I had to spend hours removing it. Since then I am not a fan of dropping the pan.

To break the pan seal, you need a SST (special service tool). I used a flat screwdriver as a wedge. SC's pan was not damaged, but the GM's got out of shape. So just be careful. Luckily RX is higher so you will have more room below.

Crawl under and see for yourself, what coud be blocking the access. My understanding is that there is nothing in the way. Do drain the fluid out as the level of the fluid is above the seam level.

Get the following parts before you start.

Drain plug crush washer.
Torque wrench (you will need the micro [small torque range wrench 10lb-ft range] for the pan and the regular for the drian plug.
Pan gasket.
Filter (if you plan to change it). Filter gasket ... it may be part of a kit.
Gasket glue (if you bleive in this product).
Toyoto type IV transfluid.
Remember (photo or draw) the location of the magnets. They MUST be installed on those location.

Salim

thomas1

Yes I do a 15k change now, and it has helped. I dont have a percentage as i ONLYhear from the total failures. i unfortunately have not received info on the failure except one person that said the final gears in the tranny had broken teeth and extreme wear.

skippy911

Funny thing is I just did the search and read through you 5 pages, came back to this thread and you recommended the search lol. Anyways, I am doing this drain and fill myself so is it ok to stop at step 7, put the pan back on, then fill up the transmission fluid? I dont have anyone to help with removing the two lines and running the car. Thanks Awesome write-up btw.

thomas1

I believe the pan bolt torque is around 8ftlb. Not very much....I personally use a little sealant on the pan side of the gasket only, not the transmission side. Makes it easier to do the next change and holds gasket in place while putting pan back up. There are a lot of bolts so plan on doing some wrenching on the pan. Not a hard job at all, very easy. Keep everything clean. The AWD holds 4.3 quarts with this kind of change which is approximately 1/2 of the total fluid.

TunedRX300

Thanks, you can stop at step 8. Be careful about pan bolts, do not over tigthen them.
As you can see, oil retainer/filter is a screen, it is ATF that stores and suspends fine metal particles. The more ATF you drain, the more dirt you get rid of.

skippy911

I see alot of people in both threads mentioning the awd transmission. I only have the fwd transmission. Is there anything that will be different when I do my drain and fill with fwd vs awd? TIA Also what is the filter change for? Sorry for so many question I just want to make sure I do this all correctly.

Lexmex

The only difference is the actual liters needed The manual mentions that for FWD a drain and fill will be 3.1 L (3.3 qts) and for an AWD 3.9 L (4.1 qts). If you buy 5 liters (or 5 bottles) that should be enough for both the front differential and the tranny pan.

The AWDs also have a rear differential and a transfer case, but this uses an 85W90 gear oil (though 75W90 works just fine as many of us have shown).

Lexmex

Here's two more shots of the area and yes that windshield fluid reservoir blocks up that tranny cooler. I figure I might stick some washers on the screw area on the top and try to move this reservoir a little higher so the tranny cooler gets more air to it.

Lexmex

Now the blockage is more apparent.

skippy911

Thought this was interesting:

LUBRICATION
SERVICE INTERVALS
Under normal driving conditions, inspect transmission fluid
every 15,000 miles or 24 months, whichever comes first. Under severe
driving conditions, replace fluid every 15,000 miles or 24 months.

Weird that the atf fluid dipstick says under normal driving conditions it never needs to be changed, but the repair manual says it does!