DplanDman8

OK some people know me and my car well I personally have not changed the transmission fluid sense ive gotten the car when it had 129k and it now has 180k and im pretty sure that i need to change it. I just now realized that it needs to be changed.

I called the dealer ship they said that they would not do it nor would Goodyear because my car has too many miles? Is this right that they can refuse to do it because of too many miles and i dont trust shops to do it for me.

So I would like to do it myself could anyone tell me how if there is a DIY is it hard or easy how long does it take what do i need to do it etc??

Thanks for any help from anyone.

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

I changed mine a year ago with about 185k on the clock - no issues. It has been changed in the past, but I don't know how often.

You'll need the Toyota T-IV ATF for your 2001. About 3-4 quarts is how much you'll be able to drain by opening the plug on the bottom of the transmission. I would recommend draining it three times, with about a week of driving in between each one. You'll need a Allen Key/Socket to open the drain plug. I believe it's a 10mm. I also recommend measuring how much fluid you drained, so that you can refill with the exact same amount. This will help you get the fluid level back to normal.

There is an old wives' tale about automatic transmission fluids. Some people believe that changing a really old fluid can harm the transmission and cause catastrophic failure down the road. I'm more of the opinion that fresh new fluid is better than old gunky fluid.

Before you do it, take a white paper towel and wipe the current ATF on it. What color do you see? Is it red, brown, or black?

PFB

Lexus does not include, nor recommend changing transmission fluid as part of its regular maintenance, and for a good reason. New fluid can loosen dirt and varnish particles that may have accumulated, and those particals can damage the delicate innerds of the transmission. At your milage, if your transmission fluid has NEVER been changed, than it's better that those particles stay where thery are where they don't cause any harm, than for them to come loose and cause damage.

If your transmission shifts ok, your fluid is visibly a nice red, or even only slightly brownish, and if it doesnt smell burnet, than let it be. If you feel like lucky, and are a gambling man, than do a single drain and refill, and if all is well, than perhaps a second one 20,000 thousand miles later.

Never, ever do a transmission flush (unless your transmission is on its last legs and you have nothing else to loose).

Phil

msekanha

Change the fluid regardless of what the miles are or what anyone tells you otherwise. Switching to new fluid and taking a chance of a theorical hazard is better than leaving worn out black fluid in your transmission.

My '97 had 160k with original fluid. I've changed it and its still currently running with 230k on the dash. I should also mention that my tranny fluid was so black, that it looked silver lol.

I look at it this way. If your transmission fails because you changed the fluid, then it was on its last leg anyway.

imherenow

i just do a drain n fill every few oil changes. that should be good

Ebp609si

Im at 142k and i considered doing it but i decided not to after researching and reading the manual. But like mrbooby said check the color of your fluid and levels to be safe

DplanDman8

Thanks for your help ill check it tomorrow and let you know what it shows.

So then i just supposed to leave the old stuff in it?? If i dont change it then how is the car supposed to stay reliable if i dnt do maintenance on it? I mean changing the fluid could it be that harmful to the tranny?

Thats what im thinking this car is my daily driver. I drive to my unit from DFW texas all the way down to San Antonio texas 4-5 times a month thats about 600+ miles a trip and i need the tranny to last just as long as the motor should... and i figured with all the driving that it should need some new fluid??

davensd

I would just do a drain/refill on your transmission about once a year.
You'll flush out any loose black stuff but not touch any of the items that's built up as with a power flush.

Davensd

DplanDman8

ok i checked it and when i wiped it with a white rag it was still a red color i actually checked it twice because i figured that it must be wrong because i havent changed the fluid sense ive had the car from 120k - 180k now and it still looks brand new is this normal??

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

That's good. You'll notice that when you drain the fluid, it will appear much darker. Go ahead and drain it out, you'll be good. If you're feeling extra confident, you can remove the lower pan and clean the magnets/replace the filter.

PFB

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=690608

This is an example as to why not to change transmission fluid

drift2002

Is it an automatic transmission? Im just curious because Ive never been in an ES300 nor does it specify on your profile...

Forgive my noobness, but all Ive ever had is my IS300 5speed manual...

tomf

Not sure why. The guy apparently overfilled his transmission after doing some drain and refills. He only had the car for two months. He had a transmission problem.

What caused the transmission problems? The drain and refills, the overfilling, or maybe the transmission was on the way out before he bought it. Who knows? The outcome was not reported. Did the transmission fail completely? Did putting the proper amount of ATF in fix the problem?

Sorry, as of right now, that link tells us nothing about why the transmission failed.

mitmaks

Exactly. There is specific procedure you have to follow when checking ATF. It's not as simple as pulling out dipstick and seeing where level is at.

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

It sounds like he did everything right except for the ATF choice. I also question what his mechanic put in the transmission and what state the car was in, prior to his ownership. All of these factors are highly debatable. Point being, you should always be careful about changing your ATF, but I personally did not have any issues, after changing mine with AMSOIL Synthetic (3 drain and fills with a pan drop/filter change). Knock on wood, it's been over a year and around 12-13k miles.