Bofin

Hi all,

Just a quicky...does anyone know the torque specs on the transmission pan bolts, filter bolts and drain plug of an '02 ES300?

Thanks.

crwys

Assuming you have the U140e transmission.

Transmission pan bolts: 7.8 N*m (69 in. lb.)
Filter bolts: 11 N*m (8 ft. lb.)

My book doesn't specify the drain plug.
Maybe it assumes it is part of the transmission pan bolts? (69 in. lb.) ?

Bofin

CRWS, how would I know if it's U140E? Do all 2002 ES300s have different versions of tranny for the same 1MZFE engine? I'm surprised. Anyway, thanks for the torque specs on the bolts...I guess you got that from a Haynes/Chilton manual? If so, I'm still waiting for other ES owners to respond.

Not to be rude, but I have doubts about manuals other than the FSM from Toyota/Lexus because the last time I did the tranny on my '98 Sienna it sprung a leak, and, no, the drain plug is never part of the pan bolts. Bigger size bolts have different torque specifications.

crwys

I know my car (99 es300) has 2 different transmissions, I don't know the specifics of your car if it only has 1 or 2 different transmissions.
Actually No, ATSG. I have 2 books. 1 book for the transmission and 1 book for the car.
Just used it to do a full rebuild on my transmission. No problems here for a little over 1k miles so far.
Also the pan bolts and filter bolts are the same size, as are the valve body connecting bolts. They are all 10's. But they have different torques. I've always did finger tight on pan bolt, then tighten it a little bit more. (And the pan bolts are 69lb compared to the valve body/filter which are only 8lb. Suprised me)
A torque spec on a transmission pan bolt may be non existent, its definitely not a common question, you may not get an answer. Good luck.

hypervish

All 4th Generation Lexus ES, i.e. 2002-2006 have the U150e transmission.

Bofin

Yep, I just found out about that one this afternoon on the white sticker by the door. Thanks for confirming.

Bofin

CRWS, you were spot on regarding the torque specs on those 2 bolts...just found out from askatech.com that the tranny drain plug is spec'ed at 36 ft.-lb.

Hypervish, since you own a 4ES, I would really appreciate if you could give me some pointers as to how you did your tranny filter change especially with those hard to reach pan bolts (the ones behind the sub-frame aka the PITA bolts).

Again, thanks to you both for replying.

hypervish

I haven't dropped the pan on mine. IMO, there's no need. There is only a screen filter, and they hardly ever need changing. Not saying that it's a bad idea too, but it may not be worth the effort.

Your best bet is to loosen the transmission mount, and jack it up slightly.

Bofin

Well, in my case, I need to drop it. Just bought this last month and the fluid was dark brown and smelled like burnt plastic so it would be interesting to see what awaits me in there. Yes, I know where this tranny is headed but until it gets there, it hasn't given me any major problems yet, apart from occasional downshift shudders especially when decelerating to a stop --- feels like going over 3 mini humps -- very annoying.

I was hoping you would never mention the raising the tranny part because I don't feel comfortable doing it not to mention having only 3 mounts to worry about instead of 4...still it is quite a chore breaking all of them loose just to lift the thing. But if there's no other way around this, then I've got to do what I have to to get to those bolts, right?

BTW, is there any special procedure to follow when loosening up the bolts on the 'smart' front engine mount that's connected to the ECU?

PFB

Even in your case, it's much better to do 2 drain and refills about 5,000 miles apart than to go to the trouble of dropping the pan. It's much gentler on the transmission to.

Bofin

Pardon me, I forgot to mention that I already did 4-5 drain & fills with Toyota Type-TIV (in a span of 2 weeks) after I got the car. Transmission fluid has been cherry red since. Only reason why I am more inclined to drop the pan is just to check and see the state of the filter, magnets and bottom of pan are in.