dharmaj

what is the best transmission oil for 2001 ES 300?

BDSL

Read owner's manual....everything is specified there.

PFB

its Toyota type T-IV. That's the ONLY one you should use.

Its also stamped on the transmission oil dipstick.

Oro

The OM will tell you the specified oil for when the car was built, but it's useless as to finding a good oil today. It was not written with 15 years worth of telepathy about lubrication technology advancement.

The spec'd oil is Toyota T-IV. This is a higher viscosity oil than now in vogue for energy conservation (e.g., meeting CAFE mileage goals). For the a good oil, find a T-IV thickness oil with improvd base stocks and additive packages than older T-IV can provide. The oils will list T-IV as a recommended specification on the bottle, or on their PSDS if you are looking at the manufacturer's oil.

Some good alternative around are Castrol Transmax High Mileage or similar "Import Multi Vehicle" oils on the market. Some will have synthetic base stocks improving the longevity (from oxidation stability and shear stability) and heat handling ability (from their base stock quality). The 2001 is one of the years known for a weak transmission so I'd use a quality synthetic IMV oil and get on a 30k drain/fill routine. Setting a good baseline is important so make sure what you do jives with the transmission service history.

Another popular ATF options is Valvoline MaxLife. It is FS with an HM add pack, the only real downside is that it is Dex VI/Toyota WS thickeness (e.g., thinner than your transmission calls for). Many run it happily. I find more abrupt shifting with it vs. the proper thickness oil and am going to be trying some T-IV thickness oil, possibly the Castrol HM, in my next change later this year. The Castrol HM is widely available affordaby ($20/gallon) at Autozone; sometimes part of the equation of choice is availability and not just what looks good on paper or is touted on the internet. There are lots of fluids that will work well and no really one "best."

dharmaj

Thank you Oro for your insightful reply. I will check Walmart for T-IV markings on Merkon IV to see if it meets the requirements. Thanks again for taking the time to help!

crwys

Just like motor oil, there really is no "best" transmission oil but there will always be debates on what oil is better to use.
I personally use the Mobil 1 55221 3309
It's equivalent to the Toyota t iv. And it has prime shipping from Amazon which is the other main reason I buy it.
I do a drain and refill every 15k miles on mine. 3.75 quarts.
Every 30k I drop the pan, change the filter, clean the magnets, change the in line filter. Fill with 4 quarts.

currently approaching 250k miles, 60k on rebuilt transmission, original oil pump, which scares me lol. But so far no problems and smooth shifting.

LeX2K

Mobil 3309 is identical to Toyota type T-IV, put another way the Toyota branded fluid is Mobil with a different label.
This is extremely good practice on the U140E, for whatever reason the transmission darkens AFT relatively quickly. Once the fluid is dark the problem snowballs wear occurs particles float around in the fluid causing further damage.

I personally use Royal PurpleMax ATF best I've tried, yes it is expensive but the service interval is longer. Also the transmission shifts like butter using the fluid.

crwys

I definitely agree with you there. You get what you pay for. I've heard a lot of good things, nothing bad, about Royal Purple.

dharmaj

Thanks, where do you get Royal purple?

nsghtbrwry

+1 for the MaxLife. Oro is right on the money...the MaxLife does have the additives package of T-IV but is Dexron-VI thin. IME it works great, but yeah, a thicker oil would smooth things out some.

If you have a Winchester Auto near you they'll carry the Royal Purple - otherwise I'd buy it online. Not sure if AutoZone or O'reilly's will carry the ATF (I know they carry the motor oils)