Oh ill wait months if thats what it takes. Please over narrate for the timid first timers like me. Please even mention where exactly to put jack stands, what size socket, what kind of and size of refillng funnel and where exactly to refill it (if any of this is applicable). My biggest fear is doing something im not supposed to do because this is my everyday car. Thanks!!!

 

Man, you're in luck, because I actually have another video I'm doing that's entirely just basic "Where to put the jackstands" and "How to change oil" type stuff, and the example car in the video is my GS300!
I'm waiting on another paycheck to finish up timing and do the transmission fluid change, so I'll letchu know when I'm putting it together.

In the meantime, let the car sit overnight with the new transmission fluid sitting in the same place, subframe behind the oil pan to lift, frame rails right under the lil round holes to support, 14mm bolt on the drain pan, make sure not to crossthread or overtroque it when reinstalling (it takes 15ft/ibs), and use either a long funnel or a funnel with a hose to refill the transmission through the dipstick tube.
Make sure your oil catch pan is completely clean and you're doing this on a level surface, you're gonna want to know exactly how much fluid came out to know how much to put back in, since the amount actually changes depending on temperature. Let it sit for a few before starting the car, let it run for a moment to get warm, shift through the PRNDM gears to make sure the fluid is circulating properly, then take out the dipstick, wipe it off with a clean paper towel, put it back in, THEN check the dipstick while the car is running and the car is on a level surface. If it looks good, take it on the highway to make sure you're shifting through all the gears, park on a level surface, clean the dipstick, put it back in, and check the fluid level again. Add fluid as needed.

Just in case you get tired of waiting lol

 

I can wait. Im not totally following all of the lift specifics. Better to watch.

 

Thank you very much for this information, and your above post about overall transmission fluid viscosity design. I am by no means a mechanic, engineer, or other automotive-inclined person other than as a hobby. I earn my living totally independent of vehicles. This is a great help - this will be the first time I have ever touched a car's transmission, save my friend's first gen Dodge Neon (which was a second project car - this is my daily driver, bread and butter).

 

I've been thinking about doing a drain and fill myself, I bought this GS in December and for some reason just never thought to check the trans fluid. So i checked it two weeks ago and its actually overfilled, with the engine/trans cold the mark is right below the lower mark for the hot section of the stick. With the engine and trans warmed up to operating temp the mark is above the top full mark on the hot section. Coloring is a dark red, doesn't smell burnt and the car seems to drive fine. Everything I have ever read thru all my cars/trucks I've had says to never overfill the transmission.

I talked to a friend who I trust with advice on things I don't know about or cant do myself. He's been a tech for close to 28 years now from a private shop to working for Toyota for about 8-9 years and now Infiniti for close to 15, so I trust his opinion on things. He said Toyota fluid always changes coloring quickly and I should just leave it alone if its not burnt or causing a problem. If i do the drain and fill it could end up becoming an issue. I have always heard that doing an actual trans flush can cause problems, but not just a drain & fill.

I have already bought the new Toyota type 4 fluid before he told me i shouldn't do it. I may end up just doing it anyhow to just to get it to the proper level and hope for no issue's. I did see a post somewhere here on the fourms that said you need to do the drain & fill about 9-10 times with maybe 2-300 miles in between to get the fluid almost fully replaced. Seeing as each time you do it, its mixing in with the old stuff so it needs to be done several times over to really get it all by using this method.

 

UPDATE: I did not end up doing a drain and fill. I called a Lexus-specific shop in my area to ask about this issue, and they told me in their experience dealing with earlier Lexus vehicles, they have had no problems just flushing the transmission entirely. I went for a full flush through them, and have put about 150 miles on since then with no issues (and slightly crisper shifting than before!). My GS4 is only at ~140k miles however, so this may not apply to a transmission with double that mileage.

 

you have a GS4, so it's only a matter of time before your transmission solenoids go bad. I havent seen 01+ GS tranny solenoid go bad to date.

 

Sounds like you need a new tech friend lol. He provided horrible advice about our cars. Drain and fill is the safest way to refresh your tranny fluid without damage. I do a drain and fill every 20k.

 

Agreed that his horrible advice, wait until the fluid is burnt (whatever that means) before deciding to do something about it?