When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
just completed this DIY along with the trans filter/strainer screen DIY provided by Alchemist. This was my second time to do the 4 drain and fills and level fluid check procedure and I used a tip from one of the posters in this thread regarding the "fill" process. I attached a long, skinny funnel to a 3 ft piece of clear hose (about 3/8in inner diameter) and fished the clear hose down to the fill hole in the top side of the trans. Basically the funnel was just off center to the drivers side at the back of the motor against the motor cover. Put the end of the hose into the fill hole (about 1.5 inches into the hole) and then just pour the ATF WS fluid straight down the funnel into the trans. It sure was a helluva lot easier than lying on my back hand pumping 13 qts of fluid!! That was a MUCH easier approach, compared to the first time I did this. I also replaced the filter/screen, pan gasket, o-ring and plug gasket during the last (4th)drain cycle. Just followed Alchemist's DIY on this and it went as expected. I didn't use the Permatex gasket maker but otherwise....just like his process. I was prepared for the potential mess and experience some minor spillage (when I took the filter off), but all in all, not too bad. Sure would be easier if I had a lift....as putting the pan and gasket back on while on your back with limited room was a bit of a pain....but I got it done. Like Alchemists....my screen was in good shape (but I had already changed out old fluid at 75k, so I expected it to be) and my pan DID have the 3 magnets which did have a small amount of metallic mush on them. Glad to have this behind me for another 150k miles (at least the pan/filter). Thanks again to Alchemist for his great tutorials.
One thing of note...I had to do the level fluid check procedure twice, as the first time I didn't do the shifter sequence correctly so the D light never illuminated. So, I let the car cool off for 2.5 hours and tried again. The second time once I completed the shifter sequence, the "D" light was on (almost immediately) but it was flashing...not constant. My engine temp gauge quickly got to half of normal operating temp (must've been warm from earlier 10 min idle). So, I'm not sure if it's okay that the D light was flashing or if it was supposed to stay lit, but either way....I jumped underneath and removed fluid level plug and about 1/2 qt flowed out before it began to trickle/bubble out when I closed it up. My last drain, including the pan (which held about 1 qt after the drain through the plug) came to 3.5 qts. So i added back 4 before doing the level check procedure. So, when 1/2qt came back out....I feel like I should be okay. Have put about 10 miles on it since the change and it shifts smooth as butter....so I hoping I'm good. The flashing D light is my only concern. Anyone have a thought on that?
Needed some help here with changing my 06 Lexus GS430 transmission oil.
I will be using the A76ie ws AMSOIL oil which I think is the correct oil as WS stands for world stand I may assume...is this oil good given the fact that my transmission has 96 k miles and is not giving no problem.
I bought this car new so I know that the oil has never been changed,for peace of mind I would like to...any suggestions.my car is in very good condition and is planning to keep it a few more years.
Needed some help here with changing my 06 Lexus GS430 transmission oil.
I will be using the A76ie ws AMSOIL oil which I think is the correct oil as WS stands for world stand I may assume...is this oil good given the fact that my transmission has 96 k miles and is not giving no problem.
I bought this car new so I know that the oil has never been changed,for peace of mind I would like to...any suggestions.my car is in very good condition and is planning to keep it a few more years.
just use genuine toyota fluid. Why even bother with other fluids? Do a drain and fill, you should be fine.
My 350 has the fsport lowering springs so it is a royal pain in the *** to get underneath - even with my DIY ramps.
To anyone wondering if they can do this themselves - I say do it. As long as you cool the car down and can measure out what drains it is worth doing. Took it for a spin and didn't notice anything right away but I'm hoping that the surging out of first will ease as well as the shuddering upon downshifts.
Will do my next drain/fill on oil change and update. Good luck to all. Independent Toyota shop quoted me at 120$ labor to do this for me. I was able to do it in <3 hours and for 50$.
Thank you Alchemist for the original post and tutorial. I only wish it still had the pictures available to be seen! If they are still there for some of you, please tell me what I'm doing wrong so that they don't show up ...?
This procedure is darn near IDENTICAL to how I had to do the transmission fluid change on my 2010 Mini Cooper Clubman S. It is an Aisin transmission also, so imagine that!
Lucky for me, I was able to get the local Toyota dealership to sell me the Toyota branded Aisin fluid for $5.50 a quart. Can't beat that!
However, I am really tempted to just let the dealership do the service for me on this car. Even though it's not the most difficult procedure, it is still a pain in the butt, and I am more than a little frustrated and burnt out on car repairs after owning that Mini. I only owned it for a few short months (May to Oct.), but I had to pull the head TWICE for different repairs, one time having to take the head to the local machine shop for a total service (new valves, seals, guides, etc.). The 2nd time I pulled the head was due to a spark plug ground strap randomly breaking off and bending two of my BRAND NEW valves. I also made the mistake someone else mentioned above and drained my transmission pan rather than the oil that I meant to drain. So, I had to do the drain/fill thing, shift through the gears, and keep filling/draining until most of the fluid was new. I will say, it shifted notably smoother after the service, and whoever buys that Mini is getting new transmission fluid, new piston rings, 16 new valves (plus their guides and seals), new spark plugs and ignition coils, my favorite tires with only 2k miles on them, and an incredible stereo upgrade I installed myself.
Why did I trade it in for a Lexus, after replacing all that stuff and doing all that work on an amazing stereo upgrade, you ask?
1. Turbo is on its way out.
2. CEL still coming on for strange, inexplicable misfires
3. Burning excessive oil, but still somehow "in spec"
4. Leaking air hose, also causing a CEL intermittently
I'm done, ok?? JUST DONE.
I miss the fun to drive quality of the Mini, and the speed provided by the fun turbo'd engine, and I miss the utility of the hatchback. Because I had the Clubman, I had roomier back seats and trunk space than the IS 250 as well.
But I'm hoping this Lexus will be more reliable. It's certainly a beautiful car that literally has the smoothest of everything - ride, handling, engine sound, seat comfort, awesome stereo, sunroof, etc. It's such an impressive and pleasant car to spend my 1 hour commute to work in!
Anyways, thanks everyone here for your guidance and posts, but I'm seriously leaning towards having someone else do this one for me. I'm tired of being in my garage fixing cars. Normally I like doing it, but the Mini kept me in the garage such an excessive amount of time, I'm a little bit over that for the moment, lol.
I decided to do a full fluid exchange on my 2006 GS430. I used American Transmission in Jacksonville, FL. The car is at 98k, I figured now or never. The price was only $159.00 and included a new filter. I noticed the gear changes are a bit smoother. So far no problems.
Only have to say compare BMW engines with 200k or more miles on them with Lexus engines with 200k to 1 million miles on them
You know, if it was actually a BMW engine, I think I would be more confident in that Mini actually making it to 200k...
Sad thing is, that particular Mini engine isn't even a BMW. It's a French abomination from Peugeot, whose only redeeming quality is that mostly reliable Japanese-made Aisin transmission. (No offense intended to anyone from France, but that engine is an oil burning disaster that Mini continues to refuse to take responsibility for.)
I am planning to change my ATF and filter in the near future on a 2013 GS350. I have performed the very similar drain and fill on a V6 Camry several times so I'm familiar, however I tried to test the transmission temp detection mode with the jumper in the OBD port and had some issues.
First, after jumping pins 4 & 13 carefully to be sure I was on the right pins, I started the car, all the dash lights were flashing like usual but RPMs shot up to about 2200 for about 30 seconds. This startled me as that has never happened. I had driven it to work this morning and did this test at noon in about 67 degree weather which is not that cold. Normally cold starts have RPM at about 1500. It seems that this jumper and start cuased this RPM level. Is this normal?
Second, after going through the same procedure of shifting between N & D I could not tell if I had entered the temp mode. One difference between the GS350 and a Camry is that the shift indicator on the GS350 is the lcd screen so you only see what gear is actually selected. On the Camry you see a light next to P, R, N & D so it's easier to tell if the D indicator has come on as you'll see the D lit up as well as N if you've moved the shift lever there. Can anyone shed light on this?
Edit: I didn't realize this was the Gen3 thread. I've got a Gen4. Not sure what significant differences there is. Also saw that RPM bump is normal.
Last edited by thallium; 12-06-18 at 02:36 PM.
Reason: can't read
2008 Gs350 AWD..I had an appointment at Lexus to check my transmission. (I have a 20 degree shift problem, it seems to slip when really cold.. even after idling about 10 mjnutes).. lexus couldn't duplicate the issue. They said they don't see any issue with it... I asked them to go ahead and change the filter.. lexus said, we don't recommend this bcuz it might cause problems. .. I just hit 102,000 when I took it to them..
ok: I don't believe the fluid will last forever.. for 1... if u put a filter in a transmission. The filter is to catch contamination. This means it gets dirty... why wouldn't the dirty need to be replaced??
so I have this question. . If I put my car on ramps and jack stands. Then Let it sit over night. Then without starting the engine,,. drain the fluid and add fresh fluid. Will I still need to be concerned about the transmission fluid temperature?
2008 Gs350 AWD..I had an appointment at Lexus to check my transmission. (I have a 20 degree shift problem, it seems to slip when really cold.. even after idling about 10 mjnutes).. lexus couldn't duplicate the issue. They said they don't see any issue with it... I asked them to go ahead and change the filter.. lexus said, we don't recommend this bcuz it might cause problems. .. I just hit 102,000 when I took it to them..
ok: I don't believe the fluid will last forever.. for 1... if u put a filter in a transmission. The filter is to catch contamination. This means it gets dirty... why wouldn't the dirty need to be replaced??
so I have this question. . If I put my car on ramps and jack stands. Then Let it sit over night. Then without starting the engine,,. drain the fluid and add fresh fluid. Will I still need to be concerned about the transmission fluid temperature?
Yes, temperature will still be a concern. Leaving it over night will not allow to reach the required temperature in order to proper utilize the drain bolt unless you live in a very hot area.
If you absolutely can’t get a scan gauge or bridge the fuse then you should try and carefully measure how much oil you drain and fill the same amount although this is obviously not the preferred way to do it.
Yes, temperature will still be a concern. Leaving it over night will not allow to reach the required temperature in order to proper utilize the drain bolt unless you live in a very hot area.
If you absolutely can’t get a scan gauge or bridge the fuse then you should try and carefully measure how much oil you drain and fill the same amount although this is obviously not the preferred way to do it.
🤔 hmmm. Ok.. I didnt know the drain bolt had to be removed at a certain temp. Sounds like jargon ... why the heck would they make something so crazy....
oh well...
2008 Gs350 AWD..I had an appointment at Lexus to check my transmission. (I have a 20 degree shift problem, it seems to slip when really cold.. even after idling about 10 mjnutes).. lexus couldn't duplicate the issue. They said they don't see any issue with it... I asked them to go ahead and change the filter.. lexus said, we don't recommend this bcuz it might cause problems. .. I just hit 102,000 when I took it to them..
ok: I don't believe the fluid will last forever.. for 1... if u put a filter in a transmission. The filter is to catch contamination. This means it gets dirty... why wouldn't the dirty need to be replaced??
so I have this question. . If I put my car on ramps and jack stands. Then Let it sit over night. Then without starting the engine,,. drain the fluid and add fresh fluid. Will I still need to be concerned about the transmission fluid temperature?
The drain/measure/refill method has NOTHING to do with fluid temperature. Carefully measure what comes out, replace the exact same amount.
The higher you jack up the front of the car, the more fluid will drain out. I removed 4Litres from my AWD this way. (The AWD has a bigger trans pan than the RWD)
You need to drop the pan to change the filter, a bunch of fluid is still in the pan after using the drain plug!
07-08-18, 11:07 AM
