Transmission Fluid Flush / Drain & Refill
01-19-19, 11:28 AM
#16
Racer
Flushes can push sludge/particles that were in safe areas to important channels and passages in the transmission that critically need fluid and block/partially block them, it can result in a ruined or partially ruined transmission, big dollar repairs. It is just not worth the risk considering what can go wrong, drain and fills are totally safe as long as you put the right amount of fluid back in and screw the bolt back in.
01-19-19, 11:44 AM
#17
For a company that's supposed to be Quality Is Number one, and Regular Maintenance Is The Key To Happy Motoring, this transmission fluid service dilemma is baffling. I live near Minneapolis/St. Paul and I'm having a hard time getting a reasonable and consistent answer out of anybody about; necessity, procedure, or cost. My close to me Lexus dealer doesn't seem to want to do the job, and they can't really explain what they would do, if they did it, for $350. The closest Toyota dealer uses a machine for a flush for $330, not even sure if they'll use WS fluid. The best/or at least the most known indy in the five state area thought I was crazy for even thinking about it prior to 150,000 mikes, and said they would reluctantly do a drain and fill. I just got off the phone with a more distant Toyota dealer that said they would do a transmission service, that would include; filter, pan gasket, and new W/S fluid swap for $289. The service advisor (SA) at this place understood what I wanted to do, and assured me that they can handle it. So that's my best option for now anyway. Still a little nutty as this service advisor tried to tell me that the reason Canada has service intervals on the transmission there is because of the environment. It was -3 F here this morning. Roadfrog, if I can't figure this out locally, I'm considering driving to BC Canada to get the $149 deal. Might be easier in the long-run.
The following users liked this post:
damon (08-12-19)
01-19-19, 11:53 AM
#18
Racer
I do not really understand the transmission maintenance differences between regions either. $149 sounds very reasonable. My mechanic charges $50 (.50 hr labor) and $27 for 2.5 quarts of WS fluid for a drain-and-fill; no filter or pan gasket replacement.
01-19-19, 04:08 PM
#19
Lexus Fanatic
. The service advisor (SA) at this place understood what I wanted to do, and assured me that they can handle it. So that's my best option for now anyway. Still a little nutty as this service advisor tried to tell me that the reason Canada has service intervals on the transmission there is because of the environment. It was -3 F here this morning. Roadfrog, if I can't figure this out locally, I'm considering driving to BC Canada to get the $149 deal. Might be easier in the long-run.
Also, no need to come to BC. I'm confident that a Toyota dealer in Manitoba or Ontario would be the same.
01-19-19, 08:11 PM
#20
Interesting statistic on the population of Canada. That does make the SA environment comment all the goofier.
I was kidding about driving to Canada for a fluid change; but it was getting really frustrating to get a simple service done around here.
After my previous post, I got a call back from an SA at Lexus of Wayzata. A dealership abou 30 miles further away than my nearest dealer. He new exactly what I wanted. He said they recommend the fluid change every 100,000 miles. They have a machine the transfers the fluid through the transmission fluid cooling lines, the same way some of the guys on the forum do with their home made rigs. They pump through about 12 quarts of WS fluid for $325. He said the car has no trans filter, I thought it did? Anyway, I’m sick of thinking about it, so I made an appointment to get it done. At $12 a quart for WS fluid, that’s $144, and an hour + of labor, I’m OK with the cost. The SA did say that the car may be tied up for a while as they have to make sure the fluid temperature is correct for the level check.
I was kidding about driving to Canada for a fluid change; but it was getting really frustrating to get a simple service done around here.
After my previous post, I got a call back from an SA at Lexus of Wayzata. A dealership abou 30 miles further away than my nearest dealer. He new exactly what I wanted. He said they recommend the fluid change every 100,000 miles. They have a machine the transfers the fluid through the transmission fluid cooling lines, the same way some of the guys on the forum do with their home made rigs. They pump through about 12 quarts of WS fluid for $325. He said the car has no trans filter, I thought it did? Anyway, I’m sick of thinking about it, so I made an appointment to get it done. At $12 a quart for WS fluid, that’s $144, and an hour + of labor, I’m OK with the cost. The SA did say that the car may be tied up for a while as they have to make sure the fluid temperature is correct for the level check.
01-20-19, 02:23 PM
#21
Lexus Test Driver
It has a filter...change it once, forget about it for the rest of the transmission's life.
I have a home-made rig for swapping fluid, and it's like doing several drain/fills all at one time. No pressure, other than what the trans already produces, and that's just pumping it out of the line going to the cooler.
I have a home-made rig for swapping fluid, and it's like doing several drain/fills all at one time. No pressure, other than what the trans already produces, and that's just pumping it out of the line going to the cooler.
The following users liked this post:
damon (08-12-19)
01-20-19, 05:42 PM
#22
Mckellyb; Thanks for the heads up on the filter. Makes me wonder what the SA at Lexus is thinking?
Your rig is the one I mentioned in my previous post. I really like what you did, and your write up in that other thread on your process was fantastic, it looked like more of a science project than I thought I can handle though. I may have to tackle it though if Lexus wants to tack on another $150 to change the filter, I’ll do it myself.
I have a kwiklift that will get the car in the air, but I have a question about heating the fluid up for the heated fluid dump. Is it enough to let the car idle in park to heat things up? Or, do I have to cycle through drive and reverse with my foot on the brake?
I don’t want to hijack the OP post, but I’m hoping this dialogue will help him out as well.
Thanks.
Your rig is the one I mentioned in my previous post. I really like what you did, and your write up in that other thread on your process was fantastic, it looked like more of a science project than I thought I can handle though. I may have to tackle it though if Lexus wants to tack on another $150 to change the filter, I’ll do it myself.
I have a kwiklift that will get the car in the air, but I have a question about heating the fluid up for the heated fluid dump. Is it enough to let the car idle in park to heat things up? Or, do I have to cycle through drive and reverse with my foot on the brake?
I don’t want to hijack the OP post, but I’m hoping this dialogue will help him out as well.
Thanks.
The following users liked this post:
mckellyb (02-10-19)
01-20-19, 07:39 PM
#23
Lexus Test Driver
The torque converter issue in your truck isn't really related to the flush, it was likely just bad timing. The "rumble strip" issue caused by the torque converter not disengaging properly is a very well-known issue for Tundras of that vintage. Our 07 has had the problem since shortly after we bought it, hasn't gotten any worse, and if you drive it a certain way you never even encounter the problem.
But, definitely stay away from flushes. Too many small passages where stuff that was broken loose by the flush can get lodged and cause problems.
But, definitely stay away from flushes. Too many small passages where stuff that was broken loose by the flush can get lodged and cause problems.
02-07-19, 10:43 PM
#24
All this misinformation.. Listen, I'm a ex-mechanic, been 30+ years, since then I've been a Service Advisor and all my life have been in and out of shops/dealerships. So I have more exposure than some... I refused as a Advisor to sell customers stuff they DID NOT need and had to quit when a service manager thought that "sales" was more important than being trusted by my "service" customers... Some things just are not worth the hassle.
Flushes - DON'T DO IT. If someone is trying to sell you that crap under the auspices it gets all the fluid out of the torque converter, rejuvenates seals, etc.. run away... Likely they will hook up to your cooler lines, run a machine that puts way too much pressure on your trans seals, often backwards (back flushing), and the fluid will get changed but your seals may let go. Its simply not worth the risk that the lowest paid grunt in the garage is using your 90K Lexus to learn on. And they don't usually change the fluid in those machines between vehicles. You get whatever their bulk oil supplier provides. Even at the Dealership. This is the same crap they want to sell you for Coolant Flushes too. Then you get into oil additives, brake flushes etc...
Service Intervals & Lifetime Trans Fluid - Don't know who started the whole "lifetime trans fluid" stuff but they are simply wanting to sell you a new trans or new car every 150-200K miles... Generally speaking, Every 100K, drop the pan, new filter, new pan gasket, reassemble, top it back off, cycle through the gears forward and back, check levels then go for another 100K. Change more often if manufacturer specifies or if used to trailer or haul heavy loads.
Brake Fluid Service Intervals: The same transmission intervals goes for maintaining your brake lines/system. If you don't drive much, low mileage, maybe every 3-4 yrs then. You should be able to simply loosen top of reservoir, add new fluid, have a helper pump the brakes for you, bleed each corner, checking fluid often, bleed until it comes out clear. Note: The LS with its electro-hydraullic brake actuator some people report needing Techstream to perform a bleed and not get a code others have said they did it just fine without it. I don't know if the people needing the Techstream are flying solo or doing it old school (pump the brakes/crack a bleeder) or what... I haven't needed to do mine yet but will clarify once I do. I will get a helper to pump the brakes old school and report back. Anyway... Never use brake fluid that's been opened for more than a few weeks, metal cans are better. Never do this when its raining either. Blake fluid is hydroscopic, attracts water/moisture, the enemy of your brake system. I like ATE Super Blue Brake Fluid. It's a DOT 4 fluid. Sadly after 15 ys on the market the Feds outlawed it because it was ... BLUE. (wtf?) So ATE TYP 200 is what I use now. The SL.6 is thinner but boiling point is slightly lower. It's available on Amazon. Should only take 1L to do a full bleed but get 2 cans just in case. If you come up short its just not worth it.
Note: Stay VERY far away from any silicone based "racing" DOT 5 or DOT 6 brake fluid. That stuff attracts moisture much more aggressively, needs to be replaced in a fraction of the time (seriously).
Hope this all helps.
Flushes - DON'T DO IT. If someone is trying to sell you that crap under the auspices it gets all the fluid out of the torque converter, rejuvenates seals, etc.. run away... Likely they will hook up to your cooler lines, run a machine that puts way too much pressure on your trans seals, often backwards (back flushing), and the fluid will get changed but your seals may let go. Its simply not worth the risk that the lowest paid grunt in the garage is using your 90K Lexus to learn on. And they don't usually change the fluid in those machines between vehicles. You get whatever their bulk oil supplier provides. Even at the Dealership. This is the same crap they want to sell you for Coolant Flushes too. Then you get into oil additives, brake flushes etc...
Service Intervals & Lifetime Trans Fluid - Don't know who started the whole "lifetime trans fluid" stuff but they are simply wanting to sell you a new trans or new car every 150-200K miles... Generally speaking, Every 100K, drop the pan, new filter, new pan gasket, reassemble, top it back off, cycle through the gears forward and back, check levels then go for another 100K. Change more often if manufacturer specifies or if used to trailer or haul heavy loads.
Brake Fluid Service Intervals: The same transmission intervals goes for maintaining your brake lines/system. If you don't drive much, low mileage, maybe every 3-4 yrs then. You should be able to simply loosen top of reservoir, add new fluid, have a helper pump the brakes for you, bleed each corner, checking fluid often, bleed until it comes out clear. Note: The LS with its electro-hydraullic brake actuator some people report needing Techstream to perform a bleed and not get a code others have said they did it just fine without it. I don't know if the people needing the Techstream are flying solo or doing it old school (pump the brakes/crack a bleeder) or what... I haven't needed to do mine yet but will clarify once I do. I will get a helper to pump the brakes old school and report back. Anyway... Never use brake fluid that's been opened for more than a few weeks, metal cans are better. Never do this when its raining either. Blake fluid is hydroscopic, attracts water/moisture, the enemy of your brake system. I like ATE Super Blue Brake Fluid. It's a DOT 4 fluid. Sadly after 15 ys on the market the Feds outlawed it because it was ... BLUE. (wtf?) So ATE TYP 200 is what I use now. The SL.6 is thinner but boiling point is slightly lower. It's available on Amazon. Should only take 1L to do a full bleed but get 2 cans just in case. If you come up short its just not worth it.
Note: Stay VERY far away from any silicone based "racing" DOT 5 or DOT 6 brake fluid. That stuff attracts moisture much more aggressively, needs to be replaced in a fraction of the time (seriously).
Hope this all helps.
Last edited by DriverSS; 02-09-19 at 11:20 PM.
02-08-19, 03:33 AM
#25
All this misinformation.. Listen, I'm a ex-mechanic, been 30+ years, since then I've been a Service Advisor and all my life have been in and out of shops/dealerships. So I have more exposure than some... I refused as a Advisor to sell customers stuff they DID NOT need and had to quit when a service manager thought that "sales" was more important than being trusted by my "service" customers... Some things just are not worth the hassle.
Flushes - DON'T DO IT. If someone is trying to sell you that crap under the auspices it gets all the fluid out of the torque converter, rejuvenates seals, etc.. run away... Likely they will hook up to your cooler lines, run a machine that puts way too much pressure on your trans seals, often backwards (back flushing), and the fluid will get changed but your seals may let go. Its simply not worth the risk that the lowest paid grunt in the garage is using your 90K Lexus to learn on. And they don't usually change the fluid in those machines between vehicles. You get whatever their bulk oil supplier provides. Even at the Dealership. This is the same crap they want to sell you for Coolant Flushes too. Then you get into oil additives, brake flushes etc...
Service Intervals & Lifetime Trans Fluid - Don't know who started the whole "lifetime trans fluid" stuff but they are simply wanting to sell you a new trans or new car every 150-200K miles... Generally speaking, Every 100K, drop the pan, new filter, new pan gasket, reassemble, top it back off, cycle through the gears forward and back, check levels then go for another 100K. Change more often if manufacturer specifies or if used to trailer or haul heavy loads.
Brake Fluid Service Intervals: The same transmission intervals goes for maintaining your brake lines/system. If you don't drive much, low mileage, maybe every 3-4 yrs then. Simply loosen top of reservoir, add new fluid, bleed each corner, checking fluid often, bleed until it comes out clear. Never use brake fluid that's been opened for more than a few weeks, metal cans are better. Never do this when its raining either. Blake fluid is hydroscopic, attracts water/moisture, the enemy of your brake system. I like ATE Super Blue Brake Fluid. It's a DOT 4 fluid. Sadly after 15 ys on the market the Feds outlawed it because it was ... BLUE. (wtf?) So ATE TYP 200 is what I use now. The SL.6 is thinner but boiling point is slightly lower. It's available on Amazon. Should only take 1L to do a full bleed but get 2 cans just in case. If you come up short its just not worth it.
Note: Stay VERY far away from any silicone based "racing" DOT 5 or DOT 6 brake fluid. That stuff attracts moisture much more aggressively, needs to be replaced in a fraction of the time (seriously).
Hope this all helps.
Flushes - DON'T DO IT. If someone is trying to sell you that crap under the auspices it gets all the fluid out of the torque converter, rejuvenates seals, etc.. run away... Likely they will hook up to your cooler lines, run a machine that puts way too much pressure on your trans seals, often backwards (back flushing), and the fluid will get changed but your seals may let go. Its simply not worth the risk that the lowest paid grunt in the garage is using your 90K Lexus to learn on. And they don't usually change the fluid in those machines between vehicles. You get whatever their bulk oil supplier provides. Even at the Dealership. This is the same crap they want to sell you for Coolant Flushes too. Then you get into oil additives, brake flushes etc...
Service Intervals & Lifetime Trans Fluid - Don't know who started the whole "lifetime trans fluid" stuff but they are simply wanting to sell you a new trans or new car every 150-200K miles... Generally speaking, Every 100K, drop the pan, new filter, new pan gasket, reassemble, top it back off, cycle through the gears forward and back, check levels then go for another 100K. Change more often if manufacturer specifies or if used to trailer or haul heavy loads.
Brake Fluid Service Intervals: The same transmission intervals goes for maintaining your brake lines/system. If you don't drive much, low mileage, maybe every 3-4 yrs then. Simply loosen top of reservoir, add new fluid, bleed each corner, checking fluid often, bleed until it comes out clear. Never use brake fluid that's been opened for more than a few weeks, metal cans are better. Never do this when its raining either. Blake fluid is hydroscopic, attracts water/moisture, the enemy of your brake system. I like ATE Super Blue Brake Fluid. It's a DOT 4 fluid. Sadly after 15 ys on the market the Feds outlawed it because it was ... BLUE. (wtf?) So ATE TYP 200 is what I use now. The SL.6 is thinner but boiling point is slightly lower. It's available on Amazon. Should only take 1L to do a full bleed but get 2 cans just in case. If you come up short its just not worth it.
Note: Stay VERY far away from any silicone based "racing" DOT 5 or DOT 6 brake fluid. That stuff attracts moisture much more aggressively, needs to be replaced in a fraction of the time (seriously).
Hope this all helps.
The following users liked this post:
rick3242 (02-08-19)
02-08-19, 07:21 AM
#26
Pit Crew
Thread Starter
All this misinformation.. Listen, I'm a ex-mechanic, been 30+ years, since then I've been a Service Advisor and all my life have been in and out of shops/dealerships. So I have more exposure than some... I refused as a Advisor to sell customers stuff they DID NOT need and had to quit when a service manager thought that "sales" was more important than being trusted by my "service" customers... Some things just are not worth the hassle.
Flushes - DON'T DO IT. If someone is trying to sell you that crap under the auspices it gets all the fluid out of the torque converter, rejuvenates seals, etc.. run away... Likely they will hook up to your cooler lines, run a machine that puts way too much pressure on your trans seals, often backwards (back flushing), and the fluid will get changed but your seals may let go. Its simply not worth the risk that the lowest paid grunt in the garage is using your 90K Lexus to learn on. And they don't usually change the fluid in those machines between vehicles. You get whatever their bulk oil supplier provides. Even at the Dealership. This is the same crap they want to sell you for Coolant Flushes too. Then you get into oil additives, brake flushes etc...
Service Intervals & Lifetime Trans Fluid - Don't know who started the whole "lifetime trans fluid" stuff but they are simply wanting to sell you a new trans or new car every 150-200K miles... Generally speaking, Every 100K, drop the pan, new filter, new pan gasket, reassemble, top it back off, cycle through the gears forward and back, check levels then go for another 100K. Change more often if manufacturer specifies or if used to trailer or haul heavy loads.
Brake Fluid Service Intervals: The same transmission intervals goes for maintaining your brake lines/system. If you don't drive much, low mileage, maybe every 3-4 yrs then. Simply loosen top of reservoir, add new fluid, bleed each corner, checking fluid often, bleed until it comes out clear. Never use brake fluid that's been opened for more than a few weeks, metal cans are better. Never do this when its raining either. Blake fluid is hydroscopic, attracts water/moisture, the enemy of your brake system. I like ATE Super Blue Brake Fluid. It's a DOT 4 fluid. Sadly after 15 ys on the market the Feds outlawed it because it was ... BLUE. (wtf?) So ATE TYP 200 is what I use now. The SL.6 is thinner but boiling point is slightly lower. It's available on Amazon. Should only take 1L to do a full bleed but get 2 cans just in case. If you come up short its just not worth it.
Note: Stay VERY far away from any silicone based "racing" DOT 5 or DOT 6 brake fluid. That stuff attracts moisture much more aggressively, needs to be replaced in a fraction of the time (seriously).
Hope this all helps.
Flushes - DON'T DO IT. If someone is trying to sell you that crap under the auspices it gets all the fluid out of the torque converter, rejuvenates seals, etc.. run away... Likely they will hook up to your cooler lines, run a machine that puts way too much pressure on your trans seals, often backwards (back flushing), and the fluid will get changed but your seals may let go. Its simply not worth the risk that the lowest paid grunt in the garage is using your 90K Lexus to learn on. And they don't usually change the fluid in those machines between vehicles. You get whatever their bulk oil supplier provides. Even at the Dealership. This is the same crap they want to sell you for Coolant Flushes too. Then you get into oil additives, brake flushes etc...
Service Intervals & Lifetime Trans Fluid - Don't know who started the whole "lifetime trans fluid" stuff but they are simply wanting to sell you a new trans or new car every 150-200K miles... Generally speaking, Every 100K, drop the pan, new filter, new pan gasket, reassemble, top it back off, cycle through the gears forward and back, check levels then go for another 100K. Change more often if manufacturer specifies or if used to trailer or haul heavy loads.
Brake Fluid Service Intervals: The same transmission intervals goes for maintaining your brake lines/system. If you don't drive much, low mileage, maybe every 3-4 yrs then. Simply loosen top of reservoir, add new fluid, bleed each corner, checking fluid often, bleed until it comes out clear. Never use brake fluid that's been opened for more than a few weeks, metal cans are better. Never do this when its raining either. Blake fluid is hydroscopic, attracts water/moisture, the enemy of your brake system. I like ATE Super Blue Brake Fluid. It's a DOT 4 fluid. Sadly after 15 ys on the market the Feds outlawed it because it was ... BLUE. (wtf?) So ATE TYP 200 is what I use now. The SL.6 is thinner but boiling point is slightly lower. It's available on Amazon. Should only take 1L to do a full bleed but get 2 cans just in case. If you come up short its just not worth it.
Note: Stay VERY far away from any silicone based "racing" DOT 5 or DOT 6 brake fluid. That stuff attracts moisture much more aggressively, needs to be replaced in a fraction of the time (seriously).
Hope this all helps.
02-08-19, 08:00 AM
#27
Lexus Test Driver
Drain and refill did nothing about the problem on my Tundra. I've simply learned to drive it in such a way that the issue doesn't present itself; don't hold partial throttle through a particular RPM range and it doesn't happen, either give more or less gas at that point.
02-08-19, 08:18 AM
#28
Pit Crew
Thread Starter
I think mine may be a little worse then yours. Mine will act up when I have the cruise control on. I know what you mean though, if I do what you suggest it will stop the shudder rather quickly.
02-08-19, 10:17 AM
#29
Pole Position
On the topic of transmissions, how do I do a test to see if it is shifting properly or if there’s an issue with it? Sometimes in city traffic when I go hard on the gas, it doesn’t seem to be shifting up or it holds too long before it shift also the shifts are rather noticeable is this normal?
02-08-19, 12:27 PM
#30
Drain and refill did nothing about the problem on my Tundra. I've simply learned to drive it in such a way that the issue doesn't present itself; don't hold partial throttle through a particular RPM range and it doesn't happen, either give more or less gas at that point.
The following users liked this post:
rick3242 (02-09-19)