GS300 Transmission Fluid Change
 

I know that I am probably too anal about this, but I change my transmission fluid every time I change my motor oil (5,000 miles). Will this have any long term affects on my car. Ususally the fluid comes out looking brand new, but the cost of two quarts of fluid is small. Let's see what everyone thinks.

besides your wallet
i cant see the harm in changing it

they call for changing every 30,000 miles i think

but if helps ease your mind then by all means

oh and once a year you should a complete trans flush

I was with ya 'till your second post, but if 2 quarts of the fluid is changed each 5K, and the fluid is coming out clear, redjeeper is running cleaner and fresher ATF than 99% of all the Lexus cars out there, so I can't see any reason for an annual flush, ever.

I think 5K interval for the trans fluid change is overkill. The tranny for the GS/LS and IS is a very tough transmission. I change my at 15K, just drain and fill with 2 qts of Type-T.

The 04 LS, 05 GX470 and 06 GS not even have the trans dipstick to fill up anymore. The trans not repuire to change the fluid until 90K and you will need the scan tool and some special method to fill it back up. I mean, a 30 minutes procedure just to fill it up and check the fluid level and a Lexus scan tool to monitor the fluid temperature.

You can strech it out a little bit and enjoy driving your GS.

i understand that but if you look at how much he changes it

and that he says hes anal about fluids being changed

why not completley change them

would i do this ...No ..but he might ..

I should change my tranny fluid too.

How easy/difficult is it to do this? Do I need to bring it to a shop to do a complete flush? Or can I just drain & fill (just like motor oil)?

I have no idea where the drain plug for the tranny fluid is anyway. And where's the hole to fill it back up? I guess it's time to read the manual.

Also, what type of fluid should I use? Should I get Toyota fluid, or will aftermarket fluid work equally well?

Cadd, all your tranny fluid questions can be answered here: http://lexusmodz.netfirms.com/GS_DIY...il/index1.html

:thumbup:

Cadd, I know that the GS300 drain just like the motor oil does. Look for a drain plug on th ebottom of your transmission pan. You refill throught the dipstick. I noticed that before I started changing the fluid the regularly, you could noticebly fells the shift, but now, the only way I know the car is shifting is when I see the tach needle drop. If it true what they said about the newer cars not having a dipstick, then I will get a 2003 LS and drive it for another ten years. :)

You are the man!! I will start doing that everytime I do my oil changes.

I heard the transmission drain and dipstick / fill point are located underneath the car, right on the
transmission itself as is the case with manual transmissions. So a do it yourselfer could still change the fluid, but have to work underneath the car just as is the case with a manual transmission.

I know this is off topic, but since we're talking about maintenence, let me ask:

When we do the AT fluid change, the percentage of old AT fluid remaining after a 2 QUART ATF drain and refill process, and susequent Drain and Refills are:

(1) 77.8%
(2) 60.5%
(3) 47.1%
(4) 36.6%
(5) 28.5%
(6) 22.1%
(7) 17.2%
(8) 13.4%
(9) 10.4%
(10) 8.1%

So basically, after 10 drain & refill process, we have basically only 8% of old oil left (which is really nothing).

Now the OFF-TOPIC question is this:
Does the rear differential work the same way? If I drain the rear differential oil, does ALL the rear diff oil get drained (similar to the way motor oil gets drained out during an oil change) or is it similar to the way ATF works?

Do I have to do multiple rear diff oil changes or do I have to do just one?

Thanks in advance, and sorry for the OFF-TOPIC. I plan to do that next.

Really not that off topic, and thanks for the percentage chart.

The diff is more like the engine- almost all the oil will drain (especially from a warm diff). Try to have the car level to get the most out of it (I used ramps, but got the car level by using the ramps on a sloped driveway). Also, be sure you can remove the fill plug (and do so) before removing the drain plug.

Thx for the answer Perry. Yeah, that's what I plan to do......remove the fill plug FIRST. I won't be too funny if I drained the rear diff oil and can't get the fill plug off :egads:

Cool.

Another OFF-TOPIC question: Now next fluid is coolant. Is it a simple drain & fill? Does it matter which brand I use or should I just get raped by the Toyota dealer?

how often do you have to take out the whole pan, change the gasket and clean the filter or change the filter? Fiend of mine works at an auto shop and everytime he does tranny flush on a toyota, he takes everything out and then refill it. NOt just drain and fill.