I'm waiting for my Amsoil synthetic fluid order to arrive so I can perform drain/fill and then tranny pan drop to clean metal filter, magnets, etc. In the interim, I thought I'd ask the following:

For those who have done this DIY, has anyone experience any leaks after tranny pan reinstallation?

What do you think caused the leak?

How did you remedy the problem?

 

Use a torque wrench.

Over or under torqued would leak. If over torqued, the pan face can be distorted.

The other important thing is to remove the old gasket and scrape if necessary.

If the pan is bent, have it faced/leveled. Instead of gasket, you can use Toyota's FIPG [this creates a gasket and can be slightly more forgiving if the pan has been bent a bit.

Salim

Some high spots can be found by laying the pan on sheet of glass (or mirror)

 

I did mine and just used the advance auto part filter kit with rubber gasket. Torqued everything down by hand as evenly as i could.... no leaks in the last few thousand miles.

 

I usually use OEM cork gasket.
If you don't have a torque wrench,
I just tighten it and as soon as I see the cork spreading out. That's where I stop.

 

my mechanic buddy warned me NOT to do drop the pan because he said the factory seal will never be achieved and that there is a potential for leaks going forward. Drain and fill (3x) is his advice.

Could he be correct?

 

Let me ask you the question ... why do you want to drop the pan?

I dropped mine at 130k miles just to make sure the screen is not clogged and to clean the magnets. I could have gone another 60k miles, but ti was basically for reassurance. I found no sludge at the bottom of the pan.

So if everything is fine, dropping the pan is not really necessary.

Now if you have the paper-fiber filter, then I would say drop and replace the filter.

Other members have stated that they dont use the torque wrench, I humbly disagree. I would not touch the job without the TW, but that is just me.

Mechanics and myself do not like the smell of transmission fluid, so the aversion is understandable.

Salim

 

I have dropped my pan at least 8 times...never leaked afterwards. The torque is really low like 6ft lbs...so as one said if yu see the cork gasket bulge a little it is probably good. I use a torque wrench, and you can get a cheap one at Harbor freight (inch pound one) Key is to clean all surfaces carefully and I use a little rtv on the pan side of the gasket to hold it in place. Pan is easier to clean the the tranny side....

 

I have dropped a number of tranny and engine oil pans over the years. I want to confirm the wisdom in comments above about the need to carefully reinstall the gasket and tighten the bolts. Over TQ'ing the pan bolts is probably the biggest source of leaks. Crushed gaskets and bent pan lip will get you a leak. Be careful and take your time and you will have no leaks.

 

If your RX300 had 86K miles, average highway/city driving and no indication of tranny issues, would you do a transmission pan drop???

 

I would drain (this is needed in any case). Examine the drained fluid. If there is gray stuff and or metal, then I would open further.

If you have a 99, and no one has serviced the transmission, it is very likely that you have a screen filter and that does not need replacement .. when the time is right, you simply clean it and reinstall.

Remember for FWD there are two location you need to drain from .. one is the pan the other is the front diff lobe.

Salim

 

I would recommend dropping the pan and installing a new filter. I'll bet you'll find fine metal 'fir' accumulated on the magnets and a fine grey film on the pan interior surface. I have performed regular tranny fluid and filter changes on our 99 RX with 182k miles and the original tranny is functioning flawlessly. I don't claim to be an expert, but I am not a fan of metal screen filters.

A few weeks ago I dropped the tranny pan and replaced the fluid on my 08 RAV4 V6 tranny with 52k miles and to my dismay I discovered a bit more fir on the magnets than I expected. This was with a easily driven vehicle and with the so-called "lifetime" Toyota WS fluid. I cleaned the pan, the magnets, and replaced the felt media filter and topped it off with fresh fluid. I hope to make this tranny last at least as long as my RX.

 

I even added an external filter on my RX300 after my first transmission failure. It alone adds about 3/4 of a quart to the capacity. It is essentialy a PH8 filter in size...I change my fluid every 15k miles. We have 187k on the vehicle (87k) on the second transmission.