Hi all, I have a 2005 RX330 that just went over 190K miles. I am the second owner of the car and have never replaced the transmission fluid and don't believe the first owner did either. To me the transmission shifts nicely and I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary. Does anyone suggest I drain the transmission fluid and replace with the recommended fluid or just leave it alone? Thanks!

 

drain 4L out of the sump and refill thru the dip stick. do this for the next 2-3 oil changes .

 

Really best to swap out the filter, specially if you don't know or have no records. Thats what I had done yesterday as well as the rear diff & transfer case. I used a wix filter, a gallon of Maxlife & 2 qtrs of 75/90 Royal Purple. We bought ours last November(w/ 145.000) w/ no knowledge of when the trans fluid or diff's fluid/filter was done. Did a few other things as well......Yea the Toyota's transmission's are pretty smooth & reliably, my thought is I really don't want to replace or redo this trans + it also gives you idea first hand look at the two magnets that you wouldn't have a change to see w/o pulling the pan.....

 

I have replaced filters in SC400/LS400 and rx350 high mileage. i do not think it was necessary and now just do the drain and fill 4 L.

 

+1 above posts.
I got my 2004 RX330 around 120k and the first couple years I think I did 3 drain and fills with mileage in between to freshen it up and
last year as it approached 150k I dropped the pan to inspect and found out the 2004 model only had a single tiny magnet that
was maxxed out with metal powder debris.

I hear newer model RX350 has 2 magnets but not sure.
Very glad I didn't wait any longer to clean the magnet and I plan on doing a possible complete flush soon- still debating on that.

 

Was it difficult to get to all the bolts and remove the pan?

 

If you are pretty good with a wrench and have a reliable floor jack that you trust to hold the engine/trans about an inch raised up while you
turn out a 3-4 bolts with your hand in a tight spot it's not hard at all- comes right out easy.

Hardest part is jacking up transmission for clearance to access a few hidden bolts but that is easy too the way I do it- might take 5-20 mins depending on
how seized/stuck engine mount bolts are and what tools someone has to work with.

 

Thanks. I'll hold off on that for now and see about removing the pan and replacing the filter next time I drain the fluid.

 

Agree with tomr51. Drain and fill or fluid exchange will get the job done.

 

That'd depend on how & where it was driven as well as how many miles....Yea its one thing to have records of when work was done w/ the date & mileage. If you have no idea, then I'd recommend swapping out the filter & cleaning the magnets. Yea once you've done it then do the drain/fill.....I'd also do the drain/fill w/ the diff & transfer case as well......

 

Will be a game time decision for dropping the pan and replacing the filter/cleaning magnets. I ordered the trans fluid and filter which will be delivered in the next few days. Also will do fluid swap for the rear diff (don't have a transfer case) and will keep the thread updated.

 

If you have awd, you'll have a transfer case & yes it's critical to drain it & refill w/ a quality oil...You'll also find that the transmission fluid lubes both carrier bearings w/ a channel that goes up & over to the opposite side of the transmission w/ seals to prevent the mixing of the trans fluid & the diff oil...As on other vehicles I looked at, the transfer case capacity is very slim, a quart only.....So I find it critical to drain it every few years or so...The worst setup I find is the pto in awd Ford's, Taurus,Flex,Edge, Fusion's, ect......Toyota engineering/quality keeps it together is my thought......

 

Did the trans fluid replacement today. Just under 4 quarts came out. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to do the filter since I couldn't get to just one of the pan bolts. I tried lifting up the trans and engine with my floor jack, but that didn't improve any clearance. I had several 10mm wrenches including a flex-head, but they couldn't get to the bolt. Next oil change I will drain the trans again and attempt to remove the pan after I get an offset wrench to hopefully reach that one bolt.

The drain and fill was pretty easy and the drain plug removed with no issues.

 

Some cheap tools for jobs like this.

Duralast ten piece 10mm socket set from Auto Zone is killer deal
at $20- exactly same as Gearwrench set for less $$$ and includes
swivel sockets and magnetic impacts, and mid length in 1/4" and 3/8".
* Just noticed 11 sockets shown but last impact on right isn't included.

Also, can't say enough nice things about the Mountain wrenches- extra long, with offset and this one is the 8mm x 10mm two sizes in one wrench on ebay $25.

 

Thanks so much for this. Looks like the flex sockets would be my best bet for reaching that one bolt. Next time I drain the fluid, I'll purchase the set and update this thread.