RX350 Transmission Oil Change (merged threads)
03-26-18, 10:09 AM
#271
Driver School Candidate
Just do a cold drain and fill and ignore the insane Toyota temperature dependent procedure. Make sure your vehicle has sat overnight and the new fluid stored in the same location so both are at the same temperature. Drain the fluid, you do not really have to raise it up. Remove the fill bolt first, which is easily accessed via the driver side front wheel well. On the drain plug, be sure to remove the overflow plug after you take out the cover plug. Carefully measure how much fluid drained out (about 2 quarts) and replace exactly that amount plus about 4 ounces extra for spillage. I have done this 4 times on the RX and several more times on my old MINI Cooper that had an Aisin transmission with the same procedure. It has always worked and my vehicle shifts great. It is as easy as changing your oil.
Thanks for the advise Clutchless. Just got off the phone with the dealer and got discouraged with them not being able to tell me exactly how the "Transmission Refill" gets done. I canceled my service appointment and stumbled upon this gem on here titled "(Changing Transmission Fluid ***DIY w/ pics***)". Those are my newly found marching orders! I'm going in hot to DIY the drain/refill myself this weekend.
I'll follow up with pic and shifting impressions afterwards...
03-26-18, 10:45 AM
#272
Moderator
I would initially do 2 drain and fills as only about 2 quarts drains at a time, unless you unhook a cooler line, which I have yet to do on this vehicle. Doing them a week apart is a good idea since it is a weekend project and you need a cold vehicle.
Did you find the other thread that was about drain and fills? https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...nge-diy-4.html
Look around post 45 and up.
Did you find the other thread that was about drain and fills? https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...nge-diy-4.html
Look around post 45 and up.
Last edited by Clutchless; 03-26-18 at 10:53 AM.
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Aleximus (03-26-18)
03-26-18, 11:23 AM
#273
Driver School Candidate
I took a quick glance at your provided link and saw gold in there as well. I'll make sure to read that thread before I embark on my drain/refill exercise. I figure that I will need about 8 quarts of tranny fluid.
03-26-18, 01:17 PM
#274
Moderator
This is the fluid I used to replace WS in my vehicle. It works great as the other reviewers on Amazon who have used it in Toyota vehicles have commented. A 6 pack is about $34 on Amazon. I would just get that instead of WS which is about $9 a quart depending.
https://mag1.com/products/transmissi...mission-fluid/
https://mag1.com/products/transmissi...mission-fluid/
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Aleximus (03-26-18)
03-29-18, 04:44 AM
#275
Driver School Candidate
Greetings Clutch, something is egging me on to drop the pan and replace the transmission filter "while I'm at it". Do you have any pointers on torque settings for the oil filter bolts and pan bolts?..
03-29-18, 06:51 AM
#276
Moderator
DO NOT BOTHER TO DROP THE PAN. IT IS A WASTE OF TIME AND MUCH MORE TROUBLE IN THIS VEHICLE THAN YOU IMAGINE. I think a frame member may be in the way and you have to lift up or lower the engine/trans. THE FILTER IS JUST A SCREEN TO CATCH BIG CHUNKS, IT WILL NOT BE CLOGGED. Just do the drain and fill.
03-29-18, 07:32 AM
#277
Driver School Candidate
DO NOT BOTHER TO DROP THE PAN. IT IS A WASTE OF TIME AND MUCH MORE TROUBLE IN THIS VEHICLE THAN YOU IMAGINE. I think a frame member may be in the way and you have to lift up or lower the engine/trans. THE FILTER IS JUST A SCREEN TO CATCH BIG CHUNKS, IT WILL NOT BE CLOGGED. Just do the drain and fill.
I heard you loud and clear. If the filter is just a "screen" then it's a moot point to replace it. Thanks for keeping me on track with the task at hand.
Currently gathering all required tools for my ATF drain/refill DIY.
03-29-18, 09:03 AM
#278
Moderator
IF you want to get technical and have a tax refund to spend, this guy on eBay invented a modified overflow tube so you can check the ATF level at normal operating temperature as opposed to the narrow range allowed by the OEM tube length. He claims to have developed this over a period of time and that it really works. A few members at this and other forums have had success using it. I may splurge for it later this year. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Toyota-Lexu...kAAOSw8b1aGFbV
03-29-18, 12:22 PM
#279
Driver School Candidate
IF you want to get technical and have a tax refund to spend, this guy on eBay invented a modified overflow tube so you can check the ATF level at normal operating temperature as opposed to the narrow range allowed by the OEM tube length. He claims to have developed this over a period of time and that it really works. A few members at this and other forums have had success using it. I may splurge for it later this year. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Toyota-Lexu...kAAOSw8b1aGFbV
We need a leader to walk us through this device in action so that we could see how well it works...
I'm not confident to "learn as I go" with that contraption. lol
03-30-18, 06:07 AM
#280
Moderator
That is not a reservoir, but as a way to add fluid without opening the fill bolt every time. It just acts like a funnel. You still have to use the new overflow tube to adjust fluid level. However with this tube, you run the engine until the cooling fan comes on once, then the fluid is at the right temperature. Camlex was the member that bought one. Here is a link to the posts about it, look at page 10, post 132 and on. https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...nge-diy-9.html
Last edited by Clutchless; 03-30-18 at 06:13 AM.
04-02-18, 05:59 AM
#281
Driver School Candidate
ATF cold Drain Refill Quick Update:
Fluid Drained #1: 2.25 QT.
Fluid Drained #2: 2.40 QT (turned car on for 5 seconds with drain plug Off to extract more fluid).
Fluid Drained #3: 2.80 QT (turned car on for 11 seconds with drain plug Off to extract more fluid).
Fluid Drained #4: Not yet performed.
Observation thus far: The transmission feels like gear changes are transitioningless sticky than before more smoothly during slow and incremental gear changes.
Still need to test hard driving gear changes and normal driving gear changes. Will drive and take notes over a couple of days to rule out placebo effect gear change smoothness.
Fluid Drained #1: 2.25 QT.
Fluid Drained #2: 2.40 QT (turned car on for 5 seconds with drain plug Off to extract more fluid).
Fluid Drained #3: 2.80 QT (turned car on for 11 seconds with drain plug Off to extract more fluid).
Fluid Drained #4: Not yet performed.
Observation thus far: The transmission feels like gear changes are transitioning
Still need to test hard driving gear changes and normal driving gear changes. Will drive and take notes over a couple of days to rule out placebo effect gear change smoothness.
04-02-18, 03:16 PM
#282
i just hit 60k on my 2010 RX350, my area Lexus dealer does not perform a drain and fill despite my discussion with the service manager that the drive.lexus.com maintenance schedule recommends so at 60k. Their stance is that the WS fluid is a lifetime fluid. I will be using a 24mm barb to assist with the refill on the service port.
04-02-18, 03:30 PM
#283
Driver School Candidate
i just hit 60k on my 2010 RX350, my area Lexus dealer does not perform a drain and fill despite my discussion with the service manager that the drive.lexus.com maintenance schedule recommends so at 60k. Their stance is that the WS fluid is a lifetime fluid. I will be using a 24mm barb to assist with the refill on the service port.
My RX with 105k miles to its name enjoyed by its previous owner, I expected Hershey's syrup to come out on the first drain, but surprisingly, the color of the ATF fluid was brown with a dim red color still present. Your ATF fluid at 60k might look and perform better though. Do you notice any lazy shifts or do you just want to drain and fill to show your transmission some love?..
04-02-18, 06:32 PM
#284
My RX with 105k miles to its name enjoyed by its previous owner, I expected Hershey's syrup to come out on the first drain, but surprisingly, the color of the ATF fluid was brown with a dim red color still present. Your ATF fluid at 60k might look and perform better though. Do you notice any lazy shifts or do you just want to drain and fill to show your transmission some love?..
04-03-18, 07:21 PM
#285
Driver School Candidate
i do notice some lazy shifts but perhaps when i notice, the ATF is definitely not up to temperature when i'm paying attention to it. Either way..definitely going to show it some love with a new fill. I picked it up as a low mileage CPO but you never know how the previous owner drove it. It's more for piece of mind.
Good luck.