Taka

I just got a can of AFT IV.
one of my friend works at local shop told me it's not advisable to flush transmission fluid.
is it right?

the reason I wanna change is that I drove 15k since I got this car and I have no idea when previous owner changed AFT before.

how much does it usually cost to change at local? I wanna ask when I do oil change there.
Thanks

London Bill

By "flushing" the ATF fluid I presume you mean with the engine running? This could have issues, you would not want to risk running the box low or dry.

Draining the ATF fluid will only remove about 2Ltrs of fluid, pulling the transmission pan (and cleaning the magnet/filter) will replace around 4Ltrs of ATF, leaving at least another 3ltrs in the convertor/gearbox housing, this will require a couple of more changes to fully replace the old fluid.

You can speed up this process by using a pump to drain out the ATF from the filler tube, this will remove about 4Ltrs each time.

ChrisK

iTrader: (1)

I recently "flushed" my tranny. Let me tell you that it made a huge difference in the way the tranny responses and shifts now. My old fluid was not burned, at least I don't believe so. It had pinkish color to it and it didn't smell badly. I decided to flash it anyway, just to see if there is any improvement, and I was very surprised at the outcome. Since I drive a lot, I'm planning to flash it every two years or so.

I took it to Toyota dealership, where they used a flushing machine to replace all 8 quarts(?).

2UX31 YM

How much did you pay for the flush and 8 quarts of fluid?

ChrisK

iTrader: (1)

Actually, they used 3 cans, 12 quarts. I paid $200, maybe little bit more than I should, but that was the only place in Chicago area, that was willing to do it for me.

wwest

Every time I wash and wax my car it seems like it drives smoother and quieter, isn't imagination wonderful?

I started driving cars with automatic tranx in 1961, it's only been in the last few years that anyone ever brought up the subject of changing out tranx fluid as a scheduled maintainance function.

I drove two Ford country squire station wagons thoughout the pacific northwest, winter and summer, each over 250k miles, and NEVER considered changing out the fluid and don't remember ever having to add any. I personally over-hauled one of the tranx and thus know the fluid was changed out at least once and on the other I bought a used ,30k miles, tranx from a junk yard.

Check your tranx fluid level and condition once in awhile, more often if you tow, but tranx fluid does NOT wear out and unlike motor oil it is specifically formulated to allow particulates, clutch wear particles, to settle into the sump.

If you have the money to waste, then by all means "waste" it, but there are better places than a Toyota or Lexus service shop, Children's Hospital in Seattle or St. Judes in Memphis, for instance.

Oh, one more thing before I forget.

No service manager will use skilled help for "routine" maintainance items, each time you have them perfrom some needless task such as this the odds are, statistically, that more damage than good will come of it. Each time you allow one of their "gofers" to touch your car you're taking a chance on coming away worse than you arrived.

But good luck to you anyway.

cupete

I just had my local shop drain my ATF because he checked the ATF and it was close to black (I didn't do any ATF work in over 3 years) Anyways, I didn't have any problem with the transmission however, I thought it was the time to do so. I went ahead with cheap old 76 Unocal brand ATF, going against everyone's recommendation of using a specific type of Toyota ATF. The result: I can't tell the difference, my transmission is running smooth as ever and the cost? $15 for 5 qts.

ChrisK

iTrader: (1)

Isn't old school wonderful?

I wonder if 1961 Ford was also using T-IV fluid, or perhaps at that time it had to be T-I.

And since you never drove in my car, I seriously think that you can NOT assume what is and what is not my imagination.

And since you put 250K on a Ford product, I can assume that you never redlined it, or is THAT my imagination?

Just my own opinion.

wwest

Didn't have tach's as standard equipment in those days so can't really say. But how often was it WOT throttle, with all four barrels wide open?

More often than you might believe possible.

"Close to black"

I have seen tranx severely "burned" and very dark brown but nothing like "close to black". Did you see it for yourself and/or you sure you weren't looking at a transmission dipstick that had just been withdrawn from the engine sump.

Not trying to be a smartass but things like that do happen and it's hard to believe that in three years your tranx fluid was black. Are or you driving a big SUV and towing a boat?

cupete

The shop guy showed me the drained ATF, it was close to black. Luckily, my transmission shows no problem what so ever...

wwest

Was the interior surface of the container a dark color or maybe had the mechanic substituted used motor oil before showing you the container?

Tranmission fluid that is "black" could have only gotten that way by being burnt or seriously contaminated and IMMHO an honest straight-forward mechanic would have most likely had you smell the "burnt" oil as an indication of its condition.

London Bill

Like most things on the Soarer/SC the autobox is built and runs with minimal tolerance, changing the fluid every 30,000 or 2 years will be beneficial and prolong the box life.

I dont think you can compare the Lexus autobox to your old Ford (Borg Warner??), the latest breed of transmissions for Lexus, BMW, Jaguar and such like are very sophisticated, they are more likely to fcukup if the fluid falls below the quality standard or has contamination.

As for using standard AFT fluid in a Lexus autobox, although it appears to work normally some of the nylon parts used in the valves will wear more rapidly if you dont use the recommended Type IV fluid, incidentally Toyota have released a new specification for TIV which supercedes the previous TIV (it also has a new part number).

cupete

Man, I am getting nervous now... Should I run to my Toyota Dealer and have them change my ATF and pay $200? I almost sold my SC400 last week and bought a new car but after changing the tires, I changed my mind.

PERRYinLA

Taka- look what you've started! I've been following both the "should you change ATF?" and the "what works besides Type-IV?" controversies on this and other web pages for some time now.

With the exception of LS owner lvangundy, cupete is the only one I know of that has tried something besides Type-IV. I just might join this very exclusive club this summer.

Then again I might not, since my ATF fluid seems to work fine, even though it is more than 5 years old and has at least 30K miles on it.

But if I was to change it, and since I can't easily change more than half of the ATF at a time, I don't see the point of contaminating $25+/gallon Toyota Type-IV with my old stuff. Better to use plain old $5/gallon (on sale) 76 Unocal brand ATF, if indeed it is a suitable substitute.

This is the first mention I've heard about nylon parts wearing more rapidly- who told you that, Bill? The only way I can think would happen is if the ATF friction specs are so far off that the computer rapidly opens and closes the nylon valves, causing the well-known "shudder" effect, but if that was the case cupete would have felt that.

What kind of Unocal 76 ATF did you use? They make 3 types- 76 Super (a DexronŽ-III/MerconŽ version), Type-F for pre-1977 Fords and 76 Multi-Purpose ATF for pre-1993 DexronŽ-II/MerconŽ applications. I'm thinking the former, but I wanna make sure. I hope Pep Boys has it on sale soon- I'll buy a case if I can get the rebate!

SupraCoup3

Yea... My father thought the same way. Now my SC400 has a flutter in the torque converter. When I changed the ATF out it was BLACK. He never changed it and said it was a lexus... it doesn't need to be changed. So, my car got a very bad vibration from the ATF fluid being burnt. Know what I did? I changed the FREAKING FLUID.

I work @ a Lexus dealership, and I walk past mechanics @ the bays at least 6 times a day. They've got cans & cans of T-IV and a flushing pump. ES300s, SC400s, GS400s.... They all need ATF fluid changed.

My Gosh... You have no idea how much that post makes me angry. west, that's a complete mis-nomer. Your ATF does need to be changed. Been there, done that. I cannot over emphasise how important this is. My SC will now @ some point need a new converter, because around lockup RPM & Speed (39-49 MPH) I get a wicked nasty flutter (esp. in Normal ECT mode)

Changing your ATF is as important as changing spark plugs & distributor caps on a car. It's that important. Fluids are not a cheap way for your dealer to get money off of you. EVERYONE chages extra for parts. Live with it. An airplane would cost 8x as much if you bought it by part.


I'll post some pics of my ATF -- i still have it out in my garage, in clear 64 OZ gatorade bottles. It's disgustingly dark compared to the new stuff.


In closing: Change your ATF every 15k miles for crying out loud!

EDIT: I put my car up on ramps & changed the ATF myself. It smelled burt & looked just as bad as it smelled. I'll mail you a sample if you really want to nose.
John