Im buying a used 2005 with only 32,000 orig miles a older sick person owned but did not drive much should i flush trans fluid or not
It’s 10 years old. I would have all fluids changed, trans, coolant, oil, brake, and power steering, along with air and oil filters. I would also check the tires, if they’re 10+ years old I’d replace them.
I agree 99% with Texases.
If the tires are 7 years old–or older–they are ready for replacement, regardless of how much tread might be left.
I’m with Texases 100%. I would add that what you’re looking for in the tires is evidence of small cracks in the sidewalls. That’s a sign that the rubber is drying up.
^
Even if there is no evidence of external cracking, after 7 years the rubber compound has hardened and will provide much less traction on wet surfaces.
The other thing that you may want to have done soon is the Timing belt…unless this has a chain.
THey deteriorate after so many miles or so many years…which ever comes first. And I’m sure it would be past the expiration date.
Yosemite
If it is a 4 cylinder then it has a chain. One thing you should check on the 4 cylinder is the rear of the engine, where the head and the block attach. Underneath there is a piece of foam and make sure that is dry and there is no sign of coolant there. If there is, then the engine has the notorious head bolt loosening problem which is expensive to fix. This usually pops up at higher miles, but then if the oil in the car was not changed frequently, it would be a concern.
Both the 3L and 3.3L V6 engines use timing belts and should be replaced at 90,000 miles. That would translate into 6 to 7 years. Neither engine is an interference engine, but you don’t want the belt to break while you are on the highway.
4cyl chain 6 cylinder belt
http://toyota.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/7690/~/does-my-vehicle-have-a-timing-belt-or-timing-chain%3F
DO NOT FLUSH the transmission; instead go to a reliable independent shop and have them drain the fluid, drop and clean the pan and refill with a new filter. Don’t go to a transmission chain such as AAMCO; they will likely do more harm than good.
A senior in 32,000 miles of driving will likely have done not much to damage the transmission. I agree with the others on the rest of the car.
Take it easy driving and watch the gages. You may have a real good deal here.
Based on the online manual you only need to inspect the trans fluid every 30K miles, with no recommended replacement at all, except under what they call Special Operating Conditions, defined as desert, dirt roads, or towing.
I’ll bet you lunch, this car was the poster child of severe service
Meaning short trips to the corner grocery store or to church
If I were the one doing the buying of this car, I don’t think I’d mess with the automatic transmission at 30K unless the fluid showed visible signs of distress, the fluid level was low with no explainable cause, or there was a transmission related drivability problem. Unless there is a specific reason to doubt the integrity of the transmission, leave well enough alone in other words.
Any used car you buy, you should assume it was treated worse than you would have
you should not make any assumptions that the car was treated gently and maintained on time, or at all
Unless you have hard and tangible evidence to the contrary
Db4690 is dead on correct as usual.
The trans fluid is 11 years old if it has never been changed. Time to go.
The purpose of changing the trans fluid at roughly 30k miles intervals is so that one doesn’t wind up on a car forum wondering why the auto transmission is failing at 120k miles and cursing Toyota all the way.
At least this transmission pan actually has a drain plug, unlike some models. So after draining the fluid, it’s not such a mess when you remove the pan
The worst part, however, is that part of the pan is directly over the cradle, which makes removal of the bolts a little tricky
@ Docnick,
DO NOT FLUSH the transmission; instead go to a reliable independent shop and have them drain the fluid, drop and clean the pan and refill with a new filter. Don't go to a transmission chain such as AAMCO; they will likely do more harm than good.
How does a common man know this?
All TV adds show AAMCO as Transmission Dr. They claim we need to flush old fluid completely before putting new fluid. Mixing old fluid with new cause harm etc.
Do we able to take out old fluid completely in drain and drop pan approach?
Thanks for sharing.
Old fluid does NOT harm new fluid. The new fluid main purpose is to replenish additives. AAMCO and other shops push fluid exchanges/flushes because they get paid a LOT more. Doing a drain and fill every 30k or so will keep additive levels plenty high.
To answer your question, dropping the pan does not clear the old fluid totally from the hydraulic circuits, and it does not clear the torque converter, but it clears the fluid as much as you need to give the tranny a long and healthy life. And I agree that it’s much better than the type of flush AAMCO does… which dealers try to sell too.
There’s an old saying that AAMCO stands for “All Automatics Must Come Out”. I think there’s some truth to it.
Ads from chain outfits like AAMCO and Jiffy Lube remind me of the days when doctors and athletes appeared in cigarette ads.
The more aggressive the ad campaign the more skeptical I get.