Wish you happy holidays. Thanks for responding to my threads.
I learned that power flush for this vehicle damage internal seals and cause leaks upon complete draining of transmission fluid. The Toyota dealer is saying 1999 Camry LE 4 CYL has transmission screen, so no filter change required. I went to independent mechanic to do drain & refill of transmission fluid. He wanted to do pan down and filter change for this drain & refill service.
If this is the same 1999 Camry you have asked several other questions about ( timing belt jump - where to get replacement engine - when to use neutral on auto transmission ) . I am beginning to suspect that you are just playing games. I hope not because there are some regular contributors here that can really provide sincere and helpful advice and it would not be polite to waste their time.
One mechanic told me that. I did search on internet, where I find about power flush impact on 1999 Camry. It is due to the age of the car and retain the old fluid for long time (13+ years).
The mechanic is wrong and so is the internet. Automatic transmissions work on high fluid pressure every second they’re running and that pressure is provided by the pump in the transmission.
Most fluid flush/exchange/whatever you want to call it machines use the existing pump in the transmission to exchange the fluid.
Drop the pan, clean it, change any filter or screen as applicable, and then do a fluid flush/exchange/whatever.
If it is the original filter, its a stainless steel screen. An OEM replacement is very expensive. Toyota recommends removing the screen and cleaning it, then reusing it. Once cleaned, its just as good as a new screen. Not all aftermarket filters fit correctly.
I’ve owned and/or serviced tons of toyotas over the years
I’ve never cleaned those screens . . . aka transmission filters. What’s more, I’ve noticed that many dealers don’t carry them, because they claim their techs clean them, versus replacement
Yes, the oem replacement filter is very expensive
I’ve bought and installed several brands of aftermarket filters over the years. I’ve not run into one that didn’t fit correctly . . . not yet, anyways
I often use napa gold or wix. Far cheaper than oem, and fairly decent quality, I believe
I’m surprised you also call it a screen. I’ve seen the original stainless steel “screens” on several toyota vehicle over the years. As far as I’m concerned, they are filters. No more and no less. I can see no quality difference, versus a quality aftermarket part
I call it a screen because that is what it is. It looks like a screen, a single layer of stainless steel wires woven into a screen and than put in a housing that looks like a filter housing. A new one would have had to be ordered from the dealer so I just cleaned it on my daughters car. Worked fine, lasted long time. Car now belongs to SIL and has about 200k on it.
Tried three different aftermarket kits from AZ and O’Riely’s, none fit.
You call it a screen, because you know that is what it is
And I call it a filter, because I know that is what it is
I guess we’re both right . . . let’s just leave it at that, yes?
LOL . . .
as far as those aftermarket kits go, I suppose I just had better luck than you. Because over the years, I’ve installed kits from autozone and O’Reilly’s, and they fit
But I’ve bought O’Reilly kits for different brand vehicles . . . non-Toyota . . . and they didn’t fit. But it was obvious, because the filter looked nothing like the original. May have been boxed wrong . . .
I checked with leading transmission service shop in my area. They are saying 1999 Camry need transmission drain&refill or power flush for every 30K miles.
My original schedule Maintenance Guide list Replace differential/transmission oil for special operating condition. It list the same for 60K, 90K, 105K and 120K miles schedules.
They say, as I did not do any transmission fluid chance/flush for last 13 years (from day 1), but the mechanic added fluid, when they found it as low. It is not a good idea to change/flush now. This change/flush will bring more problems to transmission. The original fluid has lot on detergents built into it. If I do change now, it will wash off all detergents. It will cause further issues.
They want me to continue till transmission fails, so it can be rebuilt. Does it make sense?
Here’s my advice . . . drive the car, get the transmission fluid hot. Drop the pan, replace the filter, replace the gasket, reinstall the pan. Put in new fluid. I think your transmission requires Dexron 3. I recommend genuine Dexron, versus a generic multi-purpose fluid
There is nothing to be gained by a transmission fluid flush, in your case
“They want me to continue till transmission fails, so it can be rebuilt. Does it make sense?”
No. That is more bad advice
The shop is giving bad advice, and clearly wants to sell you a rebuilt, down the road. They do not have your best interest in mind
I have to agree with db, but with a couple of additions. Check your owners manual to confirm what type of transmission fluid it required. It may also be printed right on the dipstick. If it calls for T-IV, then go to a Toyota dealer and get that ATF from them. If it calls for Dexron III, you can upgrade to Dexron VI. It is fully compatible and will mix with any residual ATF left in the transmission. GM recommends the newer version in all vehicles that used any previous version of Dexron.
If you have trouble finding a screen/filter that fits, you can clean the old one. The fit problems I experienced were the dimples on top of the filter housing did not always match the bolt heads of the valve body, there was interference and I don’t like that. I could force them in but thats not my style.
Do not power flush, just drain and refill. While the pan is off, be sure to clean it. If you don’t, it will just contaminate the new ATF.
Do you plan on doing this work yourself or will you have a shop do it? If you are looking for a shop, make sure they will drop the pan and clean it and clean/replace the filter. If they want to do a fluid exchange, make sure they use the correct ATF and that the pan is dropped first. If they want to “Power flush” it, leave immediately. Do not discuss this with them any further. Fluid exchange machine after dropping the pan, OK but not necessary IMO, but power flush, never.