I don’t think you have to drop the pan to drain the ATF, it has a drain plug. There is a procedure for refilling it also. This doesn’t get you access to the filter for replacement or cleaning but if you are doing this every 30k miles, you don’t need to do the filter every time, maybe every 90k or so.
The fluid exchange machine does not get 100% of the fluid exchanges unless you do a drain and fill first. Other wise you are pulling the ATF from one side of the pan and pouring it in from the other. But again, if you are doing this every 30k you don’t really need to get 100% of the ATF. You are giving it a fresh shot of additives and new fluid enough times that the transmission will easily last longer than you will probably own the vehicle, and the next owner too.
@keith. The reason I wanted the pan dropped was to check for metal fragments due to the torque converter issue I had to fight the dealer shop over awhile back. The software update fixed that about 98% but as there are occasional blips and since Toyota sent a letter extending warranty coverage and stating about 10% affected vehicles need additional physical trans repairs, I was attempting to err on the side of overt caution.
If it is possible to just drain the old fluid out using a drain plug like @keith posts above , and refilling, that’s how I’d do it. I’d just repeat that procedure 2 or 3 times, driving 100 miles or so in between. That would get most of the fluid changed out for fresh stuff. There may be some complicated process for getting the fluid level correct on the re-fill tho on a new car like that, which might make the 2-3 time thing not practical, so check w/your shop on that point. It seems like if you measured how much fluid came out each time and replaced with exactly that amount of new, by the laws of physics you’d be very close to the correct refill amount.
If you just want to get it done and not be bothered with it the fluid exchange method would cause me little worry, as long as you have confidence in the shop.
It’s a pretty common thing these days for automatic transmission fluid replacement to be pretty complicated. That’s just the price we all pay for seeking perfection rather than just good-enough.
If your doing the service every 30k, then you really only need to do one drain and fill each time to extend the life of the transmission beyond the life of the car. Doing more than that will just send a better transmission to the salvage yard when the car is finally junked.
hmmm …well, sometimes those drain plugs are magnetic, so check to see if something is sticking to it. Another idea, sieve the fluid that comes out, looking for metal debris. Beyond that you could use one of those powerful magnets & gather magnetic metal bits by moving the magnet across the bottom of the pan; i.e. use the magnet to steer the metal debris towards the drain hole. Wouldn’t pick up non-magnetic material tho. But better than nothing, it would find a broken circ-clip probably.
I very much trust this shop. And the head mechanic has been in on the discussion. At this point I am comfortable with settling for standard trans service. If at some future time the torque converter or other trans issue arises then I’ll deal further with Toyota.
Tomorrow the car gets new tires and standard trans service. All should be good.
George, I’m not sure what “That’s just the price we all pay for seeking perfection rather than just good-enough.” means.
How does omitting a dipstick tube and dipstick, making a fluid refill complicated, and making a filter extremely difficult to service, have to do with seeking perfection (especially when considering that a certain percentage of these transmissions were made imperfectly)?
What did you mean? CSA
You could have your mechanic capture a sample of the used transmission fluid for you so that you can have it analyzed by Blackstone Labs.
You must use their sample bottle. They send mail-in sample bottles free of charge, the bottle holds 3.5oz and they’ll need at least 2.5oz minimum. The analysis is done and results mailed or posted online and runs $28. You can do everything online except boxing up the sample and mailing it.
They have a comment section on the form you send with the sample and from my experience you will receive a personal response to your comments. I’ve only had them do engine oil, haven’t tried transmission fluid.
For 28 bucks it could buy you 29 bucks worth of peace-of-mind or be ammo for a case in warranty issues.
When I brought a certified Impala I had the engine oil analyzed after I drove on it for 5,000 miles. The report came back saying (and showing) everything fine and informing me that I could go considerably longer on the oil. I felt better about my recent purchase.
Buggy has new shoes.
And alignment, tranny service, oil change, spare tire checked and aired to spec, brakes checked and verified at 8/32 to 9/32 all around. All good for happy motoring.
Bonus bit of fun…a beautifully restored 1957 Buick was at the shop today! The guys at the shop were amused but complimentary when I knew exactly what it was at a glance. Spent time up close drooling over that classic buggy.
I’m referring to how automatic transmissions have become more complicated over time. The C4 in my 45 year old Ford truck has 3 forward speeds, a dipstick so is easy to check the fluid level, and it is a relatively easy job to drop the pan for a routine maintenance fluid change & filter service. In order to optimize the engine operating rpm for emissions and mpgs, and acceleration times, automatics in newer cars host upwards of 10 speeds. Presumably the complexity with having to include all that functionality inside the same size box contributes to what makes them difficult to service.
10 speed automatics are a little on the perfectionist side imo. 4-5 speeds, good enough.
@db4690 - thank you.
I, too, like side moldings. They look sharp and protect against some door dings. I also did such add-ons to my '87 Olds and '07 Impala.
Same here. Crappy OEM Continental tires on my Matrix.
At 15k miles I had them flipped on the rims to even out the weird wear pattern, which also reduced noise.
At 25k miles they were thankfully done.
