Transmission Fluid - Thoroughly Confused

[brewmasterflash]

I have a '99 ES300 with about 51k miles on it. I have been gradually doing total fluid (i.e., cooling, tranny, brake) changes since 50k with the thinking that by 60k (when they're supposed to be done), I'll have finished all the fluids.

My particular issue is with the transmission fluid. My Owner's Manual clearly states "DII or Dexron III." So I purchased Dexron III from the dealer. After pulling the plug and draining all the fluid, I removed the dipstick and it has "Use ATF T-IV" on the top cap and along the side of the dipstick. Since I only had Dexron III at the time, this is what I used.

Will this cause a problem? Should I drain and refill with T-IV? The best info I can find is that ATF T-IV is an upgrade to Dexron III, but if the tranny requires ATF-T-IV, Dexron III may create problems. I'm confused.

[Lexusfreak]

It's intresting that the dipstick & the owners manual differ on the specific type of fluid you need. I know my 01 ES (last year of our body style) call for type I-V fluid & nothing else.....states in both the owners manual & on the tranny dipstick. Perhaps some other members here can state for sure what your 99 requires. I'd bet that you won't cause any damage by using the Toyota Type IV fluid over the dexron III. Why not call a couple of Lexus dealers & ask to speak to the service managers to explain your problem & see what they say (if he/she is unsure they most likely will ask one of their tech's to get the correct answer). Maybe even call a Toyota dealer & see what they call for for a 99 V6 Camry......as they are the same mechanicals. Let us know, but I don't think the Toyota IV fluid would hurt at all.......it's possible the dexron III could.

[steviej]

did you buy the car used? If not, then maybe the dipstick was printed after the manual.

if you bought the car used, any chance or indication the tranny was replaced.

in any event, a simple drain and flush only removes a fraction of the total fluid volume in the tranny, diff and torque converter.

if the tranny seems ok, then continue. If you are feeling uneasy the you might consider doubling up your flushes...maybe two or three more in a short time (every 1000 miles) with T-IV. Drastically bring down the D-III concentration.

In all honesty, it shouldn't hurt.

The ultimate fix would be to bite the bullet and go for the total tranny flush with T-IV. at 50-60k miles and since you have done several drain and fills already, there would be no expected damage from a total flush, especially if the initial fluid drained was still a cherry red.

steviej

[brewmasterflash]

I am the original owner, and it is the original tranny. I used to have all the service performed at the dealer (up to 35k) back when we had more money than time. Without pulling the records, I think it was drained and refilled around 25k. But maybe I should go back and pull the records. They might have the type of fluid listed on the invoice.

Unfortunately when I drained the old fluid it was not as "cherry red" as I would have perferred.

I think I'll call around some dealers and see what they say. Short of that, I think I'm looking at draining and refilling with T-IV just to be safe.

Thanks for the suggestions.

[Lexusfreak]

The Type IV is wise in my opinion too. B)