Tranny Fluid Change

[Renderhaus]

The tranny fluid in my '93 SC400 is due for a change (I've had the car for 3 months) and I was considering letting the dealer do it - until i got the $155 estimate - but would much prefer doing it myself. The guys at the lube shop wouldn't even touch it though. They made it sound like you needed some sort of special certified traning for it. What more can there be besides draining the old fluid, changing the trans fluid filter, and refilling the fluid?

Is this something i may need the ($120+) repair manual for? Or should I just part with the loot and let the professionals handle it?

[monarch]

If the existing fluid is pinkish or pinkish-brownish, you can change the fluid yourself.

It's very simple:

Drain fluid overnight by unscrewing the transmission drain plug.

Measure the amount drained in something like an orange juice pitcher.

Add the same amount of new fluid (Toyota Type T-IV available in 1 quart bottles from Toyota dealers) through the transmission dipstick hole. You'll need 2 to 2.5 quarts.

Start engine and shift slowly through all the gears ending in park. Check dipstick fluid

level. It should be within the cold range or between the cold and hot range.

Adjust fluid level if necessary.

Drive car 15 miles, partly around town and partly on the highway. Recheck fluid level. Should now be within the Hot range of the dipstick. Adjust fluid level if necessary.

Repeat the above drain & fill procedure one or two more times if the old fluid was more brownish than pinkish..

No need for a "transmission flush" and no need to replace the filter unless the drained fluid color was blackish from being burnt. In that case, remove the transmission oil pan, clean the pan and magnets and clean the metal filter screen using brake cleaner.

[jbarhorst2]

The only other thing I would add is use a new gasket on the drain plug. It's only a couple of bucks and it will keep you from getting a possible leak.

Change it yourself, but do be sure to use the proper fluid. Don't cut corners.

Tom

[Renderhaus]

Thanks a ton fellas. That advice will save me a nice piece of change. That's definately something I can handle myself.

Peace-

[jbarhorst2]

Don't forget your differential.

I change that at the same time when I change the tranny fluid.

I'm a little anal about fluids. I do a pan drain and fill every 10,000 miles on my tranny. Every other oil change. It's cheap insurance.

Tom

[SAMOHT023]

IT'S MY UNJDERSTANDING THAT THE TRANNY HOLDS 12-15 QTS AND CANNOT BE FULLY DRAINED JUST BY EMPTYING THE PAN. I ALWAYS THOUGHT THE BEST WAY TO GET THE FLUID OUT WAS TO USE THE MACHINE THAT SYPHON AND REPLACES THE FLUID OR DISCONNECT THE HOSES GOING TO THE RADIATOR AND PUMP THE ENTIRE SYSTEM THAT WAY AS THERE IS QUITE A BIT OF FLUID IN THE BOTTOM OF THE RADIATOR THAT CIRCULATES FOR COOLING. PLEASE CORRECT ME IF MY INFORMATION IS FALSE.

[VGR]

Yes, draining the pan removes only about 25% of the fluid, but that's the Asian car engineers consider that a sufficient amount to replace periodically.

Profit driven American marketing interests try to get the American public to feel they are making a big mistake if they don't pay a service shop $100+ to replace all of the fluid. The same profit driven American marketing interests also try to pursuade Asian car owners to use the generic brands of transmission fluid like the ones they stock instead of the genunine Asian car company brands.

Bottom line is that if your Asian car transmission could talk, it would advise you to ignore all the peer pressure to change all the fluid or use non-genuine fluids.

[SAMOHT023]

WHEN YOU CHANGE YOUR MOTOR OIL YOU DO NOT JUST DRAIN A QT AND MIX NEW OIL WITH THE OLD OIL, SO WHY NOT TREAT THE TRANNY THE SAME WAY. COME ON GUYS WE DRIVE LEXUS'. IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO SPEND THE MONEY IT TAKES TO KEEP SUCH A FINE MACHINE IN PROPER RUNNING CONDITION THEN MAYBE YOU SHOULD BUY A LESS DEMANDING VEHICLE. I'VE ALWAYS BELEIVED THAT IF YOU CANNOT FIX IT THEN YOU SHOULDN'T DRIVE IT. ALL VEHICLES WILL HAVE MECHANICAL ISSUES SOONER OR LATER UNLESS YOU LEAVE IT IN THE GARAGE AND LOOK AT IT.

[Jimbo1285]

i did my fuild change yesterday. about 4 qts. came out is that too much??? i put back in 4qts.

[ChubaCabra]

The dealer was charging so much because they drain out ALL the oil including the stuff in your torque converter. By draining just the pan, like someone said above, your only taking out approx. 25% of the old oil. The torque converter requires a special tool to drain.

[psolov]

The tranny fluid in my '93 SC400 is due for a change (I've had the car for 3 months) and I was considering letting the dealer do it - until i got the $155 estimate - but would much prefer doing it myself.  The guys at the lube shop wouldn't even touch it though.  They made it sound like you needed some sort of special certified traning for it.  What more can there be besides draining the old fluid, changing the trans fluid filter, and refilling the fluid?

Is this something i may need the ($120+) repair manual for?  Or should I just part with the loot and let the professionals handle it?

←

Want to hear something funny. When I had my 1995 SC400 I didn't change the tranny oil for over 200k miles and it worked just fine. Same with my crown vic that had 350k miles.

And no I didn't do any trasmissions overhauls either...