Pics Of That External Tranny Filter I Always Talk

[SKperformance]

That looks more like it

I am not sure the Inner Diameter of the pipe but i know mine is smaller than it should be

[ColinBarber]

did anybody find out what size is needed?

[camlex]

3/8"

[ColinBarber]

3/8"

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cheers

[juanspagan]

It basically is 4-5 inches long

about 3 inches in diameter

looks kind of like an accoridan

It is a fluid filter for trannies and has an internal magnet to catch any extra metal debris as well. The magnet is just a bonus as the 3 in the pan are pretty good already.

It takes about 20 minutes to install on the tranny cooler return line attached to the rad. This line is needed as the tranny fluid needs to be heated to operate properly not jsut being cooled so it is dual purposed.This is why i did not add an external cooler also as the stock one is fine and i have a tranny temp gauge to monitor it anyway for problems.

To install it you need to disconnect one of the 2 lines from the cooler.

Basically the filter is directional so it has to be hooked up with the flow of fluid not backwards. Warm fluid is less viscous so i placed mine on the return line from the cooler as i mentioned it also heats to operating temp. This way i don;t have cloggin issues from cold fluid. Mine came with an extra hose so i did not have to cut any hoses. Basically i attached on one end to the old hose and connected it to the supplied hose and the cooler. Then tightend the 3 worm clamps and i was dones.

3 weeks later  the improvment was drastically better.

I would no longer have my cold shift points of 1-2 at 5000rpms but back to where it shoudl be at 2000-3000 when cold.

It has progressivle gotten better since then as well.

For $50 i saved my tranny and plan on changing the filter shortly and cutting the old one open because i liek to do that sort of thing.

So all in all 20 minutes of time and $50 is a great investment.

I explained this to a few people but will mention it again.

The reason why so many of us have tranny problems is not the actually bad tranny but an infeior filter. The metal mesh sceen used on the a541e tranny is crap. It cannot catch the small particles which then clog the valve body. This becomes compounded by drivers who do not warm up the cars properly as it makes the cold fluid even harder to get by the vavles and check balls in the valve body. Thus creating less force on the clutch plates making them slip and creating mroe debris the mesh can't stop . So you end up with a dead tranny or at the very least a bad slipping between 1-2 and kickdown.

hope this makes sense

the first pic atached is of the filter mounted to the frame under the battery

the second is a further back picture so you can see the location more in relation to the engine

the third is one looking down from the front of the battery.

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[SKperformance]

So has anyone added one ??

[dcfish]

So has anyone added one ??

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Yes, Here is the link. http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=21555

[Toysrme]

Add an aux hayden (stacked plate), or a racing pipe type cooler if you're going to go to the trouble of installing an Aux filter.

Stay away from tube & fin tho. They suck at cooling, and hav less flow to boot. :\

[dcfish]

Add an aux hayden, or a racing pipe type cooler if you're going to go to the trouble of installing an Aux filter.

Stay away from tube & fin tho. They suck at cooling, and hav less flow to boot. :\

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The cooler is a Hayden, Why would the filter restrict such a low flowing system ?3/8 in 3/8 out installed on 3/8 line.

[Toysrme]

I wasn't knocking you, just jumping into the end of the convorsation.

I never said a filter will restrict the system. I suggested using a

stacked plate

or racing pipe style coolers

over using a tube and fin cooler.

They both (tube and fin / stacked plate) have better heat transfer, better heat dissipation, and less pressure drop through the cooler.

[dcfish]

I wasn't knocking you, just jumping into the end of the convorsation.

I never said a filter will restrict the system. I suggested using a stacked plate, or racing pipe style coolers over using a tube and fin cooler.

They both have better heat transfer, better heat dissipation, and less pressure drop through the system.

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No knock taken. I put the cooler and filter on a stock system to lengthen the life of the fluid and tranny and running cooler I feel that it shifts smoother. I am quite satisfied. Thanx for the insight.

[SKperformance]

Where and how much did you get your filer for?

[Toysrme]

dcfish I'm just proud people are putting transmission coolers on LoL!

[dcfish]

Where and how much did you get your filer for?

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Macko Distributing Inc.

3680 Dilido Rd. Unit 211

Dallas TX. 75228

I paid $16.00 shipped , Looked around my local shops and noone stocked them.

[SKperformance]

Well i finally replaced my inline filter this morning as it was in need of replacing .

OMG it was a pain to take out without getting under the car.

Here are the pics of the filter apart.

Basically it shows nothing ,i found no debris no major metal chunks just metal sludge .The filter media itself has brown dirt in it but no particles that i can see.I cannot even see light through it either.

I aws disapointed until i pulled my car out of the garage and noticed a bright red pool of fluid.

At first i was like "now i have to clean this 2" then i realised after 6 months the fluid is as clean and new looking as when i put it in. It even smelled good.

I am sold on this thing for the price i paid.

It keeps the fluid clean as hell, it got the tranny back from the dead with slipping shifts and i am so happy.

So all i can say is if you have a stupid metal mesh that toyota put in your tranny get a external filter for more than a peice of mind.

I have never seen bright red fluid in a driven car after 1 month.

[SKperformance]

for larger pics for the non dial up guys

pic 1

pic 2

pic 3

pic 4

[Toysrme]

Sounds like a good deal on the aux filter.

Same thing goes for oil too. If you want it to come out looking clean, you need an aux filter!

[douglasmiami]

SK - you replaced the external filter after only one month? I installed mine this weekend after reading this post on my RX 300. I was hoping that I could get at least 12 months or 15,000 miles between changes. What would you recommend?

Also, do you use any transmission fluid additives, such as Towkool or TransX in your vehicles? I was considering for my RX to help keep temps low. I live in Miami and warm temps are the norm, although I don't do a lot of inner-city driving.

Thanks.

[SKperformance]

I changed mine after 2 months as i was having trouble and did not want to block it up.

Tranny additives are a waste.

flush the system with new Toyota fluid or amsoil

clean the mesh screen and magnets

Add the filter to catch any loose material from the new fluid

use you a/c when in stop and go traffic to lower the tranny temps when needed

When you know you want to drive harder or are about to over take someone , take the o/d off which will cause the fibres from breaking off and clogging the valve body and screen.

that is all there is to it.

[SKperformance]

UPDATE

BTW it only needs to be changed once a year unless you have issues with your car and need to do it every other month for 6 months with new fluid added to clean it up inside by the valve body especially.