Atf Change

[Harky]

Hello all! I have a 96 LS400 with 106K. (Just getting broken in - right?) Driven by wifey around town. An easy life (I think).

I've done 4 partial drains of the tranny by pulling the pan plug in the last 1-1/2 yrs of driving. (I do it with the engine oil change.) I can get a little more than 3 qts out. (I think that this is about 1/3 of the total capacity) I haven't had a tranny flush.

I know that a 30K change interval is recommended, but am I making a mistake with these partial changes??

The car shifts well and drives well. No problems. We love the car!

Each time I tap it for 3qts, the fluid looks pretty bad...almost like old motor oil. It also has a slight burned smell. But it's clean (I mean no particles or filings) (I strain the old stuff thru a coffee filter)

The car has no overheating problem - runs right in the middle of the heat range - so I don't think that the tranny cooler is at fault.

Am I bad?? Or is this tranny hard on fluid??

[nc211]

Hello all! I have a 96 LS400 with 106K. (Just getting broken in - right?) Driven by wifey around town. An easy life (I think).

I've done 4 partial drains of the tranny by pulling the pan plug in the last 1-1/2 yrs of driving. (I do it with the engine oil change.) I can get a little more than 3 qts out. (I think that this is about 1/3 of the total capacity) I haven't had a tranny flush.

I know that a 30K change interval is recommended, but am I making a mistake with these partial changes??

The car shifts well and drives well. No problems. We love the car!

Each time I tap it for 3qts, the fluid looks pretty bad...almost like old motor oil. It also has a slight burned smell. But it's clean (I mean no particles or filings) (I strain the old stuff thru a coffee filter)

The car has no overheating problem - runs right in the middle of the heat range - so I don't think that the tranny cooler is at fault.

Am I bad?? Or is this tranny hard on fluid??

Is the fluid looking better with each drain and fill? Or is it just simply black every time you drain it out. Also, how many miles between drains, and especially what kind of fluid are you using? You should be using the Toyota OEM Type IV, which is red. I wouldn't mess with aftermarket fluids in this tranny, especially at your car's age.

I drain and fill mine every oil change as well, and the old is red, like the new, at 3k miles. If I skip one, and do the drain n' fill at 6k miles, it looks a little darker, but not much. If I skip two, and do it at 10k, it's maroon. I only put in 2 quarts, not three. For me, it seems to drain exactly 2 quarts, and I put in exactly 2 quarts. The fluid level is exactly where it should be on the tranny stick, both hot and cold settings.

[99lsguy]

Harky,

My guess is the tranny fluid was NEVER changed in your vehicle til you've done it. I would continue these "drain pan flushs" once a month till you get it clean.

When I first got my car - 99LS w/50k - I changed the fluid once a week for 3-4 weeks. NOw it's every other oil change and it's always clean.

[Harky]

nc211...yes, I have used only the Toyota T-IV fluid in the past. However, I picked up a gallon of Valvoline Mercon V ($3.79/qt) which is specifically formulated for Toyota and Lexus. I'll be interested to see if anything changes.

I get 3 qts out of the pan because I have the car jacked up sharply in the front (that must promote additional drainage). Fluid looks about the same each time I drain it...almost brown. 5K engine drain interval...10K tranny drain interval (every other oil change).

99lsguy...I have no clue what the PO did...no maint records beyond 44k (first owner) when I bought it at 67K from the 2nd owner. Couldn't talk to him about it either...he died of a heart attack and I bought the car from his widow - it was very clean.)

I've been doing the tranny drain on every other engine oil change. I think I will up that to every change until I see an improvement. I'll stick with my program. Thanks guys.

[nc211]

Hark, you can buy a case of the fluid from the Toyota dealership for about the same price. I do advise against using anything but the Toyota stuff for the tranny. I think other fluids for other parts is fine, but I'm not sure you want to mix the fluids in the tranny like that. Might be fine, and probably will be fine. I just get nervous with going outside of spec for the tranny, since when "not fine" is usually pretty dramatic to the ole' wallet. Not like a burnt out pump or something like that, that can be corrected via any ole' shop. Please post back later on if you don't mind. I know there has been a little bit of debate over the non-oem tranny fluid v. oem over the past.

[Harky]

Hark, you can buy a case of the fluid from the Toyota dealership for about the same price. I do advise against using anything but the Toyota stuff for the tranny. I think other fluids for other parts is fine, but I'm not sure you want to mix the fluids in the tranny like that. Might be fine, and probably will be fine. I just get nervous with going outside of spec for the tranny, since when "not fine" is usually pretty dramatic to the ole' wallet. Not like a burnt out pump or something like that, that can be corrected via any ole' shop. Please post back later on if you don't mind. I know there has been a little bit of debate over the non-oem tranny fluid v. oem over the past.

nc211...yeah...I will keep you posted. I've used the Toyota T-IV for several changes. Then I found the Valvoline product at my local auto**** store (much closer than the Toy stealer). It says right on the bottle that it is formulated for Toy and Lex vehicles requiring T-II, T-III, and T-IV fluids. I only bought it cuz I was there for something else...and I thought it should be OK in a pinch.

If I swing by the Toy store, I'll pick up a bunch T-IV. I agree that a fried tranny is not worth the risk of experimenting long-term.