Automatic Transmission Fluid Type T Ii

[ThunderRiver]

Hi,

I have a 1994 Lexus LS400, and I recently found out that my car is quite low in transmission fluid, but the manual said that if it is low, I should get ATF Type T II.

I have been to many places, like AutoZone and Napa, but they said they don't carry such thing or they never heard of it. I called Lexus dealer this morning, and the technician said that I should be able to use Dextron II/III, which is equivalent to ATF Type T II. Can anyone confirm this? It seems to me that Lexus uses Dextron II for everything eh? Like for Power Steering Fluid too..

Lastly, if the car is very low in ATF (automatic transmission fluid), would that cause the engine to make noise? Like when I hit the gas, I can hear the engine is actually gearing up, and that's not normal sound that you should hear. That happens especially when I drive the car for 6 or 7 hours straight with speed around 75 or 80 MPH.

I checked with the engine oil level, engine coolant level, and they seem to be in good shape, so I can't really tell if the engine is dying or not. One thing for sure that, the engine wasn't over-heating at all.

Any suggestions are highly appreciated.

ThunderRiver

[mejojo]

Get Type T-IV from your Toyota dealer. Can get it from Lexus, too, but they charge a couple of bux more per quart.

My understanding is that you should NOT use Dexron.

If you are low on ATF fluid, correct that ASAP! Then you can re-assess the noise issue.

While you're at it, why not get a whole bunch of ATF (at least 12 quarts) and cycle the stuff out. You only get about 1/4 of the fluid out per drain, so drain it, then add new. After a bit of driving, repeat the procedure. Then again, and once more, at least.

It would be a good idea to, on one of the dump cycles, take off the AT pan and put in a new filter screen from Autozone. It's cleanable, but you'll probably need new gaskets, and they come with the inexpensive filter kit from Autozone.

Joe

[mig25]

Better yet, get two gallons of cheap ATF at wall mart, remove the bottom plastic engine cover disconnect the hose from the transmission cooler and redirect it to a big container, as you pour cheap ATF in to the dipstck hole with the engine running . pour the entire two gallons. After ATF stops coming out of the hose shut it off and put everything back. Now fill her up with Toyota ATF Type IV. Done!

[ThunderRiver]

So in another word, I can't put in ATF Dextron III in there? Will it mess up the car really bad? I just don't want the car to die on me though.

The nearest Lexus/Toyota dealer is actually over 1 hour away from me, and I only asked one technecian from the dealer. It is unfortunate that he didn't mention anything about Toyota ATF Type T IV.

I have about 440 miles to drive this Saturday, and if I can temperarily fix this problem, I will definitely give it a fix at home. Right now, it seems to me that the Lexus is using the same red fluid as Dextron III. At least they look the same to me right now.

[fiveofakind]

DO NOT use ATF Dextron III or IV in your car. Use only ATF T-IV. This is the successor of ATF T-II.

Purchase it from the Toyota dealer. It will be cheaper. Lexus will charge you about $ 39 / gallon. You can buy ATF T-IV from the Toyota dealer for about $3.50 /qt. Best buy would be a case for about $40 or so from the Toyota dealer. Exact same stuff the Lexus dealer will sell you. Trust everything on this one.

The transmissions in these cars are very sensitive to low tranny fluid. They will slip if a quart or two low.

Jeff

[SRK]

Dexron-Mercon fluid will not hurt the trans, but it will change the shift performance. The gears and bearings will all be fine. What is NOT good is running the trans low on fluid. Top it off until it can be treated to a change with Toyota IV fluid, but don't run it while it is low.

[Kim Wash]

Hello All, Thunder River

We are having the exact same problem with our 1990 LS 400. The course of a weekend we drove 1500 miles. on the last trip we started to hear a humming sound when the car would speed up. Did you ever figure out if it was the transmission fluid? or was it something else?.

Hi,

I have a 1994 Lexus LS400, and I recently found out that my car is quite low in transmission fluid, but the manual said that if it is low, I should get ATF Type T II.

I have been to many places, like AutoZone and Napa, but they said they don't carry such thing or they never heard of it. I called Lexus dealer this morning, and the technician said that I should be able to use Dextron II/III, which is equivalent to ATF Type T II. Can anyone confirm this? It seems to me that Lexus uses Dextron II for everything eh? Like for Power Steering Fluid too..

Lastly, if the car is very low in ATF (automatic transmission fluid), would that cause the engine to make noise? Like when I hit the gas, I can hear the engine is actually gearing up, and that's not normal sound that you should hear. That happens especially when I drive the car for 6 or 7 hours straight with speed around 75 or 80 MPH.

I checked with the engine oil level, engine coolant level, and they seem to be in good shape, so I can't really tell if the engine is dying or not. One thing for sure that, the engine wasn't over-heating at all.

Any suggestions are highly appreciated.

ThunderRiver

[91LS400vgb]

Several Toyota/Lexus technical service bulletins advise:

"Use Type T-IV for all applications that specify ATF Type T-II"

I picked up a case from a toyota dealer for $36 ($3 a bottle).

Here is a TSB for my 1991 LS.

If you read the chart, it also specifically says that Dexron II or III is not usable in cars manufactured after 1990 that specify Type-II

tc003l99.pdf

[glenmore]

Several Toyota/Lexus technical service bulletins advise:

"Use Type T-IV for all applications that specify ATF Type T-II"

I picked up a case from a toyota dealer for $36 ($3 a bottle).

Well, I guess my local Toyota dealer just screwed me. List was $7.67/qt discounted to $6.52/qt, $78.24 for a case. And I thought he was being a good guy by discounting the antifreeze from $29.43 to $18.99.

glenmore

1990 LS400

2000 C280

1991 MBZ 300CE

[cleverdick]

Several Toyota/Lexus technical service bulletins advise:

"Use Type T-IV for all applications that specify ATF Type T-II"

I picked up a case from a toyota dealer for $36 ($3 a bottle).

Well, I guess my local Toyota dealer just screwed me. List was $7.67/qt discounted to $6.52/qt, $78.24 for a case. And I thought he was being a good guy by discounting the antifreeze from $29.43 to $18.99.

glenmore

1990 LS400

2000 C280

1991 MBZ 300CE

Hey!

About a year ago, I paid £90 for 10l of T-IV, so I guess I got screwed too! You wouldn't believe the trouble I had convincing the Toyota dealer that this stuff existed. It seems they use Dexron all the time, which is worrying. Just think, you book your LS in for a trans fluid change and they put Dexron in it. 6 months later, new trans required!

Main dealer servicing in the UK really sucks. Not just Toyota, but any make you care to mention. That is why you should do the work yourself if you can. I was happy to make a small donation to the lexls.com guy, because he has saved me a lot of money with his excellent online tutorials.