Big Problem Please Help!

[03GraphiteIS300]

Oh wow guys im in a bit of a mess. I planned on doing a normal oil change..got under the car. unscrewed what i THOUGHT was the oil pan plug and wala....fresh red tranny fluid.....drained the whole thing..it is good fluid just changed 10k ago. it was drained into a clean fresh bought oil bucket.

Should i just use this fluid and refill? How the hell and where do i refill? ahhhhh

also theres no "air in the system" i eed to bleed like coolant etc...any help would be great im kind of freaking out

[Step Hen]

I would get it towed to a dealer or indy mechanic. Common mistake. I don't believe filling the tranny is a DIY job.

[03GraphiteIS300]

Im pretty sure i can go buy new ATF or use the old ATF i drained and just pour it back in the dipstick..car is an auto...any help?

[dcfish]

Im pretty sure i can go buy new ATF or use the old ATF i drained and just pour it back in the dipstick..car is an auto...any help?

If the fluid is clean you can just pour it back in the tranny dipstick tube. Use a funnel with a screen filter if you can.

[03GraphiteIS300]

Thanks..i just poured it back in the dipstick tube..it was changed i believe 15k ago but the 2 quarts or so that i drained and poured back in looked somewhat darker than i expected..is our tranny fluid dark blood red? I thought it was suppossed to be like clearer koolaid red?

Anyway...i dont like messing with transmissions or tranny fluids bc i know the detriment i could cause, and i know that the fluid needs to be change every maybe 50k miles...should i drain what i can from the pan and refill with fresh Toyota ATF fluid? or will this cause more hurt than good? I mean has the tranny gotten used to that fluid in there and some new may mess things up? thanks

[smooth1]

Thanks..i just poured it back in the dipstick tube..it was changed i believe 15k ago but the 2 quarts or so that i drained and poured back in looked somewhat darker than i expected..is our tranny fluid dark blood red? I thought it was suppossed to be like clearer koolaid red?

Anyway...i dont like messing with transmissions or tranny fluids bc i know the detriment i could cause, and i know that the fluid needs to be change every maybe 50k miles...should i drain what i can from the pan and refill with fresh Toyota ATF fluid? or will this cause more hurt than good? I mean has the tranny gotten used to that fluid in there and some new may mess things up? thanks

I think you should be fine. I would replace it with new fluid just to make sure you didn't get any contaminants in the fluid, like sand particles and so on. The biggest issue here is making sure you put the same amount of fluid back in, and not over or underfilling it. I would also make sure you do use Toyota Type4 ATF. Other than that it's not really a big deal, and you should be fine. So long as the fluid is still red, doesn't smell burned, then your good to go.

[izzy300]

You people do know you're not supposed to use anything but Toyota T-IV tranny fluid right? Anything else WILL cause problems, and let me explain why. Our trannies are more complex than a normal one, it's called a CVT - Constantly Variable Transmission. Basically it means it changes at different times on different roads, speeds, slopes, etc. even when the throttle position is exactly the same. This promotes efficiency with gas mileage and also makes for a totally smooth shift. About 10k miles after I bought my IS I found out that a Precision Tune in NC had put Dexron III in it and called them about it. The manager knew they had messed up and sent me a refund check for the replacement flush (with the right fluid) in the mail.

Anyway, don't use Dexron anything in your IS. And if I remember correctly, T-4 is brown. I saw you put it was red and a red flag went up in my head. If you put Dexron in your Lexus, you will start having rough, slipping, or hesitated shifts, and who knows what else. That's what I felt before I caught Precision Tune's mistake and got it flushed with T-4. Now it's good to go, so STICK TO THE GOOD STUFF. Aka Toyota parts are the best :D

GOOD LUCK

[RLis300]

You people do know you're not supposed to use anything but Toyota T-IV tranny fluid right? Anything else WILL cause problems, and let me explain why. Our trannies are more complex than a normal one, it's called a CVT - Constantly Variable Transmission. Basically it means it changes at different times on different roads, speeds, slopes, etc. even when the throttle position is exactly the same. This promotes efficiency with gas mileage and also makes for a totally smooth shift. About 10k miles after I bought my IS I found out that a Precision Tune in NC had put Dexron III in it and called them about it. The manager knew they had messed up and sent me a refund check for the replacement flush (with the right fluid) in the mail.

Anyway, don't use Dexron anything in your IS. And if I remember correctly, T-4 is brown. I saw you put it was red and a red flag went up in my head. If you put Dexron in your Lexus, you will start having rough, slipping, or hesitated shifts, and who knows what else. That's what I felt before I caught Precision Tune's mistake and got it flushed with T-4. Now it's good to go, so STICK TO THE GOOD STUFF. Aka Toyota parts are the best :D

GOOD LUCK

Correction: You can use Royal Purple MAX ATF in your car and it will not harm. It actually helps big time. I have used nothing but RP to replace the fluids in all my high performance cars and believe me....its great.

http://www.royalpurple.com/transmission-fluid.html

[djspawn00]

You people do know you're not supposed to use anything but Toyota T-IV tranny fluid right? Anything else WILL cause problems, and let me explain why. Our trannies are more complex than a normal one, it's called a CVT - Constantly Variable Transmission. Basically it means it changes at different times on different roads, speeds, slopes, etc. even when the throttle position is exactly the same. This promotes efficiency with gas mileage and also makes for a totally smooth shift. About 10k miles after I bought my IS I found out that a Precision Tune in NC had put Dexron III in it and called them about it. The manager knew they had messed up and sent me a refund check for the replacement flush (with the right fluid) in the mail.

Anyway, don't use Dexron anything in your IS. And if I remember correctly, T-4 is brown. I saw you put it was red and a red flag went up in my head. If you put Dexron in your Lexus, you will start having rough, slipping, or hesitated shifts, and who knows what else. That's what I felt before I caught Precision Tune's mistake and got it flushed with T-4. Now it's good to go, so STICK TO THE GOOD STUFF. Aka Toyota parts are the best :D

GOOD LUCK

WTF... I don't know where your IS came from but I'm pretty certain is not a CVT transmission.... you have either a 5speed manual or automatic tranny.

Toyota Type IV ATF is red... not brown.... when its brown its time for a fluid exchange... gear oil is brown/golden

Toyota Type IV ATF is the safest way to go but you can use Amsoil Universal ATF fluid or the Royal Purple stuff as well. I also believe Mobil1 synthetic ATF was recently approved for use but I'd just use the Toyota stuff to be safe.

Like is was previously stated for the mix up, just pour the same amount of fluid that was drained back in through the dipstick although I would recommend you get new fluid...

[IndyKen]

Yep, get the Toyota Type IV and you'll be safe but be careful where you get it. Some of the Toyota Stealerships HOSE YOU!

I typically expect a kiss when I get screwed but my Toyota dealer here in Concord NC (up the street from Lowe's Motor Speedway) refused to show some love after charging me $8 per quart for this stuff!! So I went back to the internet and found another dealer Frank Toyota in CA who is selling it for $3.80 per quart. Even with shipping 10 quarts, I came out on the winning end in a big way.

Hope this helps.

Ken