Synthetic Atf

[lenore]

Also if you look at breakdown temps, when the fluid approaches 190 degrees the life span of the fluid is decreased. I agee 155 degrees is the magical running temp....

[mikey00]

You already have 2 stock transmission coolers, one in the bottom of the radiator and the second in the fender well. Fender well isn't the best location but it works. Do you really think there is any advantage to adding a third? The trans definetly has a design problem but I don't see anything that indicates there is a trans cooling problem.

The cooler the fluid the longer the fluid lasts and remains more effective

If the trans fluid is operating at the temp it was designed to, lowering the temp will provide no benefit. Coolers are used when you are operating in a maner that will overheat the fluid (extensive towing, etc). The RX has a trans temp light which will indicate this. The RX has a trans design problem, not a trans temp issue.

I use the cooler to extend the life of the fluid, The tranny only has to heat up to 153 degrees to operate properly, Although full temp is quite above 153, So keeping the fluid cooler is a benefit. ;)

What makes you think fluid running at 153 will last longer than fluid running at let's say 170? I can see the need for an additional cooler (remember you already have 2) if there is a design problem where the tranny runs above the intended temperature or if some use such as extended towing is raising the temp above the design intent. However, throwing on an extra cooler just to lower the temp below the design intent is not always a good idea just because you saw it on some high performance race car.

Not the case that I saw it on a race car :P Tranny fluid at full engine temp runs around 200 degrees so I run 190 or cooler, There is only 1 line that runs through the bottom of the radiator. B) Either way you look at it , The cooler temp extends the life of the fluid.

I am not sure what you mean when you say there is only 1 line that runs through the bottom of the radiator. There is a second factory cooler in the fender well.

[dcfish]

You already have 2 stock transmission coolers, one in the bottom of the radiator and the second in the fender well. Fender well isn't the best location but it works. Do you really think there is any advantage to adding a third? The trans definetly has a design problem but I don't see anything that indicates there is a trans cooling problem.

The cooler the fluid the longer the fluid lasts and remains more effective

If the trans fluid is operating at the temp it was designed to, lowering the temp will provide no benefit. Coolers are used when you are operating in a maner that will overheat the fluid (extensive towing, etc). The RX has a trans temp light which will indicate this. The RX has a trans design problem, not a trans temp issue.

I use the cooler to extend the life of the fluid, The tranny only has to heat up to 153 degrees to operate properly, Although full temp is quite above 153, So keeping the fluid cooler is a benefit. ;)

What makes you think fluid running at 153 will last longer than fluid running at let's say 170? I can see the need for an additional cooler (remember you already have 2) if there is a design problem where the tranny runs above the intended temperature or if some use such as extended towing is raising the temp above the design intent. However, throwing on an extra cooler just to lower the temp below the design intent is not always a good idea just because you saw it on some high performance race car.

Not the case that I saw it on a race car :P Tranny fluid at full engine temp runs around 200 degrees so I run 190 or cooler, There is only 1 line that runs through the bottom of the radiator. B) Either way you look at it , The cooler temp extends the life of the fluid.

I am not sure what you mean when you say there is only 1 line that runs through the bottom of the radiator. There is a second factory cooler in the fender well.

The cooler you say that is installed in the fender well is aftermarket, (PICTURES of the aftermarket cooler PLEASE ) Just like the cooler I am refering to. Although the fender well is not the best place for the install. B)

[pauljcl]

You already have 2 stock transmission coolers, one in the bottom of the radiator and the second in the fender well. Fender well isn't the best location but it works. Do you really think there is any advantage to adding a third? The trans definetly has a design problem but I don't see anything that indicates there is a trans cooling problem.

The cooler the fluid the longer the fluid lasts and remains more effective

If the trans fluid is operating at the temp it was designed to, lowering the temp will provide no benefit. Coolers are used when you are operating in a maner that will overheat the fluid (extensive towing, etc). The RX has a trans temp light which will indicate this. The RX has a trans design problem, not a trans temp issue.

I use the cooler to extend the life of the fluid, The tranny only has to heat up to 153 degrees to operate properly, Although full temp is quite above 153, So keeping the fluid cooler is a benefit. ;)

What makes you think fluid running at 153 will last longer than fluid running at let's say 170? I can see the need for an additional cooler (remember you already have 2) if there is a design problem where the tranny runs above the intended temperature or if some use such as extended towing is raising the temp above the design intent. However, throwing on an extra cooler just to lower the temp below the design intent is not always a good idea just because you saw it on some high performance race car.

Not the case that I saw it on a race car :P Tranny fluid at full engine temp runs around 200 degrees so I run 190 or cooler, There is only 1 line that runs through the bottom of the radiator. B) Either way you look at it , The cooler temp extends the life of the fluid.

I am not sure what you mean when you say there is only 1 line that runs through the bottom of the radiator. There is a second factory cooler in the fender well.

The cooler you say that is installed in the fender well is aftermarket, (PICTURES of the aftermarket cooler PLEASE ) Just like the cooler I am refering to. Although the fender well is not the best place for the install. B)

The fender well cooler is standard, at least in the AWD RX300. It is, as Lenore stated, on the starboard side, aft of the wheel. The fender skirt has small slits to allow better air access.

[mikey00]

You already have 2 stock transmission coolers, one in the bottom of the radiator and the second in the fender well. Fender well isn't the best location but it works. Do you really think there is any advantage to adding a third? The trans definetly has a design problem but I don't see anything that indicates there is a trans cooling problem.

The cooler the fluid the longer the fluid lasts and remains more effective

If the trans fluid is operating at the temp it was designed to, lowering the temp will provide no benefit. Coolers are used when you are operating in a maner that will overheat the fluid (extensive towing, etc). The RX has a trans temp light which will indicate this. The RX has a trans design problem, not a trans temp issue.

I use the cooler to extend the life of the fluid, The tranny only has to heat up to 153 degrees to operate properly, Although full temp is quite above 153, So keeping the fluid cooler is a benefit. ;)

What makes you think fluid running at 153 will last longer than fluid running at let's say 170? I can see the need for an additional cooler (remember you already have 2) if there is a design problem where the tranny runs above the intended temperature or if some use such as extended towing is raising the temp above the design intent. However, throwing on an extra cooler just to lower the temp below the design intent is not always a good idea just because you saw it on some high performance race car.

Not the case that I saw it on a race car :P Tranny fluid at full engine temp runs around 200 degrees so I run 190 or cooler, There is only 1 line that runs through the bottom of the radiator. B) Either way you look at it , The cooler temp extends the life of the fluid.

I am not sure what you mean when you say there is only 1 line that runs through the bottom of the radiator. There is a second factory cooler in the fender well.

The cooler you say that is installed in the fender well is aftermarket, (PICTURES of the aftermarket cooler PLEASE ) Just like the cooler I am refering to. Although the fender well is not the best place for the install. B)

It's not aftermarket. It is factory and has been discussed over and over many times on the forum, along with the pros and cons of the location. Just take a look at your right front fender well. You do have a RX right? This is an RX forum and I was only refering to the RX. It looks like you may have some other Lexus model.

[dcfish]

You already have 2 stock transmission coolers, one in the bottom of the radiator and the second in the fender well. Fender well isn't the best location but it works. Do you really think there is any advantage to adding a third? The trans definetly has a design problem but I don't see anything that indicates there is a trans cooling problem.

The cooler the fluid the longer the fluid lasts and remains more effective

If the trans fluid is operating at the temp it was designed to, lowering the temp will provide no benefit. Coolers are used when you are operating in a maner that will overheat the fluid (extensive towing, etc). The RX has a trans temp light which will indicate this. The RX has a trans design problem, not a trans temp issue.

I use the cooler to extend the life of the fluid, The tranny only has to heat up to 153 degrees to operate properly, Although full temp is quite above 153, So keeping the fluid cooler is a benefit. ;)

What makes you think fluid running at 153 will last longer than fluid running at let's say 170? I can see the need for an additional cooler (remember you already have 2) if there is a design problem where the tranny runs above the intended temperature or if some use such as extended towing is raising the temp above the design intent. However, throwing on an extra cooler just to lower the temp below the design intent is not always a good idea just because you saw it on some high performance race car.

Not the case that I saw it on a race car :P Tranny fluid at full engine temp runs around 200 degrees so I run 190 or cooler, There is only 1 line that runs through the bottom of the radiator. B) Either way you look at it , The cooler temp extends the life of the fluid.

I am not sure what you mean when you say there is only 1 line that runs through the bottom of the radiator. There is a second factory cooler in the fender well.

The cooler you say that is installed in the fender well is aftermarket, (PICTURES of the aftermarket cooler PLEASE ) Just like the cooler I am refering to. Although the fender well is not the best place for the install. B)

It's not aftermarket. It is factory and has been discussed over and over many times on the forum, along with the pros and cons of the location. Just take a look at your right front fender well. You do have a RX right? This is an RX forum and I was only refering to the RX. It looks like you may have some other Lexus model.

So, If Lexus has a second factory cooler, Then it certainly has benefits, Right ? Back to > ( Is anyone using Mobil1 Syn ATF? Its now T-IV compliant? Any experiences? )

[mikey00]

You already have 2 stock transmission coolers, one in the bottom of the radiator and the second in the fender well. Fender well isn't the best location but it works. Do you really think there is any advantage to adding a third? The trans definetly has a design problem but I don't see anything that indicates there is a trans cooling problem.

The cooler the fluid the longer the fluid lasts and remains more effective

If the trans fluid is operating at the temp it was designed to, lowering the temp will provide no benefit. Coolers are used when you are operating in a maner that will overheat the fluid (extensive towing, etc). The RX has a trans temp light which will indicate this. The RX has a trans design problem, not a trans temp issue.

I use the cooler to extend the life of the fluid, The tranny only has to heat up to 153 degrees to operate properly, Although full temp is quite above 153, So keeping the fluid cooler is a benefit. ;)

What makes you think fluid running at 153 will last longer than fluid running at let's say 170? I can see the need for an additional cooler (remember you already have 2) if there is a design problem where the tranny runs above the intended temperature or if some use such as extended towing is raising the temp above the design intent. However, throwing on an extra cooler just to lower the temp below the design intent is not always a good idea just because you saw it on some high performance race car.

Not the case that I saw it on a race car :P Tranny fluid at full engine temp runs around 200 degrees so I run 190 or cooler, There is only 1 line that runs through the bottom of the radiator. B) Either way you look at it , The cooler temp extends the life of the fluid.

I am not sure what you mean when you say there is only 1 line that runs through the bottom of the radiator. There is a second factory cooler in the fender well.

The cooler you say that is installed in the fender well is aftermarket, (PICTURES of the aftermarket cooler PLEASE ) Just like the cooler I am refering to. Although the fender well is not the best place for the install. B)

It's not aftermarket. It is factory and has been discussed over and over many times on the forum, along with the pros and cons of the location. Just take a look at your right front fender well. You do have a RX right? This is an RX forum and I was only refering to the RX. It looks like you may have some other Lexus model.

So, If Lexus has a second factory cooler, Then it certainly has benefits, Right ? Back to > ( Is anyone using Mobil1 Syn ATF? Its now T-IV compliant? Any experiences? )

And being that you are already reaping those benefits adding a third cooler as suggested is pointless. It helps to be familiar with the car you are discussing. And yes I am using Mobil 1 ATF for over 30K.

[dcfish]

It would be interesting to temp the fluid before and aft the "factory cooler in the wheel well " Compared to a cooler in the front of the vehicle. Yes ? What are your drain and fill intervels ? Factory specs or Mobil specs ? Thanks for the info.

[mikey00]

It would be interesting to temp the fluid before and aft the "factory cooler in the wheel well " Compared to a cooler in the front of the vehicle. Yes ? What are your drain and fill intervels ? Factory specs or Mobil specs ? Thanks for the info.

Yes, it would be interesting to see the before and after temps of the cooler being that it is not in the best of places. But then again that cooler is just in addition to the one in the bottom of the radiator. It has always been my thought that between the 2 of them they are doing their job being that I have never heard of a RX having a trans temp light come on even under extreme conditions. I always wanted to put a trans temp guage anywhere to to verify that. Even if it was one of those temporary ones with a sending unit screwed into the drain plug. I just feel that a lot people would like to add additional coolers and filters on the RX, rather than fix the planatary gear design problem.

As far as the drain intervals go, I am back to factory specs, which is lifetime. I am not even sure what the Mobil 1 specs are. Of course I am not blindly doing lifetime. I keep a close eye on the fluids visual appearance and will change it if it looks like it needs it.

The fluid in my current RX was nice and clean and red when it was new. By 30K it was looking pretty bad even though Lexus still claimed it was lifetime. I started changing it regularly but it always seemed to get dirty sooner than expected. Now that my trans has been rebuilt with the redesigned planatary gear setup the fluid is staying real clean for over 30K. If it stays that way, I won't feel the need to change it.

[lenore]

Could get a rough idea with a point and shoot infared temp probe at the in and out lines.

[dcfish]

Could get a rough idea with a point and shoot infared temp probe at the in and out lines.

Yeah, That is a great idea, Do you know somebody that will hang on to the front of the vehicle while going 55 mph ? When the cooler is actually having the heat being disapated over the fins/stack, In other words when the cooler is actually functioning.

[RX in NC]

mikey00,

I'm also leaning towards leaving the ATF alone for the most part in my wife's 2004 RX330 AWD. Having been bitten by early transmission failure (fortunately under the factory warranty) in her previous 2000 RX300 AWD, I've been doing a drain-and-fill of the Type T-IV ATF in her current RX330 every 30,000 miles just because I was still gun-shy as a result of the RX300 fiasco. The ATF in her RX330 has remained clean and bright red, the shift patterns have never varied even with the vehicle now pushing 96,000 miles, and I firmly believe that Toyota/Lexus recognized the obvious inferiority of the early RX transmission design and quietly revamped it (although they will never step up to the plate and admit it). And with my wife now much preferring to drive her 2005 Jaguar S-Type sedan most of the time, her RX330 has essentially been demoted to dog-hauling status during the past year. It only did about 7,000 miles from December 2008 to December 2009. Her S-Type did about 22,000 miles during the same timeframe. So the criticality of me messing with her RX330's ATF on a regular basis has really diminished in our household....

[lenore]

;you could put a fan infront of bumper inlet and see if that cooler does any good. I am talking about a household fan while sitting in the garage to simulate airflow....

[code58]

;you could put a fan infront of bumper inlet and see if that cooler does any good. I am talking about a household fan while sitting in the garage to simulate airflow....

Spot on Tom, eliminates the question: who likes hanging on the front of the car at 55 MPH. I'm a firm believer in infrared temp guns for more uses than you can even count. I wouldn't want to be without one. Few tools are as useful in diagnosing ANYTHING that generates heat. (and in a lot of cases things that don't generate heat) :D

[lenore]

Hey Roger, you and I think alike...Hope everything is well with you. I picked up a cheap infared scanner at Harbor Freight Tools and it has been a fun and enlightning tool to solve those mysteries. Also you dont burn yourself anymore by using the finger touch to see if it is hotter.....

[code58]

Hey Roger, you and I think alike...Hope everything is well with you. I picked up a cheap infared scanner at Harbor Freight Tools and it has been a fun and enlightning tool to solve those mysteries. Also you dont burn yourself anymore by using the finger touch to see if it is hotter.....

Hi Tom- I even use it to check the temp of the oven or food when it's cooking to see if it's hot enough. A slight (or maybe not slight) miss?, a shot at the exhaust manifold where it comes out of the head will tell you in a hurry. I'll bet mechanics wish they had had them a long time before they did. Cooling system?, check any part of it you want to and find out in a hurry how it is doing. Same for trans. cooler and lines. I find it to be very accurate. There is little limit if any other than your imagination as to the things it will do for you. Check your circulation on the bottom of your feet?, or your temp?, I have used it for a lot of things that are not related to automotive, as well as many that are. It does the job well. Have a great New Year Tom.

Roger

[FZ6 Dude]

Is there a DIY for the fluid drain and fill?

2006 RX330 AWD