es300_1997

And what makes Toyota Dexron III fluid so different from Amsoil? & how much does it cost to do a 'drain & fill' at your dealer or mechanic? Time that by 3-4 times & you could do a 100% fluid change for the same cost, once! I said to drop the pan & replace the tranny pan gasket as a preventitive measure.....I would not wait until 150,000 miles to do that & why not clean the filter mesh screen at the same time the gasket is replaced since it's right there. :whistles: ← Hmmm...great posts! But still not sure as to do a full flush or not. But I know if I do anything, I will without a doubt drop the pan and clean it out along with the screen as I like to know the exact condition of the fluid and if any metal is abnormally found collecting on the screen and magnets. Wondering if I should do a partial change of fluid, not including the torque converter, drive it for a week or two then maybe do a flush at that point. If any varnish or crap gets loosened then maybe the flush after the partial fluid change could catch them before it clogs any internal valves. Also confused as to the method of the fluid change, I noticed on one of the Toyota ATF bottle pics that was linked, it stated that the transmission should be *cold* when adding it to the tranny. I suppose to prevent any instant varnish/burning of the fluid on exposed surfaces after the old fluid is removed and the new added. But also noticed that the Amsoil directions stated to 'warm' the engine up to change the fluid, this is what I remember for most vehicles to help the fluid be more... well fluid and you have a higher chance of removing more out durning the change. But if Toyota's saying don't do this, I wonder if something else not being told. Also, I am more concerned of the use of cleaning additives with the proper fluid. Toyota's tranny Dextron formula is not the same as GM's formula for instance. The detrgent agents are specifically made for our trannies. I am not so sure if Amsoil matches that. You can have the same or beter viscosity for an oil, but the detergents used by the recommended standards are never the same between brands unless thay say so directly, and Amsoil really doesn't say that, but leans more in being 'universal'. Don't get me wrong, I use Amsoil in my other car and have used other products of theirs and they have great stuff, I just like to match industry or manufacturer's standards to each other and it's not really being explained that way by them, just the viscosity rating that matches, and in this case, I am not too sure if Amsoil would be best. Remember detergents are just as improtant to the seals and gearing as the viscosity. BTW, does anyone have any links that show the DIY steps and pics for changing the tranny fluid? - Henry

If your ES is due for a 'complete' fluid change, I'd take this chance to replace the tranny pan gasket while your at it & clean the filter mesh screen at the same time (this should be good for several years before you have to change the gasket again as a preventitive measure). In between that time (sounds like your very fussy like me with fluid changes) I'd just do a 'drain & fill' methon every 30k miles or 2 years whichever comes first........especially if you switch to Amsoil synthetic ATF as it will last much longer than the conventional Toyota Type IV fluid. Just my suggestion as that is exactly what I will be doing. B) ← OK, so let's say that I own an ES300 MY97 that has the discolored tranny fluid and is low mileage for the age, but hadn't had the tranny fluid changed in 40K? Total mileage is about 80K right now. The car has not been abused in the sense of stoplight burnouts (or attempts there of) or acting like it's a manual and unnecessarily shifting from low to drive for instance . All the other fluids, oil, brake, and coolant has been changed at scheduled times, but my wife neglected to do the Tranny fluid afte our last visit to the Lexus shop at 30K. All other work was done third party, i.e. Goodyear or some other shop and that is why no one came out and mentioned anything to her about it. :chairshot: So what options and steps should I take? I do have the smell from the tranny case and the fluid is a dark color. I like to change it out ASAP, but confused whether to flush the system or not. Any suggestions. Also for an older car should synth in the tranny be ok as opposed to the regular dino stuff? Thanks for any help. - Henry PS: first post at this forum, hope it will be a start of many.