Should I flush the tranny?

[geoff5093]

*I just typed up this long story and then FF closed, so i'll be brief this time*

I saw an ad for a auto transmission flush from a Toyota dealership for $140. I dont know if my transmission fluid has ever been changed before, since I bought the car back in August of last year. Would Toyota warranty this at all, since it's a Toyota dealership? I've heard of some problems after people flushing their tranny's when it's never been done before, so im a little weary or it.

My car has around 136K miles. So would it be a good idea to get it flushed, just draing and refill it (maybe twice), or would doing any of that stuff cause alot of harm to the tranny?


Heres a pic I took a couple months ago:

[jhbhatia]

wov! thats pretty dark, mine goes from ruby red to orange no black! I don't know what to tell you..i would continue with drain & fill's on your ride every 10K miles. I do flush mine every 30K, but thats cus i've been doing them forever!

[DFBonnett]

Do yourself a favor and just drain and refill. Pick up a few tranny drain plug gaskets from the dealer and drain and refill with each oil change until you are happy with the color of the fluid. Measure what drains then put the same quantity of new back in. After that, repeat whenever the fluid looks like it could use refreshing. Torque drain plug to 36 lbs/ft.
I've been doing this with our '93 since about the fourth year and it shifts like new. Personally, I drain and refill annually. It costs less than $10 for the 3 quarts that drain and is cheap insurance. I do the same for my Crapillac, my van, and my daughter's Mitsu.
FWIW
YMMV

[Camryamnesty]

or you could... do a real flush at home, or somewhat real:
Now i dont have an auto so im not sure where you fill it at.
Get a FULL case of tranny fluid, maybe some extra quarts just to be safe

Drive the car get it nice and hot.
Pull the cooler lines off on the cooler side let them hang down
If you can, add an extension of hose to each hose
Place them in a drain bucket
Be ready to start filling the tranny and start the car when fluid starts pumping out of the cooler lines start pouring tranny fluid into the tranny.
Continue to do this until the fluid is coming out nice and red.

When you are satified shut the car off.
take the drain plug out and drain the fluid.
Put the lines back on.
Start the car back up, and fill until satisfied. Make sure you run through the gears to make sure you get it FULL.

And thats a flush.

[MemphisR]

From what ive been told camry trans fluid is always filthy like that when they flushed mine they thought i had managed to put oil in my trans, id say flush it only because trans. problems only get worse when you ignore them, after i changed my fluid i did notice a smoother shift and the trans didnt hang up in the same gear when accelerating.

*at 136K and no prior trans flushes im almost positive youll have to pay outta pocket for the flush.

* I wouldnt suggest changing your own trans fluid unless you talk to a tech and find out if its even possible without the tools as trans fluid cant interact with oxygen as itll change colors you have to use a machine that flushes your old fluid as it fills the trans with new fresh fluid
hope this helps
John

[Eye8Pussies]

just get it it flushed

when I did mine back in the day at about the same mileage as you, it did wonders


some people have reported bad news with flushes, but more have reported good news, and most people don't say anything because nothing goes wrong

[geoff5093]

Thanks for your comments, and im not an expert so if I did a drain and fill it would be done at the dealership as well.

Does $140 for a flush seem like a lot of money, or is that an average amount? I would rather get a flush at Toyota then Jiffy Lube or something though. I was also thinking of maybe getting a coolant flush as well.

[mr.pringles]

i got mine flushed from a friend for $30 and yes i went to dealers and auto repair shops and the cheapest one I got from them was $80 at Mobil and $90 from a transmission shop right on the next block of my street

[geoff5093]

I was reading online and from what I heard, flushing a tranny is a horrible idea, since alot of places use old fluid and from flushing it causes the contaminates to flow into other areas of the tranny.

I heard that a safe way, and cheaper, is to disconnect on of the lines that goes to the cooler, put it in a bucket, and then start the engine and keep filling it with clean fluid until the fluid that comes out is clean.

[Eye8Pussies]

not really.

nothing is as good as a power flush. if flushed properly, all the crud that can get into places it shouldn't also be flushed out.

[geoff5093]

Do you think the Toyota dealer would do a good job, much better then a place like Meineki (sp?) or Jiffy Lube?

[DarkMastyr]

They all use the same machine or similar machine. I'd say $100/flush is about right. $140 is a tad high, but not out of the question since it's from the stealership. I flushed mine about 10k ago.

[TheKevin]

Speaking of, my Camry and Altima are up for a tranny flush.

[geoff5093]

When they flush the tranny, do they normally change the filter as well, or is that extra?

[Eye8Pussies]

^ nope, that is extra- they would then need to drop the pan