To flush, or not to flush? (transmission question)

[unkit]

Hi guys,

Just wondering what i should do. I don't think my transmission oil was ever changed before i bought the car.

I noticed it was black about 6 months ago, and had it drained and then refilled. I noticed it was still not bright red about 3 months ago. I checked it again yesterday, and it seems that it was black again. This time there was also a faint burn smell.

I was wondering if i should:

1. just have it drained and refilled again - servicing in australia is pretty expensive, $35 for 4l of oil + $70 for 1 hour labour.
2. Have it flushed - I've read that there are a number of drawbacks for doing this.
3. Leave it - If its at the point of no return, i might aswell just save up for a new tranny.

[Kep]

I am very leery of flushes, especially in the circumstances you describe. Draining and refilling is much more conservative. When you do a drain and refill you are only draining out about half (gen 3) of the transmission fluid so it will take several times to get in a majority of new fluid. I got into a similar situation and did a D&R about once a week for a month and thereafter tried to do it about every other oil change (it was a 300,000 mile trany I figured that it earned it).

I am also suspicious of your last drain and refill. Gen 3s should take about 2.5 liters, not 4.

This is an extraordinarily easy job. Just a little harder than an oil change. I would encourage you to do this yourself. If you decide to do so, do a few searches for procedures. Repost if that doesn't answer your concerns.

Kep

[toyomoho]

As Kep states can you drain and refill the trans yourself, the process is much like an engine oil change.

Do this 3-4 times while driving a few miles between changes and the fluid will start to clear up.

Buy a case of any trans fluid that meets the cars spec (Dexron III or equivalent), find some place that will accept used oil and have at it.

[hassanbigboss]

Yeah.....go ahead with the drain and refill.........I did that with my car......after about 20,000 miles.......its still nice and red......i had similar problems to the one's you describe......I got my trans flushed but for some reason it did not help and the oil turned pretty dark after about 22000 miles.......but instead of paying money and having a flush done again......I did a drain and refill.........it took about 4-5 drains and refills to get the oil cherry red but it was well worth it.......my car shifts so seamlessly that its hard to tell that its shifting gears.....so go ahead and do a drain and refill like others have said........it will save you money and your trans will thank you for it.....good luck

[unkit]

Thank you for your replies. I'll def take the drain and refill advice

I don't really have the room to do the oil change myself. I've always had a mechanic do it. Last time, it did only take 2.5l of transmission fluid, but i didn't think to keep the rest. This time, i know better.

Should i have the filter and pan cleaned after the fluid changes bring up red fluid or now?

[hassanbigboss]

Originally Posted by unkit

Thank you for your replies. I'll def take the drain and refill advice

I don't really have the room to do the oil change myself. I've always had a mechanic do it. Last time, it did only take 2.5l of transmission fluid, but i didn't think to keep the rest. This time, i know better.

Should i have the filter and pan cleaned after the fluid changes bring up red fluid or now?

If your mechanic is going to have the car up on a lift for the drain and fill then you might as well have the filter and pan cleaned........the trans will definitely benefit from that.

[Aussie_Camry]

I think the trans fluid change is easier then a oil change... the filter for the oil change on the 3VZ is a biatch. But yeah no room cant do it. Seems like a rip off thought for what you quoted, it shouldnt take 1 hour labor... Im not a mechanic and I did a oil change, coolant change and trans change in 1 hour!!!

[Strum]

I'm a little embarrassed to state this, but I've never changed the tran fluid in any of my Toyota's. I've had Camry's purchased new and drove them over 200K with no change.

I certainly don't recommend not doing it, but I wouldn't even know how. Doing an oil change tomorrow, maybe should give thought to a trany fluid change, huh?

I will say that I've heard a number of people that did not recommend a flush.

[unkit]

Minimum charge in the shop i go to is 1 hour.
I've had an oil change done, and it cost me 1 hour of labour

If i get an oil change, transmission fluid change, AND wheel rotation done. It still costs me an hour of labour.

Rip off, i know, but I've got a mechanical warranty on the car and its a condition that i have serviced by this mob.

I asked them about the pan and filter last time, they said it required a gasket or something, and I should go to a transmission specialist. Sounds stupid to me, but I can't force them to do it.

Basically, I figured once the oil was nice and red, I'd get a pan, filter and gasket change, but if its more advisable now, I'll get it done now. That service is $175 so i'd rather not do it twice.....

For the poster that says he has never had his oil changed, My manual recommends it every 40,000km. Ive seen the mechanic do it, and it looks pretty easy. Think you need the right hex key though.

[Kep]

The transmission filter (in the Gen 2s at least) is just a glorified screen. It catches big chunks but thats about all. Your logic about getting it done last is not bad or good. I don't think that it will matter. What year and model is this? How much fluid does your manual say that it takes for a complete fluid change vs a drain & fill?

I get the distinct impression that you don't want to do this yourself. Having a mechanic do it at the rates you're quoting is going to be pretty pricey. There is a passive flush (don't know what the technical name is) where they allow the fluid to pump out of the radiator transmission hose while continuing to pour new fluid into the transmission until the fluid coming out of the hose is nice and red. You might do some searches on this and Gen 1-2 forum. There have been some write ups on the technique. The nice thing is that all of the fluid is changed and there are no unusual pressures involved. Not quite as conservative as a drain and fill but almost. If you found a mechanic willing to do this procedure you would cut down on the labor costs and the fluid costs would probably be similar.

Kep

[Mike Gerber]

unkit,

You never mentioned how many miles are on the car. This is important in making the decision on whether to flush it or just drain and refill.

Mike