Dude I deed help with my transmission?

[bootcamper]

So,
Guys thanks for answering.
Few details ahead, before I ask.
My car has a 157 K miles on it right now. I did a complete Toyota Dealership Factory Service at 153K. ( Cost me a lot. $1600 bucks. But I did it for the sake of it, all the years of faithful service it has given me. Besides I had a paid internship at the time.)

Yesterday, I took my car a local workshop to get my Motor Oil changed, I used Pennzoil High Mileage 10W-30 Synthetic.
The mechanic took a look at other fluids and told me that my transmission Oil is dirty and needs to be replaced, and that my tranny needs service.
This worries me terribly. Yes, the tranny oil is really dirty, and needs to be replaced. But how did the mechanic conclude that I need service on that?
With the economy as it is, I cant afford it right now. He said the trans fluid-filter-gasket is leaking and would cost 160 bucks plus the oil.

Please advise me.
Thanks so much.

[bigbird]

how does it shift? sounds like you just need a tranny flush.

[bootcamper]

Originally Posted by bigbird

how does it shift? sounds like you just need a tranny flush.

Thanks for replying Bird, It shifts just fine. In fact its smooth and doesn't slip at all. I never had a problem with my car all these years, I maintain it very well and pay a lot of money to keep it this way.

However, the mechanic was right about the oil change? What tranny Oil should I use to replace mine? Do I change oil filter, gasket etc as well? Does it cost a lot? ( I hear mixed opinions, some say never flush, some to do a re-build,..) My opinion is why fix something when it is not broken, you know. I will take it elsewhere for a second opinion anyway? But your comments are highly appreciated. Thank you very much.

[Kep]

I am a fan of drain and fill unless you have been changing fluid on a 30,000 mile schedule (then I guess a flush is OK.) The drain and fill routine is more conservative. When you remove the plug and drain it it will drop a little more than two quarts (about the same as when you drop the pan). Different models hold different total amounts of transmission fluid. To exchange most of the fluid you would need to do several drain and fills. Initially you might consider doing one a week for several weeks. (If it takes 8 quarts total I would do 5 drain and fills to replace most of the fluid.) At the last time you might consider replacing the tranny fluid filter. Get a large pan underneath, it is messy. Use a torque wrench when putting back the bolts, they take next to no force to tighten. After I did this the first time (I left my fluid in for 100,000 miles) I got into the routine of doing a drain and fill every other oil change. That satisfies my gut feel for replacing the tranny fluid every 30,000 miles.

Kep

[new echo owner]

How long ago was it that you had you major service done for $1600? Did it include a transmission service at that time? Was it noted that there is fluid leak from the transmission?

This is how I see it, you have put 4000 miles on it since the last major service, if the transmission was serviced at that time why would it need another one so soon? If the transmission was leaking at that time why were you not advised about it? Or is this repair shop trying to sell you something that you don't really need?

Just my 2 cents!

N.E.O.

[JCamry94]

Originally Posted by Kep

I am a fan of drain and fill unless you have been changing fluid on a 30,000 mile schedule (then I guess a flush is OK.) The drain and fill routine is more conservative. When you remove the plug and drain it it will drop a little more than two quarts (about the same as when you drop the pan). Different models hold different total amounts of transmission fluid. To exchange most of the fluid you would need to do several drain and fills. Initially you might consider doing one a week for several weeks. (If it takes 8 quarts total I would do 5 drain and fills to replace most of the fluid.) At the last time you might consider replacing the tranny fluid filter. Get a large pan underneath, it is messy. Use a torque wrench when putting back the bolts, they take next to no force to tighten. After I did this the first time (I left my fluid in for 100,000 miles) I got into the routine of doing a drain and fill every other oil change. That satisfies my gut feel for replacing the tranny fluid every 30,000 miles.

Kep

Doesn't that get expensive kep??

[bootcamper]

hi new echo,
I had a completer drain and refil of my transmission at the toyota dealership service shop. In fact the major service was so comprehensive, they gave me a rental car to use for 3 days. I still have the printed list of all the work done on my car at the time. No leaks or issues were brought up at the time, i did all their recommended repairs, like changing engine valves, spark plugs, wires, new struts, catalytic converters, complete flush of all systems, and refills, full engine diagnostics, over haul and tuneup. After the service, my car felt like a brand new camry, it even sounded and responded like a new one.

It has only been 4k miles since then, and my tranny oil looks black. I can't believe if anything was wrong with the transmission toyota dealership would not let me know at the very least. I will have to have this checked now, and Im having a hard time.

[new echo owner]

Have a chat with the Toyota service department, and let them what this repair shop had told you during your oil change. Or better yet, drop by with your vehicle, so they can examine the vehicle with you. Ask questions if you are not sure.

N.E.O.

[ajkalian]

Originally Posted by bootcamper

hi new echo,
I had a completer drain and refil of my transmission at the toyota dealership service shop. In fact the major service was so comprehensive, they gave me a rental car to use for 3 days. I still have the printed list of all the work done on my car at the time. No leaks or issues were brought up at the time, i did all their recommended repairs, like changing engine valves, spark plugs, wires, new struts, catalytic converters, complete flush of all systems, and refills, full engine diagnostics, over haul and tuneup. After the service, my car felt like a brand new camry, it even sounded and responded like a new one.

It has only been 4k miles since then, and my tranny oil looks black. I can't believe if anything was wrong with the transmission toyota dealership would not let me know at the very least. I will have to have this checked now, and Im having a hard time.

I have a 2000 Camry 6 cylinder with 195,000 miles on it, and I decided to use the Drain and Fill method. I'd drain the pan, fill it up, drive for a few days, drain again, and fill it up. Even after the third drain and fill the oil was reddish brown, and when I was returning the old oil to Autozone, the guy asked me if I had changed the filter. Hmm, I thought it was only a screen. He said no, it was a screen filter. Oh, how much I said. He said 15 bucks. I said, I'll take one.

So I did one more drain and then removed the pan. There was a thin layer of sludge, maybe 1/8" thick covering the entire bottom of the pan, and more important the same sludge in the screen filter. The filter measures 4x6 and is maybe 3/8" thick so there was plenty of sludge in it. In addition the square cork gasket where the filter mates with the transmission body was hard as a rock. The inside of the transmission looked clean as a whistle but I'll never get used to seeing wires in something that is submerged in oil.

I cleaned out the pan, used a wire wheel to clean to old gasket off the pan, and replaced the lameo magnets with some high power ones. I scraped the aluminum transmission surfaces with a razor blade to get off the big pieces of gasket sealer, and then got it down to bare metal with some coarse steel wool being careful not to get any of the steel wool in the transmssion cavity. Fortunately there was no metal filings, just sludge in the pan. I put the new filter in, put the pan back on, bolted it up, and checked for leaks. None appeared, I'm happy.

So maybe in your case they might have flushed the transmission, but there might be some sludge in the pan and filter like mine had. If they didn't drop the pan and replace the filter, that sludge is still in there and maybe the flushing process sturred it up a bit, and maybe the filter caught it. Go back and ask specifically if they dropped the pan, and changed the filter. If they didn't do it, have them do it.

And to the rest of the members. If you are thinking of using the Drain and Fill method I would suggest that you do the first drain, drop the pan, change the filter. Then the next drain and fill will be much more effective without the sludge in the pan and the filter contaminating the new A/T fluid. If you've never removed the pan, here's some tips. Mine was stuck on tight as could be. I slid a thin putty knife in and worked it around the pan until the pan came loose. Even though I drained the pan, when it came loose, there was plenty of oil all over the place. I had a large drain pan, but still got oil all over the floor. So be ready for a potential mess.

The kit I got from Autozone, said not to use any gasket sealer of any kind. The instructions were very specific about this. The gasket was rubber, so I just did what the instructions said, and use some heavy grease to keep the gasket in place and bolted it up. So far no leaks. To Toyota's credit, the pan is much heavier duty than I expected, and with 17 or 18 bolts, located 2" apart, not too much torque is necessary on the bolts to get a good seal. I'll let the gasket seat for a few days, and then go back and tighten them up as necessary. All in all it was a pretty easy project, three hours start to finish. I should have done it every 50,000 miles. Oh well, live and learn.