Has anybody here measured exactly how much transmission fluid drains out? - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

haux · 06-01-2010, 10:23 PM

A couple weeks ago I had a shop drain and fill both the differential and transmission fluid. Shortly after... shifting was pretty crappy.
I got the feeling that they overfilled the transmission, because the dipstick was always very wet past the high hot mark.

So, I just did it again, myself this time.

I think my car was tilted back a bit far, because when I removed the differential fill plug, a good bit of fluid spewed out of there into a nice big puddle on the driveway. Last time I did this nothing came out of there.
I was only able to refill the differential with 1.3 quarts before it starting overflowing out of the fill hole. Does that sound about right, or should it be more?

Now, for the transmission... I put about 1.5 quarts in, started the engine, checked the dipstick... I did this several times, and each time it was always wet way past the high hot mark. I don't know if I can trust this thing anymore.

As the title asks, have any of you actually measured exactly how much fluid drains out of the transmission after the proper amount was put in?

Even with just the 1.5 quarts I put back in, the shifting is a ton better. I'll keep checking the dipstick for a more accurate reading.

In the end, I was able to fill an empty gallon container with the fluid drained from both the transmission and differential.

The car is a 2000 Camry I4.

***fenixus*** · 06-01-2010, 10:31 PM

i don't want to scare you bro, but gen4 2000 camry 5s-fe (automatic tranny) owner's manual states:

a) transmission drain & refill up to 2.6qts
b) differential drain & refill 1.7qts

...

and this info is coming from a '00 camry owner's manual (i have a spare one at home, while in car i keep '00 solaras manual)

i hope there is a reasonable explanation for this situation. sorry if i scared you...

haux · 06-01-2010, 10:41 PM

Hm. I didn't have access to the manual at the time. So I guess I'm a quart low on the transmission? I wonder why the dipstick would always be coming out wet like that then...

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenixus

i don't want to scare you bro, but gen4 2000 camry 5s-fe (automatic tranny) owner's manual states:

a) transmission drain & refill up to 2.6qts
b) differential drain & refill 1.7qts

...

and this info is coming from a '00 camry owner's manual (i have a spare one at home, while in car i keep '00 solaras manual)

i hope there is a reasonable explanation for this situation. sorry if i scared you...

***fenixus*** · 06-01-2010, 10:58 PM

have you ever dropped the tranny pan ? i'm wondering if you have some heavy gunk buildup ... which doesn't want to drain out. have you drained them when hot ?

you could try getting a synthetic ATF and draining & refilling it every few days or so for like a month or two and see if it gets better per capacity. fresh fluid every few days should wash out the insides at least a little and synthetics are good and safe (just slow) cleaners.

***fenixus*** · 06-01-2010, 11:15 PM

also, have you pushed shifter through all gears before reading the tranny dip stick (so fluid was hot) ? you checked it on a running warm car with exercised tranny, right ?

71Corolla · 06-01-2010, 11:15 PM

On my 93 5SFE, the transmission drained 2.5 liters from the drain plug. The differential, 1.5 liters. The owners manual says "up to 4.4 liters" for the transmission. Never got anywhere near close to that. Either way it doesn't matter, just go for a 15 minute drive then check the dip stick with the engine running. I make sure the level is exactly at the top mark of the hot line.

You need to check the tranny level on an perfectly level surface, same for filling the differential. I drive the car up onto one wheel ramp, drain the diff, roll it back off the ramp, fill, thread the filler bolt back in from the top by hand (not easy), drive it back up on the ramp and tighten the bolt from under the car.

***fenixus*** · 06-01-2010, 11:19 PM

yeah, the differential fill hole location is plain stupid. hard to really fill it up with car on jack stands... however the difference he observed might mean many things like fluid was not hot when drained, etc... i just hope he doesn't have gunk in those components ...

haux · 06-02-2010, 02:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 71Corolla

...thread the filler bolt back in from the top by hand (not easy)...

Yeah, not easy at all! I'm incapable of reaching it. I think 1.3 quarts is close enough to 1.5 quarts... maybe I'll have a shop drain/refill that sometime to get it exactly right.

As for the transmission fluid, I didn't check the level again tonight, but I'll do it again tomorrow, and will likely need to add another quart. I just wonder why the shifting is so much better than two weeks ago when the shop changed the fluid.

fenixus, I dropped the pan about six months ago. There wasn't too much buildup on the magnets, and not much gunk in the pan. I've been using Valvoline Dex/Marc High Mileage lately.

***JohnGD*** · 06-02-2010, 02:33 AM

+1. Well said.

In addition, the best way is to first make sure the fluid level is on the mark. Then just drain/measure/refill. Takes a lot of guess work out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 71Corolla

On my 93 5SFE, the transmission drained 2.5 liters from the drain plug. The differential, 1.5 liters. The owners manual says "up to 4.4 liters" for the transmission. Never got anywhere near close to that. Either way it doesn't matter, just go for a 15 minute drive then check the dip stick with the engine running. I make sure the level is exactly at the top mark of the hot line.

You need to check the tranny level on an perfectly level surface, same for filling the differential. I drive the car up onto one wheel ramp, drain the diff, roll it back off the ramp, fill, thread the filler bolt back in from the top by hand (not easy), drive it back up on the ramp and tighten the bolt from under the car.

***JohnGD*** · 06-02-2010, 02:46 AM

I guess there are reasons why many DIY.

When you have ATF smeared all over the dipstick it usually means it's high. However, right after you add ATF this can happen as well. Wait a while and see sometimes helps (after adding).

Also, pull the dipstick out a bit the next time you drain. What level is it at when cold on a level surface? Is it more "readable" then?

Valvoline MaxLife is a very good ATF.

I'd also consider Castrol Import Multi-vehicle ATF (a synthetic blend) or just the Walmart SuperTech Mercon-V that's suitable for D-III (these are not counting the fully syn or boutique ATFs some like to use). No Dexron VI -- too thin for these.

Quote:

Originally Posted by haux

Yeah, not easy at all! I'm incapable of reaching it. I think 1.3 quarts is close enough to 1.5 quarts... maybe I'll have a shop drain/refill that sometime to get it exactly right.

As for the transmission fluid, I didn't check the level again tonight, but I'll do it again tomorrow, and will likely need to add another quart. I just wonder why the shifting is so much better than two weeks ago when the shop changed the fluid.

fenixus, I dropped the pan about six months ago. There wasn't too much buildup on the magnets, and not much gunk in the pan. I've been using Valvoline Dex/Marc High Mileage lately.