tranny fluid change quesiton

[felya589]

i talked to two mechanics and both told me different things. One told me that i could just drain the old fluid and put the new one in and the other mechanic told me that i had to do a full tranny flush before i put the new fluid in. My dad changed the fluid once before. I looked at it and it looks dark purple and i have 96,000 on the 2002 camry le. I just wanted to know what mechanic is right?

[IPDaily]

well assuming you're dad doesn't have access to a flush machine, he would've only done a drain and plug refill which doesn't clean out the transmission, it only replaces the oil... the reason i bring this up is because transmission flushes are recommended at maximum intervals of 60,000 miles or so... if you do a flush at high mileage like yours, it could end up doing more harm than good as the gunk buildup can actually be holding components in the transmission together, and flushing it will only expedite the death of the transmission... look it's up to you, but provided it's never been flushed before, it would probably be better to drain and refill for the longevity of it...

[felya589]

thank you, that was i think personally the best answer i have ever got for a question and im not being sarcastic, i will flush it like you siad

[TRD VVTi]

Originally Posted by IPDaily

well assuming you're dad doesn't have access to a flush machine, he would've only done a drain and plug refill which doesn't clean out the transmission, it only replaces the oil... the reason i bring this up is because transmission flushes are recommended at maximum intervals of 60,000 miles or so... if you do a flush at high mileage like yours, it could end up doing more harm than good as the gunk buildup can actually be holding components in the transmission together, and flushing it will only expedite the death of the transmission... look it's up to you, but provided it's never been flushed before, it would probably be better to drain and refill for the longevity of it...

If the fluid is purple flushing it will be fine. Gunk buildup will NOT hold parts together as you state and flushing it will not hurt it.

If the OP decides to have it flushed as stated, DO NOT use flushing chemicals. Only flush the transmission with fresh fluid. Chemicals cause more problems than anything else. I've seen it over and over.

You can also flush the transmission by disconnecting a cooler line and adding a section of hose that goes to a large bucket (five gallon). Have all your containers already open and the funnel in the dipstick tube. Start the car and dump the fluid in as fast as you can. Shut the car off reinstall the cooler line. Check the fluid level and adjust as needed. I've done it this way many times before and it works great. Just make sure that you put the hose on the correct line and end so you don't spray old fluid everywhere.