Taco auto trans oil change?

[WillBHomesoon]

Ive been getting some conflicting answers for the best way to change my Trans oil on my 97 taco with a 3.4 . Toyota says there is no need to drop the pan and change the filter which i understand and im fine with. But if you simply drain the fluid, you,re not really getting all of it out right? My truck has 100k on it now and i only drained and refilled the fluid once at about 50k and thats because i used to pull a Boat. Ive heard that you might not trust a regular garage to flush it out because they often dont know what theyre doing with the special flush machine. Is the "dealer" going to soak $ me to get them to flush the tranny with all the fluid they use? What is the true capacity of fluid for an automatic? I dont even know what type of fluid to use its been so long. Thanks for the replies

[Mike-in-WV]

If the fluid is not a muddy color (Dark brown or real dark red) and the tranny is working good then there is no need for a flush. A total flush can be really costly and I have heard bad stories from guy's who flushed them when it wasn't needed. It seems that's when there problems with the tranny started.

Dextron 2 or something equal will work fine in your tranny but it's always good to keep records so you know what's in there. I keep a note book in my glove box with all the oil changes or anything else I have done to it with receipts and dates and everything else done to it from day one. The book says a little over 2 quorts but mine took close to four. It will read full cold with a little over two quorts but after you let it heat up or read it hot it will take 2 more to fill it.If you have a crush gaskit on your drain plug or fill plug you may want to replace it or just be careful when you use the old one.
All figures are for my 2001 2.7 4x4 auto so yours may be different but this will give you a good starting point. Mike

[nofear4189]

ive heard that most shops wont flush them with over 100k on them. Too much of a liability of a weak part snapping off during the flush i guess. Your best bet is to drain it, drop the pan, and buy a new automatic transmission filter and install it yourself. Its not hard. The filter obviously traps the gunk out of the internals of the trans. When you drop the pan, itll be right there, so its not hard to do. Buy a kit with the filter and gasket for the pan. Torque the bolts down evenly to avoid leaks, and refill. Its not a flush because it wont get all old fluid out, but will be like an oil change with a filter.

-Adam-