Transmission Flush?

[Loubeck]

Hello all, I'm kind of new here.

I have a 2003 Toyota Tacoma SR5 that's been acting a bit weird lately. It's got a 2.7 4cyl, 4X4 with manual transmission. I'm the original owner and it's got about 67,000 miles on it.

Recently, I noticed a low resonating sound- almost like a vibrating rumble when the truck reaches about 40 mph. The sound only happens when the truck is in gear with light pressure on the gas pedal. If I take the truck out of gear and coast, the sound/vibration goes away.

The truck also seems to change gears a little roughly when the engine is cold.

I was thinking of getting the transmission fluid flushed to see if this helps the problem. Does it seem like I'm on the right track or should I look elsewhere.

I was also wondering how to even check the transmission fluid since this model doesn't seem to have a dipstick for the tranny fluid.

Thanks,
Lou

[humanoid]

They do have a dipstick. IIRC, it should be towards the back of the engine on the passenger side and it should be dark orange in color.

[Sykostick]

Nah, 5-speeds don't have a dipstick. In fact I've never seen a stick-shift of any make/model that had a dipstick.

I tried looking for an appropriate picture to show you but so far have found nothing. On your tranny are two plugs. One on the side, on on the bottom. I think it's a 24 mm. At any rate, the plug on the side is the fill plug, which you can also use to check the fluid level. The one on the bottom, clearly, is the drain plug.

Curious, how long has it been since you last changed the tranny fluid? If it's been a while, changing it and seeing if there's a lot of metal dust in the oil is a sure fire way to tell if your tranny is hurt.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but you should change a manual trannny oil every 30k at least. That's street miles, too. If you do a lot of dirty or heavy-abuse driving, "more frequently" is suggested.

[englishe30]

Just curious what how much manual tranny fluid does the 2.4/2.7 take? I was thinking about changing mine out with Amsoil

[chipsndukes]

probably center carrier bearing

[Loubeck]

Originally Posted by Sykostick

Curious, how long has it been since you last changed the tranny fluid? If it's been a while, changing it and seeing if there's a lot of metal dust in the oil is a sure fire way to tell if your tranny is hurt.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but you should change a manual trannny oil every 30k at least. That's street miles, too. If you do a lot of dirty or heavy-abuse driving, "more frequently" is suggested.

I have not changed my trasmission fliuid at all yet. But I'll take care of that very soon.

On a scale from 1 to 10, (10 being most difficult) how difficult would it be to change the tranny fluid myself? I'm no master mechanic by any stretch but I do change my own oil and stuff.

Thanks,
Lou

[Sykostick]

It's just as changing any oil. Minus a filter. You pop open the fill plug (to allow air flow) then pop open the drain plug. Drain. Replace drain plug, fill. I think it's short of 4 quarts, I honestly can't remember.

It's always convenient for those in shops that just grab a hose and pump it in, but I don't have that convenience, I presume you don't either.

I bought a small hand pump at Kragen (you should be able to find them at any auto parts store) and just used that to pump the oil into the fill hole. It's tedious, but it gets the job done.

and if you're at 60K miles with no oil change, I strongly suggest you also change your diff and xfer case oils. Don't waste your money on anything expensive just yet tho, cause if you end up having to get your tranny dropped and opened up, all the oil will just go to waste. Just thro some regular organic oil in there for now, save the synthetic for later.