I am usually not a fan of flushing a transmission, unless you have been doing routine service on the trans. (drain and fill). Othwerwise go for it. Without knowing the service history for yours, I personally would check all the air filters like cabin and engine air filter. I would take a look and clean the throttle body if necessary. Brake fluid is good usually for 3-5 years tops. Its hygroscopic, so it collects moisture over time. This is a good thing to do, and relatively easy to change. Have the spark plugs been changed? if not get some Denso OEM Irdiums. They usually last ~120k miles.

 

Did drain and fills on the tranny, plugs (denso), serpentine belt, valve cover gasket, pcv valve. All within 50k miles.

 

Yeah I agree. First off, You are on the right track. Just do drain and fill for transmission fluid you don’t need to flush the trans.

For the power steering you can use the same ATF fluid and do drain and fill or a flush if your comfortable with that. I just remove the low pressure line from the reserve to empty it and fill it back up to cycle via drain fill.

Yes, absolutely for the brake fluid change you should indeed do this. You just need the hose for the bleeder and have the height of the hose and container to catch the fluid coming out to be higher than the bleeder.

Then pump the brakes for about roughly 8-10oz of old fluid for the rear passenger side. For the driver rear it’s about 3-4oz. Passenger front is about 5oz. The driver front is about 3-4oz in this order as an estimate your mileage may vary and you will see a color shift eventually. Also keep it topped off is the most important part.


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Yeah I agree. First off, You are on the right track. Just do drain and fill for transmission fluid you don’t need to flush the trans.

For the power steering you can use the same ATF fluid and do drain and fill or a flush if your comfortable with that. I just remove the low pressure line from the reserve to empty it and fill it back up to cycle via drain fill.

Yes, absolutely for the brake fluid change you should indeed do this. You just need the hose for the bleeder and have the height of the hose and container to catch the fluid coming out to be higher than the bleeder.

Then pump the brakes for about roughly 8-10oz of old fluid for the rear passenger side. For the driver rear it’s about 3-4oz. Passenger front is about 5oz. The driver front is about 3-4oz in this order as an estimate your mileage may vary and you will see a color shift eventually. Also keep it topped off is the most important part.


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Prob won't do brake fluid myself or the power steering, but will take in for this service.

 

You shouldn't flush the transmission. The drain and refills are a better way to keep your tranny working perfectly. A flush under pressure usually causes issues. Why did you replace the transmission filter? It's a "strainer" and good for the life ogf the vehicle.
Did you change your thermostat when you changed the coolant? It's probably time after 200,000 miles.
Get some MAF sensor cleaner and clean your sensor.
Use some seafoam or techron in your fuel to clean your injectors.
Not a bad idea to drain off some brake fluid at each caliper/wheel cylinder. One of the issues with doing that though is you may snap off the bleeder screw and if you can't get it out, you need to replace the caliper/wheel cylinder. $$$ I've only EVER bled my brakes on any vehicle, when changing a caliper or repairing/replacing a brake line.
Change the power steering fluid if you want to. Very few do. They use transmission fluid in it now.
Take off your throttle body and spray it with cleaner. You can probably do it with it on the engine also.

Good luck.....

 

Didn't change the transmission filter yet, just heard it was a good idea before flushing the system. I'll just stick with drain and fills as they are easy.

 

Op did drop the pan to change the filter in there.

It's great that you're maintaining your vehicle well. As you should be able to reach the 400k mark. You're half way there.

Check your pcv and make sure the marble can move. The o rings on the fuel injectors will wither away over time. Have a look see.

Motor mounts are another thing to consider that's not on the maintenance schedule. Especially the passenger side. It's not easily visible. You'd have to remove it to see it's damaged.

 

Changed the pcv twice now, Moto mounts look pretty good, suspension is still great too. I will have to check the injectors as I've never serviced as of yet.

 

If you haven't already, replace the intake manifold gasket. Toyota came out with an updated (much improved) gasket (orange in color). Here it is:

In the next 50K miles you'll want to replace both A/F and O2 sensors (only use Denso or Toyota brand).

Flush out radiator coolant. Do not introduce tap water into the system. Use a P-HOAT coolant.

 

"In the next 50K miles you'll want to replace both A/F and O2 sensors (only use Denso or Toyota brand)."

I remember reading this ^ a few months ago and would appreciate learning more. I most admit I'm not used to thinking about these items until they cause a problem.

Is the thinking now that waiting for an emission code to show up from a lazy O2 sensor is too late because the risk is that it will have damaged the CAT; and end up being a much more costly repair? And, best to just do both of these sensors at the same time and be done with them?

 

Yes. Mine went bat around 250K. My cat, although clean on the inside, is dead. Not a biggie; I use a spacer and I live in a county that doesn't check for that.

 

I disagree with most of the posters. A flush is just another way of saying "replace all fluid, including residual fluid, in one service." Transmission "flushes" CAN cause problems under 2 conditions:

1. The flush machine uses an internal pump that has it's own set line pressure (which may be more or less than the transmission's pump).

2. The flush uses harsh and generic "flush" chemicals that cause damage.

I've flushed numerous high mileage Toyota transmissions, many which had never been serviced, all without issues. I've flushed my 255K mile Sequoia 3 times in the last 5 years and did my Lexus immediately upon purchase.

Flushes aren't bad especially if the transmission flush machine uses the internal pump to move the fluid (like a BG machine). I am a major advocate for DIY flushes done at home, which I call the pump and flush method (see DIY link below):

DIY 2003-2008 Corolla, Matrix, Vibe Transmission Fluid...

I completed this procedure at 49,000 km on my 2008 Corolla 1.8L automatic (with the 1ZZ-FE engine). The transmission fluid was getting a bit dark looking on the dipstick. To the best of my knowledge, the transmission fluid was the original fluid that was supplied with the car. [EDIT June 1...

www.toyotanation.com

This method safely removes all old fluid from the lines, valve body, pan, and torque converter.

Also keep in mind you don't HAVE to use T-IV, rather a compatible fluid. There are locally available fluids that work fine or better in the transmission. Here are some examples:

Official Ultimate 2003-2008 Corolla, Matrix, Pontiac...

Ok everyone after much procrastinating I am going to make a compiled list of maintenance parts for the 9th Gen Corolla and 1st Gen Matrix/Pontiac Vibe. A lot of these items will also benefit owners of 8th Gen Corolla, 7th Gen Celicas, and maybe even other owners. Here is a link to the Toyota...

www.toyotanation.com

Aside from the transmission stuff, I support full replacement (flush) of the brake and power steering fluid as well as:

Thermostat
Radiator Cap
Spark Plugs
Intake Gasket (if never done)
Throttle Body Gasket (with Intake Gasket)
Throttle Cleaning
Injector Cleaning

These cars are extremely low maintenance so that's all I recommend really. Most DIYs for the above can be found in your DIY and General Info Sticky.

 

A flush is just another way of saying "replace all fluid, including residual fluid, in one service.

I've flushed numerous high mileage Toyota transmissions, many which had never been serviced, all without issues. I've flushed my 255K mile Sequoia 3 times in the last 5 years and did my Lexus immediately upon purchase.This method safely removes all old fluid from the lines, valve body, pan, and torque converter.

I agree. When people hear the word "flush", they are usually thinking of the high pressure flush machines, which can dislodge residue that is sealing any leaks internally. The DIY cooler line method uses the same exact pressure that your transmission normally uses, so there is no negative. Perhaps we can call the DIY cooler line method a "Transmission Fluid Exchange", which would be an accurate description bypassing the word "flush". I've done a transmission fluid exchange via the cooler line for years on all of my family's used Toyota cars purchased with higher mileage and haven't had any issues.

 

Just called a local Toyota about changing the gasket on the timing chain tensioner and they said it starts at $200 and goes up to $1300???... The car is worth like $3k maybe lol. I looked it up online, the part is $10, and it takes 5 to 10 minutes to change. I just can't reach the part well enough to work on it.

Going to ask a small local shop my dad uses for his Honda Pilot tomorrow. They got him to 210k miles so far.

 

Yeah, that's ridiculous. There is no need to get the repair done at the dealership. ANY mechanic can do this. If I can do it, then ANY pro mechanic can. Have you looked at the DIY for this repair? It's what I used as a basis. Here it is:

DIY 2003-2008 Corolla, Matrix, Pontiac Vibe 1ZZFE Timing...

I finally got around to doing a timing chain tensioner DIY for the 1ZZFE thanks to a leak on my 2003 Corolla LE. The leak depicted is after cleaning it about a month ago. This DIY will apply universally to all 1999-2008 Corolla, Matrix, Chevrolet Prizm, and Pontiac Vibe and should be very...

www.toyotanation.com

Some will access it from the top of the engine via the engine bay, while others will access it from underneath the car, or even both ways. There is at least one YouTube video I've seen of it, and probably others. Put a smear of lube on the o-ring before installing. I used a torque wrench on one of the nuts and couldn't access the other nut with the torque wrench so I had to guess based on the previous nut using the torque wrench. It doesn't require a lot of torque. Just snug is enough. DON'T use any RTV on it. The o-ring is what stops the leak. I only replaced the o-ring. I still have the original tensioner at 404K miles.

$4.31 at your local Toyota dealer. I believe this is the part number:

 

May not be as easy as it looks. Be careful of snapping off your bleeders. If that goes smooth, you are correct, it isn't too bad.

I just changed mine. First time I used Toyota fluid. This time I used https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VXRPL0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

I planned on getting extra bleeder screws just in case I need one quick (never had fluid done on my car so prob rust), oem toyota fluid, and not flush but just replace the fluid.

If it does all bust, the calipers on my car are pretty rusted as it is. Not the most expensive part to replace by far.

 

I just replaced my pads because it felt like I lost brake power. Three of the pads had about half life left, but the last one was worn and stuck to the caliper. Got rid of the junk on the caliper and put in new brakes.

Checked out the bleeders on the caliper while I was there and they look bad. I'm hoping the shop can get the bleeders out and install new as I could not even get them to move (the passenger side had no cap and was rusted).

Getting new tires Thursday and brake fluid then too. I'll ask the shop about replacement of the timing chain tensioner gasket and see what they say.

 

this is where its beneficial to do your own repairs. if the bleeders are in that bad of condition, it might make more sense to replace wheel cylinders as well and that drives up the repair bill. maybe you can get by with just new bleeders but they might be rusted inside. hopefully the front calipers are ok

 

So I'm coming up on 200k miles and need some stuff done.

Planning on getting a transmission flush (I've been doing drain and fills for 100k miles) and transmission filter changed, new coolant, and timing chain tensioner fixed/replaced (seeping gasket).

I have never had new brake fluid or power steering fluid, are these necessary?

Any other recommendations on maintenance aside from service schedule?

I'm getting ready to do a brake fluid flush. Brake fluid needs to be changed after it changes color, like transmission fluid. Many miles of usage, heat changes the viscosity, and brake line corrosion can happen. When changing the fluid, consider changing the rubber lines as well. Brake / rotor/ drum check goes along way to safety. Also after fluid flush and change, bleed the brake lines starting with order of longest distance to shortest to the reservoir.