Once the pan was removed, I was psyched to see just how clean it was after 100k miles on the clock.

You will see 2 magnets. I was also amazed at how little there was on the magnets.

Clean the magnets, and place them back in the same position.

Remove the gasket from the pan (just peels right off), and then clean it. Set it aside for now.

Next, remove the filter. There are 3 bolts, and they are about 3-4 inches long. They are all the same size, length, etc, so Im not sure it matters where they go back in at. Once you remove the bolts, grab the filter and gently pull, being careful not to damage the wires, as the edge of the filter sits above the wires. Upon reinstalling, torque those to 8 ft/lbs. Toyota also recommends you put ATF on the threads when installing.

Once you get the filter loose, it is going to dump about half a quart of fluid all over your hands. So protect your face from getting splashed with the fluid.

 

Once you remove the filter, make sure you also remove the oring from it. Note that the oring may still be in the valve body, or attached to the filter.

Now, when I removed the old filter, it looked to be in pretty good shape. I then inspected the new filter for any defects, and low and behold I found one. It appears that when the filter mesh (feels like felt) was crimped to the opening, it was torn in the process. Luckily I caught this, as it wouldnt have really provided any filtering capabilities if I had installed it (more on that in a moment).

So I decided to take a break for an hour or so and get something else done. When I came back, I wasnt thinking, and went ahead and installed the torn filter. I then buttoned it all back up, added fluid, and went for a drive. When I returned, my wife says, how did you repair that torn filter.

:facepalm: :wtf: :cursin: :argh: :OMG:.

I had forgotten about the torn filter, and had installed it. Needless to say I was pissed, as I had now just wasted a gasket, and oring, and 5 quarts of fluid. Needless to say, I yanked that biotch back out, and Toyota has ordered me another one, which wont be here till Tueday:headbang:

So when I get the new filter in hand, I will continue with how to reinstall everything, and post some more pics.

 

Ok so I was able to get all the parts today, and do this for a second time.

So once you get the new filter/strainer, and oring, place the oring into the valve body. Place a little ATF on the O-Ring so the filter assembly will slide into it. If you try to place the oring on the filter neck, it will just roll over the edge, and wont seal, even though the inlet as you can see in the photo is chamfered. Not sure what they were thinking here?

Place the filter into position and gently push the filter, rocking it ever so slightly. You are trying to push the neck of the filter into the oring. Once it gets past the oring, it will kind of snap right in, and then just sit there (Youll know it when it happens).

Next install the 3 bolts (Be sure to coat the threads with ATF), and torque to 8 ft/lbs or 96 in/lbs.

Note the wires over the top of the filter.

 

Car Model, Year and Miles?




What model, year and miles on this car?

 

Next, grab the pan, and line up the gasket with the holes in the pan. It will only go one way so you cant mess it up.

Holding the gasket on the pan, slide the pan up into position. Once you do, use a small screwdriver or blunt object to gently slide the gasket into place, making sure all the holes line up. Take 2 bolts, and screw them in about half way, just to hold the pan in place.

Apply Loctite 242 to the bolts just as you are putting them in, and hand start the bolt, and install to about 3/4 of the way. You will want to leave the pan loose at this point, until you line up the other 17 holes. Once you install the first bolt, remove the original bolt that you used to hold the pan in place.

Continue to work your way around until you have all 18 bolts installed. Now for the one bolt that hides up behind the frame rail, well that one is going to take some ingenuity and patience to get started, as you cant get your fingers in there to turn it.

Once you have all the bolt started, simply snug them down at this point.

The bolts will need to be torques to 69 in/lbs at this point, but you dont want to torque one to the final spec then do the others. What you want to do is do a first round of torquing to about 30 in/lbs, all the way around.

Now come back and increase the torque to 50 in.lbs, and work your way around.

Next bring the bolts up to the final torque at 69 in/lbs.

Now you will have to tighten the 2 bolts that you cant get a wrench on by feel until you come up to the final torque.

I actually set my wrench to 70 in/lbs as extensions alter the torque value somewhat.

NOTE: As you start to pull down on the bolts, do it slow. The bolts will feel as if they are going to strip, but what you are feeling is the gasket compressing. Pull slow and steady, and the wrench will finally click.

Once all have been torqued, go around 2 more times, and double check each one. You will notice that you will be able to pull a few down a little more, and some will not. Continue to do this until none of them move anymore and the final torque has been reached.

Get yourself a new washer for the drain plug, and torque it to 36 ft/lbs. It will take a 10mm hex.

Your almost done!

 

Now pour 4-5 quarts into the dipstick hole, and fill the pan.

Next when looking at the front of the vehicle, the A/T cooler is on the drivers side in the front.

Remove the lower line from the cooler, and hook a hose up to it. The oil will come out of the cooler. You can let the original factory hose just hang, as nothing will come out of it.

I took a gallon milk jug, and measured off quart by quart on it with a marker.

Now with a second person, start the car. Let the gallon jug fill up about 2 quarts, then shut the engine off.

Add two quarts to the pan again, and then start the car again, draining another 2 quarts.

This will continue until approx 8 quarts has been reached.

At this point you need to be careful how much you take out, and how much you have to refill it.


I stopped at this point and filled the pan back up with another 3 quarts. This left me with 1 quart.

I checked the level when cold, and adjusted accordingly. I then went for a drive around the neighborhood until the engine was at operating temp, using a heavy foot at times to put a little heat into the tranny.

When I returned, I checked the level while hot, and found it was low (Just above the cold marks). I then added the entire oter quart, and checked again after taking it for another drive. At this point, I was just at the lower hot line on the dipstick, but it will be ok until I get another quart for it tomorrow.

So in all, I used every bit of the 12 quarts of fluid and then some (+ 5 additional on my second time around). The total time of the project (without my mishap) was around 2.5 hours.

In the near future, I plan on cutting open the original filter to see just how dirty it was, and whether or not it is worth it to replace it (Maybe Toyota does know what their doing). From the looks of it in my case, I dont think I needed to change it, (You can see how spotless the tranny was in the photos) but I would have never known the pan, and magnets were so clean without dropping the pan, so Im glad I did. I will definitely wait another 100k until I do it again, but will probably start drain and filling the fluid around every 50k.

Hope this helps some.

Thanks
Brian

 

Now pour 4-5 quarts into the dipstick hole, and fill the pan.

Next when looking at the front of the vehicle, the A/T cooler is on the drivers side in the front.

Remove the lower line from the cooler, and hook a hose up to it. The oil will come out of the cooler. You can let the original factory hose just hang, as nothing will come out of it.

I took a gallon milk jug, and measured off quart by quart on it with a marker.

Now with a second person, start the car. Let the gallon jug fill up about 2 quarts, then shut the engine off.

Add two quarts to the pan again, and then start the car again, draining another 2 quarts.

This will continue until approx 8 quarts has been reached.

At this point you need to be careful how much you take out, and how much you have to refill it.


I stopped at this point and filled the pan back up with another 3 quarts. This left me with 1 quart.

I checked the level when cold, and adjusted accordingly. I then went for a drive around the neighborhood until the engine was at operating temp, using a heavy foot at times to put a little heat into the tranny.

When I returned, I checked the level while hot, and found it was low (Just above the cold marks). I then added the entire oter quart, and checked again after taking it for another drive. At this point, I was just at the lower hot line on the dipstick, but it will be ok until I get another quart for it tomorrow.

So in all, I used every bit of the 12 quarts of fluid and then some (+ 5 additional on my second time around). The total time of the project (without my mishap) was around 2.5 hours.

In the near future, I plan on cutting open the original filter to see just how dirty it was, and whether or not it is worth it to replace it (Maybe Toyota does know what their doing). From the looks of it in my case, I dont think I needed to change it, (You can see how spotless the tranny was in the photos) but I would have never known the pan, and magnets were so clean without dropping the pan, so Im glad I did. I will definitely wait another 100k until I do it again, but will probably start drain and filling the fluid around every 50k.

Hope this helps some.

Thanks
Brian

My HL has 137K miles. I had the fluid drained and replaced at the dealer around 100K miles. (That was before I started doing my own work.) You guys just about have me convinced to drop the pan now, and change the filter. However, I'm not completely convinced that I want to remove the cooler hose, and do the flushing that you did. I'm going to be replacing both axles, and at minimum doing a drain and refill. I guess simply draining the fluid still leaves a substantial amount of old fluid in the tranny and hoses? It's a bit of trouble, and a lot of new fluid to use up. (Plus, I'd have to invest in a thread chaser to get all the old blue Loctite out ? )

 

Awesome DIY Thanks! :thumbsup: Added to the DIY sticky. And no I don't mind about the pics, I post them to help anybody who can find them useful :thumbsup:

I've had been planning on doing this in 5k at 100k miles (this and replace all 9+qts (torque converter) of the ATF)

A quick Q on the filters. Did you use the OEM one for the replacement or did you go aftermarket. I had hoped to hear it was a metal mesh filter, was the original one that felt material?

And that sucks about putting the defective filter in, that fluid/filter assembly isn't cheap. But you aren't alone, I do stupid things like that ALL the time. Last time I did the brakes, I had put the new pads on, re-installed the caliper, put the wheels on, torqued them down, and dropped the car back onto the ground when I saw the wear indicators sitting on the ground.......I was furious :lol: It looked like a NASCAR pit crew how quickly I was getting the car in the air and tires off

 

The filter was an original Toyota part. When it comes to high dollar transmissions, I didnt want to risk another inferior part to not flow the same, etc. I did replace all 12 quarts of fluid in the system also. I will actually add that to my posts in a bit.

 

The filter was an original Toyota part. When it comes to high dollar transmissions, I didnt want to risk another inferior part to not flow the same, etc. I did replace all 12 quarts of fluid in the system also. I will actually add that to my posts in a bit.

Awesome, looking forward to it

EDIT: can you post how much fluid you ended up using total? It will give me a better idea of how much to get. I know specs are 9.3qts for FWD (U151E) and 9.5qts for AWD (U151F), but these things always seem to want more than required.

 

Thanks for the post, at 60k I intend on doing a flush and at 120k I'll do the flush and filter. :clap:

 

I was actually surprised at how well the fluid looked also at this mileage. It was still pink for the most part, obviously not as pink as the clean stuff, but it didnt smell burned either. Now I do all highway mileage for the most part, so Im sure that has some bearing on it as well. My wifes 2011 Rav4's fluid with 36k looks like mine at 102k, but she does alot of city driving, so I would expect this.

 

So a swivel socket wouldn't work on those hard to access bolts?

 

NO, there is no room for it to have the proper angle.

 

Nice job! As we share basically the same tranny, I've also got these parts sitting on my workbench waiting for some warm weather (I might have a looong wait the way this year is shaping up!). Sorry to hear about the bum filter.

35330-08010 STRAINER ASSY, OIL 1 37.06 37.06
90080-30077 RING, O 1 2.59 2.59
35168-21011 GASKET, TRANSAXLE OI 1 9.64 9.64
90430-18008 GASKET Replaced by: 90430-A0003 2 1.15 2.30

The Sienna has at least 2, maybe 3 pan bolts blocked by the frame rail, so I purchased a mild offset boxed end wrench set to do the same trick. Hopefully these will allow me to get in there. http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/100654...logId=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051&N=5yc1vZc239ZrdZrd&R=100654137#.UWBwQHfxn3M

Now all I need is a bunch of WS fluid. I do have some MaxLife which is of a similar weight (ultra thin...), but considering the cost of a U15 tranny, I think I'll treat her right and go get the good stuff.

A couple of other thoughts:

1) Cleaning the old threadlock off of the bolt and case holes is an essential step, otherwise you will end up way under-torqued. The added resistance from the clogged threads will totally screw the measurements. Your instincts were spot on!
2) Good trick with marking the rotation position of the bolts you cannot get to. If the gasket material is the same, you should get similar results. Alternate method is to torque one to spec that is in the open, apply force with your new wrench until is just barely moves, and then try to do the same on the hidden fastener. If you use care to grip the wrench the same, it will be reasonably close.

 

Now all I need is a bunch of WS fluid. I do have some MaxLife which is of a similar weight (ultra thin...), but considering the cost of a U15 tranny, I think I'll treat her right and go get the good stuff.

Yeah stick w/ the toyota ATF. They released a TSB (T-SB-0006-11) concerning it talking about use of aftermarket fluids:

The use of Genuine Toyota ATF-WS is recommended.
• The use of additives or aftermarket fluids that are considered compatible or substitutes
may result in shift concerns and damage to the internal transmission components.

Considering its a TSB for dealer techs and not for the general public, that makes me think aftermarket fluids really aren't compatible. Its not just Toyota running their mouths to try and get consumers to buy their ATF over aftermarket.
Its expensive but why chance it :dunno:

 

I've become very wary of MaxLife after a bad experience with the stuff. If you read the applications info available on the Valvoline web site, they claim that MaxLife is compatible with almost everything under the sun. Dex/Merc-III, T-IV, WS and everything in-between.

Well, I tried it on my old Subaru, and nearly toasted the tranny. The lockup converter shudder and shift shock was unbelievable. It took two changes with a real Dex-III to get it back to normal.

So when you read something like this in a Toyota document:
ATF-WS is NOT compatible with T-IV or Dexron ATF how can one expect a "universal fluid" to work right? Sort of a Jack of All Trades, Master of None???

 

....
So when you read something like this in a Toyota document:
ATF-WS is NOT compatible with T-IV or Dexron ATF how can one expect a "universal fluid" to work right? Sort of a Jack of All Trades, Master of None???

So which one does the 2nd /2011 gen highlander take ATF - IV or ATF -WS? :nerd:
Also did the update the washer I saw note earlier.

 

Thanks for the post.

Going to change the tranny fuild/filter in my wife's HL next month when she hits 120k. Plus spark plugs, install metal oil cooler line, etc.

Had GC for Lowes and picked up the Kobalt 14-piece 3/8-in Drive Xtreme Access Socket Set. Rather have too many tools than not enough.

Approx how much fluid came out when you did the drain and filter? Manual says 3.6 qts drain and fill. Did not know id this included dropping pan and filter.

 

Your drawing makes sense. I'll have to crawl under there in the coming week and see if I have the same situation. Visually it looked good, but I don't want to get all geared up to go and have to quit for want of another tool. Thanks.

 

Thanks for the write up and suggestion for the Kolbolt socket.

Just did it today with other things at 120k miles. Only did the pan fluid and filter. Added 5 quarts, will check tomorrow.

I bought the whole Kolbolt 1/4" set. Man it is my new favorite tool. Used it a lot doing the other maintenance on the vehicle: replacing the oil cooler line, spark plugs, etc. Thinking about maybe buying the 3/8" set now.

 

All of my ratchets and sockets are Kobalt (I got one of those 300 piece sets with 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 sockets/ratches), I really like their hand tools. Can't go wrong with them, especially with the lifetime warranty.

 

Words can not describe how much I wanted to take a hacksaw to that frame member...That thing was such a PITA to work around :lol: Those 4 that are under that frame, that took forever to get on/off. It took even long to get the freaking screw threads to catch to put them back in....lets just say there was a lot of cussing/cursing/yelling/whatever..I think I got my point through, needed to vent :lol:


ANYWAY, here are a few pics I took along the way:

I just thought this was funny, the parts guy gave me a weird look when I told him I needed 12qts of ATF WS, it ended up being an entire box. Another thing I found funny. Online retailers wouldn't ship me WS because their shipping company (Which was Fedex) considers it hazardous. Well label on that box, it was delivered to the dealership from a distrubution hub BY FEDEX.....wtf :lol:



And now, the color difference, obvious which side is new. It look like muddy water...



On to the magnets, mine didn't look anything like yours, mine shows the 100k miles. Dark fluid (I did a 3.5qt drain/fill 35k miles ago), COVERED magnets, I cringed a little bit. The magnets were absolutely covered with a magnetic sludge. I wiped most of it away, and there were still some metal filings, but it was more than I'd like to see...

(The picture above, the sludge is twice the thickness of the actual magnet)

(post wiping away the magnetic sludge)


Anyway, buttoning it up, all nice and shiny...

(and I just realized thats a pic of the old filter... :facepalm: :lol


The way i ended up doing it, I drained the fluid, swapped the filter, put in 5 qts, remove the line on the transmission cooler, drained 2qts, filled 2qts, drained 2 qts, filled 2 qts, drained 1 qt, filled 1 qt, that left me with 2 qts to get the level right. Took a whole qt to get it back up to where it should be. Now I have a spare qt.

 

Words can not describe how much I wanted to take a hacksaw to that frame member...That thing was such a PITA to work around :lol: Those 4 that are under that frame, that took forever to get on/off. It took even long to get the freaking screw threads to catch to put them back in....lets just say there was a lot of cussing/cursing/yelling/whatever..I think I got my point through, needed to vent :lol:


ANYWAY, here are a few pics I took along the way:

I just thought this was funny, the parts guy gave me a weird look when I told him I needed 12qts of ATF WS, it ended up being an entire box. Another thing I found funny. Online retailers wouldn't ship me WS because their shipping company (Which was Fedex) considers it hazardous. Well label on that box, it was delivered to the dealership from a distrubution hub BY FEDEX.....wtf :lol:



And now, the color difference, obvious which side is new. It look like muddy water...



On to the magnets, mine didn't look anything like yours, mine shows the 100k miles. Dark fluid (I did a 3.5qt drain/fill 35k miles ago), COVERED magnets, I cringed a little bit. The magnets were absolutely covered with a magnetic sludge. I wiped most of it away, and there were still some metal filings, but it was more than I'd like to see...

(The picture above, the sludge is twice the thickness of the actual magnet)

(post wiping away the magnetic sludge)


Anyway, buttoning it up, all nice and shiny...

(and I just realized thats a pic of the old filter... ? :lol


The way i ended up doing it, I drained the fluid, swapped the filter, put in 5 qts, remove the line on the transmission cooler, drained 2qts, filled 2qts, drained 2 qts, filled 2 qts, drained 1 qt, filled 1 qt, that left me with 2 qts to get the level right. Took a whole qt to get it back up to where it should be. Now I have a spare qt.

The outlet of the cooler is the driver side. I did sweeneyp did the color changed at 5 quarts so I stopped there.

I used Max life rather than WS and it is so light I am having a hard time actually seeing the level in the dipstick. So I feel confident the cooler is changed.

Excellent write up and photos Sweeneyp. Thanks helped out immensely!!

 

Hope this is still here when I have 100k (5k now) on mine.

 

They might work. But by the picture they look too tall for a few of them.

 

What year is your Highlander? I was told by the dealer that they no longer use gaskets, but a silicone? It appears you have a gasket, unless I missed something.

 

Mine is a 2011. It had a gasket on when I dropped the transmission pan, and the new filter I ordered for it came with a gasket.

When I did the Transmission Fluid & Filter replacement and the front Transfer Case and Rear Differential Fluid replacement, I video'd the process.
You can see it on YouTube at this URL:

 

Coming up on 50k on my 2009 Highlander (never towed anything). I plan on doing a flush of the entire system, do you think replacing the ATF filter is overkill?

 

Changing your AT fluid and not changing the filter is like taking a shower and putting your dirty underwear back on...... Change it!

 

I've pulled the ATF drain plug at least 10x without changing the filter. Filter is a useless joke anyway. If you want filtration, either use a Magnefine or a remotely mounted filter kit.

The U660 bearing failure grinds up the case and that metal debris goes right past the filter mucking up the rest of the trans. Toyota's fix for the u760 is adding couple more magnets to the pan to help catch what passes the filter.

There is no relationship between your hygiene and transmissions.

 

Can you please elaborate on what Toyota has done by adding more magnets? Which year of the highlander are you referring to (when this change occurred)? I am already at 100,000 miles on my 2012 Highlander and have been contemplating on whether I continue to change the fluid every 20,000 miles and completely skip the filter change. There are many mechanics that recommend notchanging the fluid at all. I have also seen people never change the fluid and have transmissions last until 250,000 miles without problems. Then some people have problems at 50,000 miles, so you never know.

My fluid changes were at 60K, 80K, and 100K. All Toyota MS Fluid. I have read posts that the filter was clean. What risks are involved or is it definitely recommended to change the filter as well. Toyota recommends the first change at 100,000 miles, if you are not towing with the vehicle.

 

My fluid changes were at 60K, 80K, and 100K. All Toyota MS Fluid.

I recommend switching to WS fluid.

 

It wasn't a Highlander transmission. But, it was a typical Toyota transmission with typical Toyota pan filters with typical Toyota transmission issues.

Useless U660E pan filter that can't catch some aluminum shavings/grindings. I have two of these in the driveway, one with a warranty and another without.
https://automediaregistry.org/wp-co...oads/gravity_forms/2-694dce5ea65b144a60afbff07d00f5ce/2015/05/GEARS_SM_0514.pdf

Here's the U760E issue:
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/jaxrs/download/doc/UCM509289/SB-10056821-7378.pdf

Magnafine'd 3 out of 4 in the driveway. Don't want the dealer to see it on the '16. So, its getting more magnets where no one will notice.

I'm glad I have a 5-speed/V6 combo in the '08. The 6-speed was still a shift flaring nightmare, and took enough years before it was 'tough' enough for the Highlander V6. And, soon the common consumer will be doing the R&D on the 8-speed ;-)

 

Sorry, I meant WS Fluid. World Standard (I believe)