What does the fluid look like, clear red or burnt & glittery?

If it's filled with metal, it's best to leave it alone until the tranny eventually dies rather than kill it now.

Whay you try is a fluid/filter change but keep the old fluid in a CLEAN container. If the tranny starts acting up, remove the new fluid & replace it with the old fluid.

 

 

If your transmission is operating perfectly, then yes, I'd replace the fluid using the cooler line flushing method. If you don't want to deal with that, you can do a drain and refill about 3 times with some driving in between. I'd replace the screen filter this time, but if the original looked clean (not plugged up) then you can just do drain and refills for the subsequent fluid exchanges without bothering with the screen filter. I've never had a problem with the Wix brand (includes gasket and screen).

Valvoline Max Life synthetic ATF is very popular on this forum (it's a red 1 gallon jug). Whatever ATF you use, though, if it's spec'd for T-IV, then you'll be fine.

 

Do the cooler lines on Toyotas have that emergency bypass valve built in at the hardline connection to the tranny like Ford?
Reason I ask is now would be a good point in time to check its functionality.

I used that red maxlife on my F250, saved me atleast $100 vs what the blue oval deemed the "only suitable atf"😄

 

It's like a dark red, smells like transmission fluid like maroon

 

Drain it. Whoever serviced it last mixed up the assignment. Pull the dipstick to the transmission.

 

Time to change that fluid. ATF must be spec'd for T-IV.

Whoever serviced it last mixed up the assignment.

That's why I do my own maintenance. I actually care about my car, and I don't have to pay myself.

 

When I changed my transmission filter and pan gasket a couple of years ago, I went back with the Toyota T-IV fluid

 

My Matrix has a manual trans but i have used universal ATF in 7+ other cars over the years including Toyota, GM, Honda, and Nissan. IME any major brand that carries the correct specs will work just fine, as @John Anthony said. House brands are also good - NAPA (Valvoline), STP (Amalie), Fram (Amalie), O'Reilly (Castrol) but the supplier may vary depending on location.

Earlier in this thread someone posted Valvoline Import...I currently have that for my Honda and it is excellent. And the amazon price is better than maxlife, in case that matters to you.