[Ashani Forbes]

Hello all

I just did my first change of transmission oil yesterday on my 2004 Toyota Corolla Allex and in terms of drain and refill it was successful. However, when checking the transmission after a 10 minute drive and putting it in park then through all the gears then back in Park, the transmission level is merely at the Cool mark. When I check it after turning off the engine and letting it stay for a bit the level is now in between hot and cool but more to the cool.

I followed all the steps and did the research with the forums and everything, I added 3.2 - 3.62 quarts of ATF fluid and that’s what it’s showing with 3.62 qts of oil placed in the transmission

the last mechanic put 5 quarts in there and that’s why I had to drain and refill

 

[AutoMechanic]

Generally you would check the level with the engine running. I’m not too familiar with the Non- USA models so yours might be different and generally it is 4-5 quarts it should take.

 

[kevcules46]

If after a 15 minute drive and the oil level isn't up to the hot range, add a little at a time to get it there. Add a little and then check it again the next day, as its hard to tell where the level is on the dip stick after you add fluid .
It's usually closer to 4 quarts when I do a drain and refill.

 

[Ashani Forbes]

If after a 15 minute drive and the oil level isn't up to the hot range, add a little at a time to get it there. Add a little and then check it again the next day, as its hard to tell where the level is on the dip stick after you add fluid .
It's usually closer to 4 quarts when I do a drain and refill.

check it while the engine is still running yes?

 

[kevcules46]

Yes, always running and only after a drive to get the fluid to operating temperature.

 

[Ashani Forbes]

Thanks brother

 

[ukrkoz]

ATF is sucked into transmission components when engine is running.
When you drain and fill, it is good idea to put ATF into metered vessel, and replace with exactly same amount.
10 min of moderate driving is not enough to really warm it up. ATF has significant expansion ratio. This is why it needs to be operating temp hot.
When you shut everything down, ATF drains back into ATF pan and level goes up.
Also, make sure, you measure on perfectly level surface. even slight inclines will skew your results.

 

[Ashani Forbes]

ATF is sucked into transmission components when engine is running.
When you drain and fill, it is good idea to put ATF into metered vessel, and replace with exactly same amount.
10 min of moderate driving is not enough to really warm it up. ATF has significant expansion ratio. This is why it needs to be operating temp hot.
When you shut everything down, ATF drains back into ATF pan and level goes up.
Also, make sure, you measure on perfectly level surface. even slight inclines will skew your results.

So with this you’re saying to basically drive a good time period until it reaches operating temperature, then stop and measure at balanced ground.. while the engine is running?

 

[Dark Matrix]

Correct, you want to drive around 30-50miles.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

 

[icefire587]

So, I ended up checking ATF level at both cold and hot methods.
At cold start, start the car, then go through all gears, stay in each gear for around 10 seconds. Then, keep the engine running and gear stays in Park, check the ATF level if it's between cold marks.
Then, for hot check, you have to drive it for at least 30 minutes, go through all gears again, stay in each gears for around 10 seconds. At last, keep the engine running and gear stays in Park, check the ATF level if it's between hot marks.
Better to do it both at cold and hot for more precise reading. In my opinion, you should follow the hot check procedure. The cold level doesn't mean that much.
My cold reading is not that accurate, and because whoever did the ATF change before me overfilled it, which caused me overfilled ATF half quart(I filled whatever amount I drained). It's correct in cold reading. But, with a few month having delays on gear switching, I double-checked my ATF level. It turns out being overfilled. After drained half quart out, it runs like a charm now, no more delays. I just hope it didn't damage anything inside. Good luck.

 

[ukrkoz]

So with this you’re saying to basically drive a good time period until it reaches operating temperature, then stop and measure at balanced ground.. while the engine is running?

Correct. Or, have intelligent scanner connected, to tell you, when temperature is at operating level. Automatic transmissions are rather sensitive to proper ATF level.