June1978

2007 ES350- 204k miles

So like the plethora of other ES owners, I have the tranny flare from 2-3. It only happens in the morning when cold. No tranny issues after the car warms up. There has been 1 or maybe 2 instances of transmission slips from 3-4 but again, only when cold.

I'm reading multiple threads and google articles on fixes and not sure which approach to take.

1) disconnect battery for 15 minutes
2) take to dealer for ECU reflash
3) take out fuses and reinsert

Anyone try these methods? Taking it to the dealer is the last resort. I fear them touching the car is only going to cause more issues. I can live with the flare but it's just annoying. I don't see any threads which would make me believe this is a start of tranny failure

Help?

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

What's the history of the fluid replacement on your car? From what I've read, the pre-mid cycle refresh ES350's, especially the 07-08 models, had the most issues with flaring. So once you're outside the warranty there is not much you could except stay on top of fluid replacement and crossing your fingers.

June1978

Looking at records it looks like it was never changed. It's supposed to be "lifetime". My friend works at Toyota. I'll see if he has time to do a ECU reflash for me.

I've been told to leave the fluid alone unless you have bad tranny slippage. Since this is only happening in the morning, like with other owners, I'm going to leave the fluid alone for now

It's just an annoyance

ESh

With that flare you’ll drive that car 500,000 miles, it will not harm anything. I would try to reflsh the ECU or at least to reset the adaptations.

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

I've heard the lifetime fluid argument as well. A lot of manufacturers switched to calling their drivetrain fluids "lifetime", so it's a debate that has gone on for years. The way I look at it is lifetime = warranty period. If you're planning on owning a car past that time frame then consider changing the fluid regularly or be prepared for a large service bill down the line.

June1978

Thanks- only issue now is the flare. I'm just really afraid of touching something that's not "broken" and causing more issues. The car has 204k miles and I don't want to change the tranny fluid and set off a string of other issues.

I'll see if my friend is willing to flash the ECU. In the meantime, Ill disconnect the battery for 15 minutes and see if that makes any difference. Again, just an annoyance

Clutchless

If he does a drain and fill you will only replace about 2 of the 7 or so quarts. Not enough to disturb stuff, but it will introduce enough new clean fluid with a full load of additives to protect your transmission over the remaining life. Your Toyota tech friend should be able to easily handle this too.

June1978

Yea I see it's easy. Open the drain, drain the fluid, put a funnel on the side fill hole and put 2 quarts back in

tronimrich

drain it cold so you are measuring cold fluid volume vs new cold fluid

or if its drained at operating temp, allow it to cool before measuring. All of this due to expansion of warm fluids of course