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And where did the information that Lexus routinely under fills transmissions come from in the first place? Has it actually been verified or is it just a rumor?
I don't think the ScanGauge II is necessary if the car hasn't been driven for 24 hours because then transmission and its fluid should gradually heat up to 104 degrees by the late afternoon hours just like the outside air temperature has. To verify that assumption I can measure the temp of the fluid that flows or dribbes out directly with a conventional household bulb thermometer.
i don't think the interior of the transmission would reach 104, even by early afternoon. If it was exposed to that temp constantly for a few days, then possibly.
You definitely have to be very careful doing this on jack stands because the vehicle needs to be level. It's not just about access, if the front end is lifted higher than the back, you can't get an accurate fill level.
If Lexus routinely under filled these from the factory, you would see a huge amount of fried transmissions and class action lawsuits. Has even one person on this forum said they had a transmission problem when they bought it new?
A small bubble level can be used to make sure the transmission oil pan is level. A number of parts inside the Aisin U660E ES 350 6 speed transmission are subject to early wear out according to this video (start watching at the 10 minute mark) so I figure the rate of wear can be minimized keeping relatively fresh fluid in the transmssion
I did change the transmission fluid on my ES350 at 105K miles. The original fluid came out many shade darker than the new cherry red Toyota WS ATF. I used the infrared thermometer to measure the temperature of the fluid indirectly through the oil pan. Now, my ES350 reached 200K miles, I might do it again if I plan to keep the car for another 5-6 years.
I wonder if using digital kitchen food thermometer would do the trick...???
Undo the fill bolt and feed thermometer probe inside the transmission pan until it's submerged in the fluid.
Read the temp....
I'm guessing the thermometer probe would need to be somewhat flexible and not get trapped on something inside.
Just throwing the idea out there, lol
I am so used to changing the transmission fluid on my cars every 30 or 60k miles. But in my area, I have found absolutely no one who agrees to do this tranny fluid change on my 2013 ES350. The Lexus dealer says no way, and even independent shops say there is no reason to do it, even after I tell them that I plan to own this car to over 200k miles. I've even flat out said that I "don't care about the labor charges of your shop" and nobody bites.
I am so used to changing the transmission fluid on my cars every 30 or 60k miles. But in my area, I have found absolutely no one who agrees to do this tranny fluid change on my 2013 ES350. The Lexus dealer says no way, and even independent shops say there is no reason to do it, even after I tell them that I plan to own this car to over 200k miles. I've even flat out said that I "don't care about the labor charges of your shop" and nobody bites.
I just joined the forum and already learned something, so thanks for that. I regularly change my ATF every 30k mi, but haven't yet changed the ATF filter and it has 116k mi on it, so I will do that soon.
07-05-17, 02:13 PM
