RA051823

Changing the differential fluid in these cars is easier than changing the oil. There are videos on youtube that can walk you through the procedure if need be.

I'm in the camp that there is no such thing as "lifetime" fluid. I changed the transmission fluid in my wife's GS350 and the change procedure is pretty typical for what is found in today's cars. I wouldn't call the change easy, however certain care does need to be taken when getting the fluid levels just right. If this is something you are not comfortable with, any competent mechanic should be able to perform this service for you. If you plan on keeping the car a long time changing the transmission fluid is a must in my opinion.

Superman60

Drain the fluid in a pan, measure what you removed and replace with the same amount.

UDel

I did the drain and fill in my 2nd Gen GS. Get 2 identical clear juggs like old plastic milk jugs and then drain the old fluid into one, measure and mark exactly where the fluid is and then fill a identical milk jug up with the same amount of new transmission fluid and put it back in. That way you replace exactly what you drained. Trying to use the trans dipstick in the 2GS and getting a accurate reading was a pain and I would often get different results especially when newer fluid is added.

Knucklebus

I was going to say use a pump line and drain what you can from the trans and replace that amount. It would be my opinion that draining as little as 2-4qts and replacing with fresh would be enough to refresh the additive package. Do it again in 20K miles and you'll probably get the major benefits of a full fluid change.

bclexus

Numerous drain-and-fills are needed to approach a complete change. I would recommend four (4) D&Fs with ~100+ miles of driving in between. That would provide an 80% or more replacement of the original [old] ATF with new ATF.

Below (attachment) is a Drain-and-Fill calculator to help determine how many D&Fs are needed to accomplish your desired percentage. Note: Enter the 'Total ATF Capacity' of the transmission in Cell C5 and the 'Amount Replaced' in Cell C6 of the Excel spreadsheet.

Knucklebus

I didn't say it was equivalent to a full change, only that it would refresh the additive package. It does nothing for the in-pan filter but only burnt fluid is truly damaged and needs to be completely replaced. Oil in a transmission doesn't wear out, it gets dirty, the additive package does its job by absorbing contaminants and neutralizing acids. Replacing a few quarts will remove some contaminants and reintroduce more ability to buffer the fluid. Synthetic is even more capable of heat and long intervals.

I changed the fluid in a 200K+ mile Tahoe I traded for as a winter beater. I got it from the guy that I traded my Tundra to. He'd had it for 140K miles himself and had never changed the transmission fluid. When I pulled the pan, it was the original fluid and filter. Transmissions don't have byproducts of combustion, just some mild shavings from break-in and a bit of friction material wear. For 200K+ miles, it didn't look bad and hadn't leaked. Even the filter was still pretty clean.

The biggest problem with the Lexus method is no easy way for the consumer to check the fluid level. I have to rely on the fact that there is no oil streak under the car or puddles in my garage.

By the same token, I changed the front, rear and transfer case fluids at the same time in that Tahoe. Diff fluids were a little dark but didn't smell any worse than the new stuff and the magnetic plugs were not overly covered in shavings. The transfer case fluid look better than either diffs.

So, for anything but an engine my motto is: If it ain't low, it's good to go!

GSRockstar

richard203

iTrader: (1)

im about to do tranny and diff, im at 60k mile

praetor

60K miles seems a bit too soon. The WS fluid in sealed transmissions are said to last the lifetime of the car. I'm not sure how long you guys plan on keeping your car or how many miles you plan to put on it but the fluid should last at least to 100K miles. I'll trade my car in before it needs new transmission fluid.

And yes I know I opened up a can of worms on what it "lifetime" of the car. LOL

drgrant

If you're the "vanity/throwaway car before 100K" type, yeah, you can ride it way out and make it someone else's problem... if on the other hand you're planning to get it to 200-300K, you're going to want to change that fluid if you want to avoid replacing a transmission....

-Mike

praetor

I get that but the fluid is meant to last the lifetime of the car is 1. And 60K is way too early but was my main point. It's akin to changing the oil every 3K miles when the manual says every 10K miles or once a year.

bclexus

What percentage of Lexus owners keep their car to 100,000 miles or more? I know there are few exceptions ... but the answer is - not very many! There are a significant number of GS 350 owners drivers that lease and will turn-in their car after 24 to 36 months. People that buy their GS 350s will usually trade-in their car for a newer model or something different long before it reaches 100k miles. It's usually the people who THINK they will keep their car f-o-r-e-v-e-r that waste the most time and money doing needless maintenance stuff and throwing away money all for naught.

GSRockstar

Knucklebus

The oil base lubricant, especially synthetic, does not degrade. The additive packages do their jobs and absorb contaminants and buffer the mixture. The additives need to be refreshed. Transmissions don't carbon up like an engine since there is no combustion. Every had a transmission apart? I have, maybe hundreds. Transmissions are very clean inside due to the high detergent content of transmission fluid. A cheap mechanic trick used to be to put a quart of trans fluid into really dirty internally engine to clean it up.

angar4ik

I'm one of those poor lexus owners who bought after you ... and I'm greatly appreciate when you done all maintenance in time