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I am about to service the transmission in our 2013 GS350 F Sport. The transmission service is not specified in the Lexus maintenance schedule.
I will not change the filter; others do.
I would not do a flush; I have no experience with them.
I am going to do a spill and fill using the factory procedure which specifies proper fluid level.
Toyota uses the WS fluid; I am going to use the Idemitsu equivalent.
If you cannot perform the service, or do not want to, I would search out an independent shop who will follow the factory process.
Or pay Lexus to do it and pay the big bucks.
As others (and I) have said, Toyota does not specify this service.
The reason I perform the transmission service is based on my experience.
The transmission shifts better and I do not believe in lifetime fluid.
I would definately change it. If you're moderately mechanically inclined you can do it yourself. It is rather tedious and complicated though so if you don't have the tools or don't feel up to it I'd have a dealer do it. Problem with that is that the dealers either don't want to do it the right way, don't care if it's done the right way or might not actually know. I would not trust a non-Lexus shop to do any of this right unless the can prove they know what they're doing and are familiar with the Toyota/Lexus sealed transmission procedure. Getting the final fluid level set it tricky. Read this DIY thread; it's in the 3G forum but close enough to the 4G https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...iy-w-pics.html
I've done this to a V6 Camry with shifting problems that had about 78,000 miles and it helped with shift flares. Now, that had a different transmission of course but the fluid in that transmission was dark and smelly and there was quite a bit of aluminum powder in the bottom of the pan that obviously the filter didn't pick up or it was too full which the magnets can't collect so changing the fluid and the filter were pretty much necessary. I took it to a Toyota dealer first to "flush" for $350 which did nothing to help the bad shifting so I finally learned how to do it myself and when I did, the fluid did not appear to have ever been changed or they only changed maybe 3 quarts so that is why I say I'm very skeptical of how the dealers do things.
I'm gearing up to change the fluid and filter in my 2013 GS350 with 68,000 miles. I'm planning to empty the pan, drop the pan, replace filter and refill and drive for a week or so and then do another pan drain and fill to get out as much fluid as possible. On the Camry it was possible to disconnect the ATF cooler return line and gradually pump out a quart at a time while filling a quart at a time to cycle out 3 gallons of fluid in addition to replacing everything in the pan. However on the GSs there doesn't appear to be a cooler return line to accomplish this. The whole cost including a new pan gasket, filter and fluid should only cost $100 to $150. I'm going to use Valvoline Maxlife Full Synthetic ATF which they say is Lexus/Toyota WS compatitible. I used it in the Camry and it works fine and is only $18/gallon at Walmart as opposed to $8-10/quart for WS.
I know every owner has their preference on fluid maintenance - but after seeing the "lifetime fluid" that I pulled at 60,500 miles, I am glad I didn't wait any longer. I started with the idea that I would replace the fluid and filter after seeing DIY Dan's video - but decided against given the height I would need to raise the car to get it level and have room to remove everything (I don't have access to a lift).
I then decided on the drain and fill option, as refreshing the fluid sounded like the option with the least risk. I was targeting a minimum of 60% replacement. I have two pictures attached for reference. The measuring cup has some of the factory fluid drained after 60,500 miles. I did another drain and fill 260miles/5 days later. The paper towel picture shows new fluid at the top near the bottle of Toyota fluid, the fluid removed during the 60,500 service and the bottom is at 60,768. I did one more drain and fill at 62,300 and the fluid was almost red. I calculated what I replaced at about 68% of the fluid. If you do the drain and fill method, you can get an extra half quart to drain by putting the vehicle on ramps with rear wheels on the ground. Please note you will need to use the measured approach to ensure proper fluid replacement or you will need to do the more complicated method of leveling the car, filling and then warming the transmission and opening the overfill drain.
I did notice smoother shifts with the first two changes, but the original shifts were not harsh. I think this method is less likely to cause issues and can be done with a few tools, a measuring cup and a fluid pump.
I know every owner has their preference on fluid maintenance - but after seeing the "lifetime fluid" that I pulled at 60,500 miles, I am glad I didn't wait any longer. I started with the idea that I would replace the fluid and filter after seeing DIY Dan's video - but decided against given the height I would need to raise the car to get it level and have room to remove everything (I don't have access to a lift).
I then decided on the drain and fill option, as refreshing the fluid sounded like the option with the least risk. I was targeting a minimum of 60% replacement. I have two pictures attached for reference. The measuring cup has some of the factory fluid drained after 60,500 miles. I did another drain and fill 260miles/5 days later. The paper towel picture shows new fluid at the top near the bottle of Toyota fluid, the fluid removed during the 60,500 service and the bottom is at 60,768. I did one more drain and fill at 62,300 and the fluid was almost red. I calculated what I replaced at about 68% of the fluid. If you do the drain and fill method, you can get an extra half quart to drain by putting the vehicle on ramps with rear wheels on the ground. Please note you will need to use the measured approach to ensure proper fluid replacement or you will need to do the more complicated method of leveling the car, filling and then warming the transmission and opening the overfill drain.
I did notice smoother shifts with the first two changes, but the original shifts were not harsh. I think this method is less likely to cause issues and can be done with a few tools, a measuring cup and a fluid pump.
Good Luck.
You don't need to lift it overhead. I've changed fluid three times on a V6 Camry and replaced the filter once by supporting all four corners on jack stands. To get it level, I used a magnetic torpedo level (one with very strong neodimium magnets so it doesn't accidentally move) and attached it to the pinch weld in the center of the car on my mostly level drive and got reference on the bubble level by taking a picture of it. I then elevated on jack stands until I got the bubble level the same. According to the service manual I think it recommends +/- 1.5 degrees to get an accurate fill level.
DO NOT GET A TRANSMISSION FLUSH!! With all the horror stories I don't know why they still do this. Flushing is potentially worse then never changing your fluid.
Transmission fluid darkens over time, it is not unusual and does not mean it is not good, it is still doing its job if it is dark.
DO NOT GET A TRANSMISSION FLUSH!! With all the horror stories I don't know why they still do this. Flushing is potentially worse then never changing your fluid.
Transmission fluid darkens over time, it is not unusual and does not mean it is not good, it is still doing its job if it is dark.
I guess my question for you guys is, what is the difference between a flush and change? The guy at the shop told me they would use a machine to flush out the old fluid and fill it back up with Toyota WS fluid.
I wouldn't mind doing it myself but with my living situation I don't have the space or the flexibility to change it. Seems like I should probably just old off near 100k.
I guess my question for you guys is, what is the difference between a flush and change? The guy at the shop told me they would use a machine to flush out the old fluid and fill it back up with Toyota WS fluid.
I wouldn't mind doing it myself but with my living situation I don't have the space or the flexibility to change it. Seems like I should probably just old off near 100k.
A flush removes pretty much all the ATF using a special machine and refills it with new ATF.
A normal change, you can only remove about 4 quarts of ATF or so.
01-07-19, 06:42 AM
