So now that i did just about all the necessary maintenance on my wife's 2004 GX470 i am stuck with the final one and i need opinions. I would like to get the tranny serviced. I called three dealerships and the responses were crazy.

-One says if you havent changed it leave it. I said the reason i left it is because the dealerships have stated to leave it until you hit 100k miles which i hit. No other good comment after that.

-Second service guy says that tranny cant be serviced its a closed unit. I hung up

-Third tells me 188 dollars and it can be done BUT the way its done you only get about 1.5 to 3 quarts that will be changed, i didn't know what to say about that.

Now the question is do i go ahead and get it done pay the 188 and just let them do what its called for if it is 1.5 quarts or three what ever it is or leave it alone.
Of course im picky and i cant see fluid to last for ever so i am almost sure i have no other choice.

Has anyone else gotten it done? If so please let me know what you think.

Thanks

Anyway reading instructions on line it seems that i will need to hook it up to a computer make sure its at a certain tempertaure BLA BLA BLA and go from there. Im a picky person and i dont see any type of fluid lasting forever.

 

I am doing my tranny soon and It takes 12 quarts as far as I know. I dunno what any of those guys were talking about. Only issue seems to be there is no tranny dipstick. Gotta use a code reader or something lol.

1.5 might be one of the differentials. I find even the Toyota Dealer has issues knowing whats in the Lexus brands and since they know you don't they charge you a ridiculous amount and figure it out as they go. I know some do not all though. I brought in my Lexus RX330 and they did not know that there was only a rear diff. on the AWD versions. Their quote was crazy to fix the leak I had.

 

Vinniety,
hope this attached document would clear all your doubts. çheers

 

Mann777 - I actually have that document thank you. I just cant get over doing a tranny service you are only actually changing about 1.5 to 3 quarts of fluid for a 188 dollar cost at the dealership. I dont trust anyone working on my trucks either i do it my self or LAST resort i go to the dealership and thats I really mean last resort. You need to hook up a scan tool and make sure its at a right temperature I plan to bite the bullet and go to the dealership.
thanks

 

That's a strange overflow setup with the plug on the bottom and a tube going up, never seen that before. I just picked up our GX470 on the weeekend and had heard it was a "sealed unit", is there also a drainplug in the pan, or do you have to drop the pan to drain it?

 

Ian welcomed to the forum and best of luck with your truck. If you look up to what Mann777 wrote there is a PDF attached document that shows the tranny pictures in the diagram. It will answer your question.

 

Thanks, I've been browsing the site all morning!

I did look at the link posted before my previous question, in the 1st diagram, 2nd picture it shows the pan and highlights the overflow plug, but there appears to be another plug in the pan on the far left, but it isn't labelled, looks like it should be a drain plug, but I wanted to make sure.

 

At some point I am going to have to do this on our 06 V8 4Runner.

 

Taco - There is always some fluid left in the drop pan and if any fall on floor so how are you judging the amount of fluid to put back?

 

Just did a drain and fill. 1.5qts

 

If you read the owners manual and follow the PDF tutorial that was posted here it s about 1.5.

From e PDF: Transmission pan and drain plug remov- al
1.3 L (1.37 US qts, 1.14 Imp qts)

 

Well the only thing to do is to check it by hooking up a devise to be 100% sure. It was about 1.5. The overflow shows when to stop and it did around 1.5 I believe.

My manual says 1.5 and is a 2006. I know I bought 12qts haha and was surprised it said that too. I will call my buddy to be sure cause he did the work. Pretty sure I asked and we checked twice etc. etc. The whole ordeal is pretty frightening to begin with to me so I was pretty nit picky and re read everything.

 

I guess to do it correctly and flush the entire trans this is the way to go...a few qts out of 12 does not do that much other than to change filters. I guess this is why they call it a fill for life transmission.



WS ATF Flush Procedure
Background
Just did Transmission fluid flush on my '05 LX470 at ~85k. Used 16Qts total of WS ATF but had a few spills. It took me much longer than I expected this first time. I only owned it since 70k, but to my knowledge the tranny fluid was never changed. Either way, I was glad to see that the fluid was not very dark except for the initial drain that had a sludgy consistency. Overall the fluid was clear with a very slight pink hue. Very glad I flushed and definitely noticed smooth shifting afterwards (would go as far as to say less clunk/thunky).

This procedure is geared towards the Sealed Transmissions using WS ATF fluid (04+) but the concept should apply to other transmission types as well. The main difference aside from the transmission fluid type is how to refill and how to check the fluid level (with WS you use the fill plug and there's no dip stick for fluid level check whereas pre WS you can use the dipstick).

Regarding this procedure, it is not documented in the FSM (aside from dropping the pan and checking the fluid level). If you bring your truck to the Dealership for a transmission fluid change, they will just drop the transmission pan and refill - that's only 4 qts (out of 12). Supposedly fluid flushes that use the machines are bad news (not sure if that's fact based). This procedure uses the transmissions own pump to flush the fluid out. It's pretty well documented on other sites. I'd love to add more pictures at some point but I didn't take them along the way.
This link DIY: Full Automatic Transmission Flush - Toyota Forums :: Toyota Nation provided me lots of help and confidence, but I'll point out that the transmission while similar in concept is not the same - for example the refill plug on this vehicle is on the passenger side but for us it's on the drivers side tucked up in a hard to access location.

A few other links from this site to supplement:
http://forum.ih8mud.com/100-series-c...-line-out.html
http://forum.ih8mud.com/100-series-c...questions.html
http://forum.ih8mud.com/100-series-c...-location.html

Parts needed:
- transmission pan gasket (35168-60010)
- plug gaskets for overflow and drain plug part (2 x 35178-30010)
- WS ATF - 16 Qts to be safe

Tools needed:
- 14mm socket for drain plug
- 5mm hex socket for overflow plug
- 24mm socket for fill plug
- 10mm socket + extension for pan bolts
- 12mm socket for engine under cover
- gear lube pump (mine didn't screw onto the bottles but worked anyway)
- drain tube large enough to fit over metal cooler line (I bought 3/8" but it was not big enough to fit over the metal cooler line; suspect 3/4" might be correct? I ended up using a different tube I had around that was larger)
- Bucket with graduated measurements so you can keep track of how much you drained and make sure to refill that amount
- Ideally, a hose plier to make removal/reinstallation of the transmission line clamps easier
- Jumper wire to jump DLC3 pins 4 and 13 to get into Fluid Temperature Check Mode (I used 18 gauge wire)


Instructions:
Drop Transmission Pan and Refill (4Qts)
1. Loosen fill plug
Do this b/f draining anything to ensure that you can refill after draining :-)
2. Loosen and remove Drain plug (14mm socket)
Drained about 2 Qts at this point.
Keep track of how much you are draining at each stage so you can refill that amount
3. Drop transmission pan
It was a pain to get all 20 bolts out 'cause they're small and in tight spots.
Note - there was a lot more fluid in the pan that didn't come out with the drain alone. About another 2 Qts worth.
4. Inspect and clean off magnets. Shavings etc can give clues to the condition of your transmission.
5. Reinstalled transmission pan with new gasket
Again, tight spots, need to make sure gasket is aligned properly with each of the bolts, and tighten down in the "star pattern" that I think is referenced in the FSM.
The torque spec on these is 39 in. lbs but my 3/8" torque wrench only went down to 10 ft lbs (120 in lbs) so I was SOL. tightened by hand, need to come back to them with a 1/4" torque wrench at some point, and monitor that it's not leaking...
6. Remove fill plug
7. Refill with the same amount you drained in steps 2 and 3 (for me 4qts total) using gear lube pump.
This was tiresome - it took a lot more pumps by hand for each quart than I expected. Also, the catalytic converter is right next to the fill plug so if it's hot, just watch your hand/arm and refill tube.

Flush Remaining Fluid from transmission (as many times as you want, but for me 3 cycles of ~3Qts each ended in ATF that was about as clean coming out as going in)
8. Remove the engine under-covers
9. trace lines from transmission to transmission cooler - one line takes fluid from transmission to the transmission cooler, the other line takes the fluid from cooler back to the transmission. You want the line that is pumping fluid TO the transmission cooler.
Tip - If you don't know which it is, disconnect both and start the engine to see which is pumping fluid - that's the one you want.
Tip - I had a hell of a time getting the hose off the line. I ended up using a small hook tool to help separate the tip of the hose from the metal line.
Tip - Was also a pain to get the hose clamps on/off. I did it with big pliers but it's probably a lot easier with purpose made hose pliers :-)
10. connect one end of tube to the metal line and the other end in the bucket for collection
11. turn on the engine - do not allow more than 2.5-3qts to empty out. In fact, you can shut off the engine when you see .5 qt less than your goal - so for example shut off at 2 qts and you'll end up with ~2.5. You don't want the pump to run dry.
12. Check the color/condition of the fluid. If it's as good as new you're done and can move on to checking the fluid level.
13. Measure the amount you collected and refill with that amount.
Again, the refill hole is right next to the catalytic converter so watch your tube and your hand if it's still hot.
14. If you determined that you flushed enough fluid and this is (hopefully) your last refill, add an extra .5 qt to make the next step easier. Otherwise, if you need to drain more, go back to step 11 and repeat the drain/fill sequence.

Fluid Level Check (point here is to get vehicle Level and Fluid at correct temperature so that the Fluid level can be checked accurately).
15. Ensure vehicle is level
16. Jump pins 4 and 13 in the DLC3 OBD port (left of center console, but your right foot).
Flip the picture in the FSM around to mathc the way the OBD port looks when you are looking up at it - I reversed it the first few times and jumped pins 5 and 12 accidentally. Practice this ahead of time to make sure you know how to get into the fluid temperature check mode b/f jumping into the whole procedure.
17. start engine
18. go from P to N, hold for a second, then switch from D to N three times within 6 seconds and you should see A/T Oil Temp flash on the dash.
- If it stays lit, you're at the correct temperature and are ready to proceed.
- If it stays off, you're too cold and need to continue idling (or drive around the block) to warm up the fluid
- If it blinks you're too hot and need to let the fluid/car cool down
19. Once you're at the correct temperature, you leave the car idling and undo the overflow plug. You want to see fluid come out and once it's down to a trickle you can put the overflow plug back in. If no fluid came out of the overflow plug, shut off the car and add another ~.5Qt, start the car and idle for 10 seconds and then verify that fluid comes out of the overflow hole. (At first I thought I needed run through the DLC3 test again, but according to the manual you just wait 10 seconds based on what I understood).

Finishing Touches
20. Torque the overflow plug with a new washer/gasket to 15 ft lbs
21. Torque the refill plug with a new o-ring/gasket to 29 ft lbs
I couldn't get the torque wrench to fit with even a shallow 24mm socket in that tight space so I just tightened it down by hand.

Hope this helps someone else do it in less time with less mess than me.

 

We drained it till nothing was draining. I dunno maybe it's not a full flush. but I did follow the book. I like the new info though. Think it's prob. good to get the entire thing done as I am at 109K

 

I would agree its strange. However both the PDF and the user manual pretty much confirms about 1.5. I can't imagine Lexus's writing team making such a horrible err. However, I am going to use an obdII devise and Che k it out just to be sure.