When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Forgot to mention 1 item I am considering to add when I do this service next in 2 years are installing Fumoto drain valves in place of the the drain and overflow check plugs on the bottom of the plan. Neither have magnets and it would make the service a lot easier and less messy. Unfortunately, I forgot to measure the thread pitch and size for these 2 plugs when doing the maintenance this time around... hmm... time for some research or if anyone knows I'd appreciate the info...
Part of me wants to drop the pan so I can clean off the magnets and change the filter material. That may be a bit in the future though considering I already did 8 drain/fills.
At 10y & 100k miles I would have dropped the pan at the first drain & fill. Sludge accumulates at the bottom of the pan and (I guess) it can recontaminate the fresh fluid. But I agree, it would be a waste to do it now. Next time you do an oil change or drain & fill just drop the pan and clean it out with brake cleaner.
I am also planning to install the OEM cooler and an inline filter eventually but it was not that much of a priority so far. The GX is only at 15k.
I've dropped a couple of pans on Toyota's running WS fluid (at 100k or greater) and I've seen no sludge at all, and little or no metals on the magnets. While I agree it is good practice in order to inspect the pan and magnets, and clean/change the filter, I wouldn't sweat it if you just flush and fill at the 100k mark. If the fluid you drain gives you reason to think you need to drop the pan (burnt smell, think/sludgy residue, or something like that) then definitely drop it and see what's up.
At 10y & 100k miles I would have dropped the pan at the first drain & fill. Sludge accumulates at the bottom of the pan and (I guess) it can recontaminate the fresh fluid. But I agree, it would be a waste to do it now. Next time you do an oil change or drain & fill just drop the pan and clean it out with brake cleaner.
I am also planning to install the OEM cooler and an inline filter eventually but it was not that much of a priority so far. The GX is only at 15k.
Originally Posted by Jacket
I've dropped a couple of pans on Toyota's running WS fluid (at 100k or greater) and I've seen no sludge at all, and little or no metals on the magnets. While I agree it is good practice in order to inspect the pan and magnets, and clean/change the filter, I wouldn't sweat it if you just flush and fill at the 100k mark. If the fluid you drain gives you reason to think you need to drop the pan (burnt smell, think/sludgy residue, or something like that) then definitely drop it and see what's up.
I'll probably drive it for another year (10-15k more miles) and see if there are any shift issues. There are no shifting issues right now and while the tranny fluid that came out was black, it is now >90% new cherry red.
My only slight shifting issue is that it takes 1/2 second longer to shift from drive --> reverse when backing into a spot than my 2016 F150.
I've dropped a couple of pans on Toyota's running WS fluid (at 100k or greater) and I've seen no sludge at all, and little or no metals on the magnets. While I agree it is good practice in order to inspect the pan and magnets, and clean/change the filter, I wouldn't sweat it if you just flush and fill at the 100k mark. If the fluid you drain gives you reason to think you need to drop the pan (burnt smell, think/sludgy residue, or something like that) then definitely drop it and see what's up.
Aisin, the manufacturer of the transmission, does not recommend you drop the pan unless specific service is needed. Raising the front of the vehicle is an effective way to get more fluid out of the torque converter. These transmissions really don't develope sludge as you have observed. I think a drain and refill every 30k is plenty fine for longevity.
I'll probably drive it for another year (10-15k more miles) and see if there are any shift issues. There are no shifting issues right now and while the tranny fluid that came out was black, it is now >90% new cherry red.
My only slight shifting issue is that it takes 1/2 second longer to shift from drive --> reverse when backing into a spot than my 2016 F150.
This is normal and characteristic of Aisin transmissions. It is always good practice to make sure the vehicle is at a complete stop before shifting between reverse and drive and vise versa as well as giving it the necessary time to engage the gears. The rolling between drive and reverse many people do is bad for the unit no matter the vehicle.
Question. When you cycle the gears in S-mode, does it actually shift the transmission? Because I notice when I am driving that the S mode acts more like a gear lockout. It can still downshift if you get into the throttle, but it won't upshift past the gear shown on the indicator.
My guess is you would have to take it around the block and run it through all the gears to get it to actually shift 1-6 between drain and fills.
Question. When you cycle the gears in S-mode, does it actually shift the transmission? Because I notice when I am driving that the S mode acts more like a gear lockout. It can still downshift if you get into the throttle, but it won't upshift past the gear shown on the indicator.
My guess is you would have to take it around the block and run it through all the gears to get it to actually shift 1-6 between drain and fills.
S mode is for manual shifting of the gears. It's not a "sport" mode. Lexus should of labeled it M mode to avoid this confusion. Yes, it manually shifts through the gears when you engage up and down. No, you don't want to drive around the block with low transmission fluid.
S mode is for manual shifting of the gears. It's not a "sport" mode. Lexus should of labeled it M mode to avoid this confusion. Yes, it manually shifts through the gears when you engage up and down. No, you don't want to drive around the block with low transmission fluid.
I didnt suggest driving around with low fluid. I said drive around between drain and fills.
Aisin, the manufacturer of the transmission, does not recommend you drop the pan unless specific service is needed. Raising the front of the vehicle is an effective way to get more fluid out of the torque converter. These transmissions really don't develope sludge as you have observed. I think a drain and refill every 30k is plenty fine for longevity.
Sorry, this is my first Toyota / Lexus vehicle and I have not really spent that much time on researching it yet. Does that mean that you don't replace the internal filter either for the lifetime of the transmission?
Sorry, this is my first Toyota / Lexus vehicle and I have not really spent that much time on researching it yet. Does that mean that you don't replace the internal filter either for the lifetime of the transmission?
It does not have a filter. It has a screen. No need to replace.
S mode is for manual shifting of the gears. It's not a "sport" mode. Lexus should of labeled it M mode to avoid this confusion. Yes, it manually shifts through the gears when you engage up and down. No, you don't want to drive around the block with low transmission fluid.
Also, I just drove my GX this morning and tried S-mode again. It works like I said, it is not true manual mode. If you have it in 4S, all it does is prevent the transmission from shifting above 4th gear. It will automatically downshift if you nail the gas pedal or slow down enough to need it to downshift.
This means if your GX is up on ramps not moving, manual mode is not forcing it to shift out of 1st.
Thanks to whoever posted this video a while back - it got hidden somewhere within these 20 pages, but it's a perfect step-by-step video guide on how to do a complete ATF flush. I just finished it, and even though it's for a diesel 200-series, everything was identical, down to the hoses coming out of the transmission.
You will need a few things that may not be on hand to do a complete flush:
3 gallons of fluid - I spent a lot of time reading about the different theories on fluid, but Valvoline MaxLife Multi-vehicle ATF specifically lists Toyota WS fluid on the back - that was good enough for me. Plus I got all 3 gallons shipped to my house for $54. Local parts stores wanted $35 per gallon.
A fluid pump - a Motiv would work fine, but I didn't have that so I got this 12v fluid pump from eBay. It's actually really handy, I may use it for oil changes later on.
2 crush washers - part number 35178-30010, snagged from my local Toyota dealer
I wrote out all the steps ahead of time, just to be sure I had all the tools and understood the process. Figured I'd drop them here in case it helps anyone else - I've attached a picture of my setup as well:
Loosen the fill plug
Drain the fluid from the drain plug (14 mm) into the measuring cup
Replace the drain plug, reusing the washer
Pour in the same amount of new fluid into second container and empty the used fluid into a waste container
Remove the fill plug and insert output hose from pump, insert the input hose into the new fluid
On the same side of the transmission, find the two small rubber hoses coming out of the side and connecting to metal tubes. Disconnect the top hose from the oil cooler.
Run 10 mm rubber hose onto the metal line. Route the other end to the dirty measuring cup. Turn the engine on and let it run until it reaches 1.7 liters. Shut the engine off.
Refill the clean jug with the same amount of fluid you just removed.
Pump that fluid back into the fill hole
Repeat 2x.
Reconnect the rubber hose to the metal pipe.
Go for a short drive, moving through ALL the gears.
Drain the pan into the measuring cup. Tighten the drain plug to spec.
Pump in the same amount of fluid + half a liter or so. Tighten fill plug to spec (39 N-m or 29 ft-lbf).
When the fluid temp is between 103-114ºF (41-46 C), leave the car idling and remove the check plug with a 5 mm allen key. Allow fluid to flow out until it trickles. Replace the crush washer and torque (20 N-m or 15 ft-lbf).
Never seen this video before but 2 items of caution... 1) check the level at the correct temperature for the GX, which is 115F 2) dont recommend using the same pump for sharing different fluid types (atf and engine) otherwise I suppose it is possible using this method. Thanks for contributing.
05-13-20, 08:40 AM
