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I have a 2015 with 30k miles and plan on a full flush and fill. Not a lot of local mechanics will do it, they tell me to wait til 60k. I found a Lexus tech that would do it on the side for me since they have the proper tools. Is it too early to change out the transmission fluid? I dont tow much and already bought a case of the Toyota WS.
You can do it at 30K if you found someone to do it. But if you're not towing or driving in extreme conditions that are outlined in the manual, I don't see much harm to wait until 30k. But since you already bought the fluid, just go ahead and change it and the next one could wait until 90k.
I'm at 62k now and plan to do a drain and fill soon.
Originally Posted by flexthatdx
I have a 2015 with 30k miles and plan on a full flush and fill. Not a lot of local mechanics will do it, they tell me to wait til 60k. I found a Lexus tech that would do it on the side for me since they have the proper tools. Is it too early to change out the transmission fluid? I dont tow much and already bought a case of the Toyota WS.
I have a 2015 with 30k miles and plan on a full flush and fill. Not a lot of local mechanics will do it, they tell me to wait til 60k. I found a Lexus tech that would do it on the side for me since they have the proper tools. Is it too early to change out the transmission fluid? I dont tow much and already bought a case of the Toyota WS.
I don't see any harm.... even a drain and fill should be beneficial.
Apparently, you should ONLY use ATF WS...don’t use off-the-shelf ATF...see end of video.
I've been using Valvoline Maxlife Synthentic ATF in my 2007 V6 Camry with 6 speed transmission, U660E. That transmission was designed poorly and could not handle the torque of the engine so it ate away the aluminum of the case which clogs the valves. When I got the car it shift flared 2-3, 3-4 badly when cold and most of the time intermittantly when warm. If I had followed Toyota's lifetime fluid recommendations, odds are I'd have dead transmission that would be 4-6 thousand to replace. Toyota dealership told me it performed within spec and "flushed" the transmission which didn't help at all so later I replaced the filter and drained and filled twice myself with Valvoline Maxlife and transmission shifts about 99% better with only occasional noticeable shift flares on a cold engine.
I can't refute what the guy in the video you posted said but anecdotally, Valvoline Maxlife has performed just fine for me. One thing about his complaints about "universal" ATF is odd because as he said, he finds WS fluid a "mystery" because Toyota shares no info about it, does not license anyone else to make it and they have not announced any revisions of it in 17 years which he doesn't belive is possible. Knowing that, what basis does he have to believe that the Maxlife ATF cannot be compatible in WS transmissions? It might be, it might not be but the point is he doesn't know. Also, he does not believe WS is synthetic and the Maxlife is. Does that make it better? I don't know. It might. It might not.
I'm no ATF expert but I did a lot of research when working on the Camry on whether to go with the WS or something else and I read enough to convice me to stay away from WS. There were quite a bit of Toyota owners that have used Maxlife with good results or even great and better than the OEM. Since I've had nothing but good results from using Maxlife I'm tending to want to use it on my Lexus when I change its fluid but so far, I haven't found too many Lexus owners using it to get any data on. I think there are a couple of factors for this. First, there are many, many more Toyotas out there on the road and more owners willing to use different products. Second, Lexus owners in general are probably less likely to do their own maintenance and rely on the dealer and do what the dealer does and are probably less likely to keep their cars for more than five years so they never get to a point where the car might have any problems.
Anyway, I just wanted to put that out there and I'd love to hear horror stories of using Valvoline Maxlife in a Toyota or Lexus but so far, I haven't found any.
Did do a partial transmission fluid change over the weekend. For the love of God I could not figure out which one was the refill plug. I snapped a picture of the transmission from the passenger side, if someone could just pinpoint it to me I would appreciate it. The ones I tried were not able to accept a hose for refill. After spending an hour trying to find it I got frustrated and disconnected the line at the radiator. The HF manual transfer pump's small rubber hose adapter fits right into it.
I drained exactly 80 oz of fluid. I put back the same amount and an extra 12 oz. started the engine, removed the overflow plug. First nothing came out but as the engine warmed up is slowly started to trickle. I waited until the fluid temp reached 120, used an infrared thermometer, I put back the plug. I checked the extra amount and the factory fill was spot on. Next time I'll only refill what I drain.
The truck has 15K on the odo, with occasional tow.
The fluid was not too dirty but would not say clean. I noticed that the factory fill has slightly different color.
You were close. Here it is in pic it say WS on it. It can be challenging to locate.
Ah, I was not expecting it that high up, my bad! Next time I'll use those. Using the hose at the radiator was actually not bad at all. It was probably easier to pump but slower to fill.
Out of curiosity which AT cooler line...upper or lower did you use as the fill port?
I used the upper one as it was easy to access but I don't think it makes any difference. The fluid went straight into the transmission and I confirmed that by removing the overflow plug until fluid stated to drip, then I put the plug back and continued to fill.
04-16-19, 10:03 AM
