Bsavage

How do you guys lift your car to do the drain and fill are you guys using jack stands or just the floor jack?

bradland

Definitely use jack stands for this. When accessing the fill hole on the side of the Trans your entire body is under the car.

TominPT

Ramps (if you have them) might give you more clearance, depending on how high you choose to jack up the front end. Bock the rear wheels, use parking brake and be sure the transmission is in park when you do this, either using ramps or jack stands.

Jabberwock

Use everything I have. Ramps, floor jack and jack stands. You are almost completely under the car for quite a while for this operation. I always use the belt and suspenders method in terms of safety when working on my cars. The downside of anything going wrong with the supports being used when you are under a car will ruin your whole day.

Bocatrip

My 2001 LS has 146,000 miles of which I put on approximately 48,000 miles in the last 10 years. I have never changed my trans fluid and at my last inspection of fluid it looked clean and still fairly red. Car shifts like a dream and although I wasn’t planning on doing a drain and refill, I might ask my Indy during my next oil change.

Johnhav430

That's interesting could someone else have changed it? Mine was drained/filled at 83k or so, the indie set the fluid aside for me to see. It was black as oil. I then did #2 and #3, he set it aside, still black maybe a little reddish. 2 years later he did #4, black. After the 4th there should only be like now I forget but maybe 11% old i.e. majority is new. Most people feel 3 drain/fills is sufficient at 19% old.

Did my wife's GM myself since it has a dipstick at 73k (note to self yes that's a tapered drain plug and needs thread sealant), black. After 2 drain/fills, pink. 1.5 years later, clearish gray pink.

Color probably isn't the determining factor but smell might be. my .02

give us a clutch/3rd pedal so we can not worry about this stuff lol

edit: noteworthy--when the rear output shaft leaked it was actually bright pink--now a tranny expert likely can explain why that's not black like what is drained out--this accumulates on the trans mount that is silver aluminum. wonder how many out there might have this issue but don't know it, it does not get on the driveway until it gets much worse, and Lexus did not catch it on mine, the indie did (last thing Lexus wants to do is to replace a $14 seal not enough profit on it)

Bocatrip

Searching through the history of my car, prior to my purchase (10 years ago), There was an 85,000 or 90,000 mile service which I believe included a transmission fluid change. Prior to that, all the services were recorded and were done by Lexus for years and I'm fairly certain some included addressing the transmission fluid. How else could it look so good? PS....Besides the fluid looking good, I did the smell test and it does not smell burnt. All is well. Thank god for a dip stick!

Johnhav430

Yes! I would prefer one. I have seen how difficult it is to get my wife's to the right level, despite measuring etc. Took me 6X of adding fractions of 1/4 quart. I don't think one wants to drain/fill cold, and it defies logic how much this stuff expands with heat.

My indie says it's not difficult to get the level right in his shop so I just accept it. I did say does it hurt things that the tranny is HOT already when I get here? He said no. (I don't want to overanalyze this one like everything else that I overanalyze I'll just accept it!) My car got 4X in 121k so I likely would wait another 2 years before touching it again. I thought it was $80 per drain/fill but I think it's actually $120, would have to check the invoice as I'm never there for just one item. So imagine how much can be saved DIY, just pay for fluid which is not that much. Like a brake fluid flush so inexpensive when DIY....

Bocatrip

Unfortunately the DIY "days" are over for me. It's called old age. Yes, if you want it done right it's always best "if feasible" for DIY, besides the saving money aspect. Unfortunately, I have to go the "trust method" which for me (being over the top OCD) is a tough haul. Luckily, and for the present, I still have my honest Indy for as long as it lasts.

430SLOwner

Your indie may get the level right. But it is WRONG to try to accurately check it when hot. Most do not know how to check as it is an involved procedure to do so. Toyota says a check of fluid level is only acculturate when WS ATF temp is between 104' and 113'. You are not over-analyzing. You are thinking correctly. But, don't know if indie is. (It is usually not what our indies don't know that may cause us problems. It is what they know that just isn't so.)

Weber State University (WSU) - Automotive Technology Department - Transmission Lab.
Some guy changing and checking his at proper temps

jyqureshi

Hey guys,

Just joined this forum, bought a 2005 LS430 a few months ago with 115k miles on it, it has about 127K miles on it now.
About a couple of weeks ago the transmission started to shift harshly, and as the cold weather sets in, it has gotten worse.

I would like to get the transmission flushed, but don't have the physical resources to do it myself.

I would really appreciate if anyone could recommend an honest mechanic in the Bethesda, MD area or in around Tysons Corner, or someone at a Lexus service center who is not on "Corporate Autopilot".

Thanks

gebo

do not flush. Do a drain and fill

jyqureshi

hey @gebo

definitely a drain-and-fill type of flush, not a flush before colonoscopy

Bocatrip

I agree with the above posts. NO FLUSH. Drain and fill only.

TominPT

I would do multiple drain and fills, not just one. Three (spaced apart by a few miles minimum of course) is the usual route to get most of the old out. Have the shop verify the fluid level is OK, since your transmission does not have a dipstick. Low fluid level could be part of your problem.