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How to exchange ALL of the transmission's oil at one time.
First, the whole "sealed" transmission marketing thing is flat-out irresponsible. Transmission oil has a life, period, I don't care what it's made of (with current technology).
In the past, I have installed quick-release drains by Fumoto so as to avoid getting a transmission oil hair rinse and to reduce the need for EPA Superfund-style cleanup when changing it. With removal of the transmission dipstick, this also gave me a way to drain and refill oil, periodically. Just measure how much came out, put that much back in. Simple.
My 2008 L had 108K miles on it when I decided to change the trans oil. I've learned from prior cars, 100K miles is a long time for any fluid, even with the great synthetics we have, today.
To do this, you need to have a floor jack and jackstands tall enough so you can get to the transmission's pan, at least one five gallon plastic bucket, 10-12 feet of clear 3/8" vinyl tubing, a couple of 3/8" ball valves with levers, two 3/8" barbs, a few small hose clamps (zip-ties work fine, too), a way to gently attach the drain hose to the side of your used oil bucket, and a large pan to catch the initial drain and filter drippings.
https://tinyurl.com/ycpbzn64 electric pump - please note, this pump is for petroleum ONLY (diesel and oils)...pumping water means it has no lubrication https://tinyurl.com/yd8n8ss7 3/8" brass barbs https://tinyurl.com/yc5vdgqc 1/4 turn 3/8" ball valves
10' of clear vinyl tubing
zip ties or small hose clamps
pliers
an Allen wrench which fits the overflow plug...I think it's 8 mm
drain pan
new transmission filter
10 mm socket and a short extension to remove the pan and filter
graduated container to measure how much came out
larger container for used oil
I did a slew of research on transmission oil, determined only synthetic will do, and found Castrol Transmax full synthetic multi-vehicle oil. It "meets" Toyota's T-IV specs, but Toyota does not officially approve anything they don't sell, so "meets requirements" is the best you're gonna get.
I took this opportunity to replace the filter, too, though this is the only time I plan to change it. Said filter came with a new, OEM-like gasket, which is a rather impressively complex gasket. No RTV required, and I'd put money on it never leaking.
Here is a picture of my exchange setup, minus the buckets.
$40 oil exchange device
This electric pump is 12V DC, so you can clip it on to the battery. I have a small battery mounted in an Igloo cooler for a telescope power source, but this was merely convenience.
Starting from the supply side, take a short length of tubing and attach it to the fuel transfer pump. Take another short length and attach it to the 'out' side of the pump. Put a ball valve in the tubing circuit so you can stop oil from flowing backward. Put an additional 4-5', or so, on to the far side of the valve. Now, use a barbed fitting to connect the output of the electric pump to the return line for the transmission.
To catch the old stuff, put the remainder of the tubing on the radiator's cooler output. Near the waste oil catch bucket, put the other ball valve in the circuit. This way, you can leave the engine running during the exchange and not run the pump dry.
At this point, drain what's in the transmission's pan. I used a large, deep, disposable oven pan...largest and deepest I could find (it was at the 'dollar store', oddly enough). It was just large enough, too. Being a DIY person for the past 40 years, I have graduated containers I've acquired over time, so I didn't need one for how much came out of the pan. This is super-useful, because you know how much oil came out for the initial refill.
I think I got about 2 1/2 quarts after draining, pouring out what the drain plug doesn't let drain, and letting the filter drip for about a half hour. After replacing the filter and pan gasket, I snugged the pan bolts and made certain to have the proper Allen key (IIRC) for the level indicator drain plug.
Let me add, I have Techstream for monitoring transmission temps, but it can be done via the instrument cluster, too, but that's later.
With the pan drained and filter replaced, the system is down about three quarts of fluid. Take three quarts of new fluid, and using the electric pump, open the ball valve connected to the return line and send 3 fresh quarts to a new home. You are now primed to change ALL of it.
Start the engine, and with the car at idle, open the line coming from the cooler on the radiator. As soon as the fluid rate sputters, close the valve, make a mental note of how much came out, and using the electric pump, put that much back in the pan via the return line from the cooler. You don't have to shut the engine off, but also don't let the transmission's pump run 'dry', either. I marked the waste oil bucket in two quart increments, so I'd know how much came out each time.
I was going to use the 2nd five gallon bucket for the new oil, but decided against it. There was a reason, at the time, but I don't remember what it was and it was because of something specific to my situation. Honestly, that's the way to go
Repeat the above...let the transmission pump send old oil to the bucket, replace it with fresh using the electric pump. Continue until the oil coming out is the same color as that going in. The system hold a little over 12 quarts, but mine took 16-18 quarts to get all the old stuff out. I think there's a turbulence in the converter which mixes the old and new, initially, but eventually, all the old is washed out. I probably could have gotten away with just 16, but I wanted 100% synthetic in there.
Now that you have fresh, properly red oil coming out of the cooler's radiator fitting, close the ball valve, and check the transmission oil's temperature. There are instructions here for doing it via the instrument cluster, and there's an obvious measurement in Techstream. Oh, I found the detail on it! It's the pdf file.
With the engine still running, remove the overflow plug in the bottom of the transmission's oil pan. This method of measurement is, quite honestly, genius. Don't forget to put a small container under the drain hole. There shouldn't be much, but there should be some. If nothing comes out, use the electric pump to add fluid until it starts dripping. If there's fluid coming out from the get-go, replace the overflow plug and reconnect the return line to the cooler (so it's ready-to-roll), then let the engine idle while monitoring trans oil temp. Once you get to between 95F-108F, when the overflow tube flow slows to a trickle, the level is correct. However, DON'T SHUT THE ENGINE OFF, first put the overflow plug back in place, then kill the engine. You're done. If you shut the engine off before plugging the overflow tube, then you're going to lose more fluid and it'll be low. Maybe not by much, but I'm not about to risk it.
Techstream trans temp data
I think it took longer to type this than to do it all, save for putting the car up on four jackstands. Remember, the car MUST be level when you check fluid level.
It's been 10K miles, and shifting is a tiny bit less 'slurred', but otherwise, it's unchanged.
Blackstone, after reviewing the oil I removed, said it was past used up. So 100K appears to be the max distance the factory fill is good for.
After 50K miles on the new stuff, I'm going to take a sample and send it to them to see what's going on in there and what kind of life I should expect from it.
For transmission oil, specifically the Castrol Transmax I used, watch Autozone for the occasional 2 for $10 sale. There's one going on, now, which is a substantial discount over the regular price. It's usually $9.50/quart, and $5 each is better than anyplace else I could find.
Based on how the overflow drain works, if you want to change fluid going forward, drain what's in the pan, measure it, then using a 1/4" line, remove the overflow plug and pump the amount you drained back in the pan through the overflow. No need to remove the fill plug on the side of the transmission. The worst you may have to do is start the engine so it doesn't overflow immediately, what with the pump not running while the engine is off.
Also, even after draining, there was a good half a quart left in the pan. The drain hole is raised just a little, so not all the oil drains.
I'll answer any and all questions I can. I plan to do this to my wife's new RX 350, but in the autumn, when it's less than triple-digits in the garage.
----
Thank you for sharing your experience and method for replacing transmission fluid. Good job! As most of us on the forum agree, there is no such a thing like life-long transmission fluid. The transmission fluid needs to be replaced after certain miles and time. Chris quoted from his Canadian user's manual that the transmission fluid needs to be drained and filled at 60K miles. Personally, I prefer, and used, Toyota ATF WS fluid for my LS460 since Toyota didn't specify any alternative fluid. I used the "drain-and-fill" method with 9 qts of Toyota ATF WS to get my transmission fluid color from dark purple to clear red. I am doing a simple drain and fill with about 3 qts of Toyota ATF WS every 30K miles to keep the fluid look red. Yes, Techstream made it easier and more accurate to measure the exact amount of fluid needed in the transmission per factory specification.
---
Thanks for the write up and I'm sure someone will say that you should use the Toyota WS. I just recently exchanged all the fluid using the same method except I just removed the return line to the transmission and placed it into an empty oil jug. Then I attached 3/8 inch clear hose to the inlet to pump fluid back into the pan. I was doing a level check earlier today and since the fill plug was kind of hard to get to without removing more stuff I just added fluid through the return line to the transmission. I also used TS to monitor fluid temp.
I would like to do the same on a 2010 IS250.
When you talk about "the return line" where is it?
I am assuming you get to it after removing the pan.
Does the transmission oil filter gets the oil first or does it filter the oil in the pan to send to the transmission?
So the return line would be somewhere above the pan or where the oil filter attaches.
Thank you
Luke
First, the whole "sealed" transmission marketing thing is flat-out irresponsible. Transmission oil has a life, period, I don't care what it's made of (with current technology).
In the past, I have installed quick-release drains by Fumoto so as to avoid getting a transmission oil hair rinse and to reduce the need for EPA Superfund-style cleanup when changing it. With removal of the transmission dipstick, this also gave me a way to drain and refill oil, periodically. Just measure how much came out, put that much back in. Simple.
My 2008 L had 108K miles on it when I decided to change the trans oil. I've learned from prior cars, 100K miles is a long time for any fluid, even with the great synthetics we have, today.
To do this, you need to have a floor jack and jackstands tall enough so you can get to the transmission's pan, at least one five gallon plastic bucket, 10-12 feet of clear 3/8" vinyl tubing, a couple of 3/8" ball valves with levers, two 3/8" barbs, a few small hose clamps (zip-ties work fine, too), a way to gently attach the drain hose to the side of your used oil bucket, and a large pan to catch the initial drain and filter drippings.
https://tinyurl.com/ycpbzn64 electric pump - please note, this pump is for petroleum ONLY (diesel and oils)...pumping water means it has no lubrication https://tinyurl.com/yd8n8ss7 3/8" brass barbs https://tinyurl.com/yc5vdgqc 1/4 turn 3/8" ball valves
10' of clear vinyl tubing
zip ties or small hose clamps
pliers
an Allen wrench which fits the overflow plug...I think it's 8 mm
drain pan
new transmission filter
10 mm socket and a short extension to remove the pan and filter
graduated container to measure how much came out
larger container for used oil
I did a slew of research on transmission oil, determined only synthetic will do, and found Castrol Transmax full synthetic multi-vehicle oil. It "meets" Toyota's T-IV specs, but Toyota does not officially approve anything they don't sell, so "meets requirements" is the best you're gonna get.
I took this opportunity to replace the filter, too, though this is the only time I plan to change it. Said filter came with a new, OEM-like gasket, which is a rather impressively complex gasket. No RTV required, and I'd put money on it never leaking.
Here is a picture of my exchange setup, minus the buckets.
$40 oil exchange device
This electric pump is 12V DC, so you can clip it on to the battery. I have a small battery mounted in an Igloo cooler for a telescope power source, but this was merely convenience.
Starting from the supply side, take a short length of tubing and attach it to the fuel transfer pump. Take another short length and attach it to the 'out' side of the pump. Put a ball valve in the tubing circuit so you can stop oil from flowing backward. Put an additional 4-5', or so, on to the far side of the valve. Now, use a barbed fitting to connect the output of the electric pump to the return line for the transmission.
To catch the old stuff, put the remainder of the tubing on the radiator's cooler output. Near the waste oil catch bucket, put the other ball valve in the circuit. This way, you can leave the engine running during the exchange and not run the pump dry.
At this point, drain what's in the transmission's pan. I used a large, deep, disposable oven pan...largest and deepest I could find (it was at the 'dollar store', oddly enough). It was just large enough, too. Being a DIY person for the past 40 years, I have graduated containers I've acquired over time, so I didn't need one for how much came out of the pan. This is super-useful, because you know how much oil came out for the initial refill.
I think I got about 2 1/2 quarts after draining, pouring out what the drain plug doesn't let drain, and letting the filter drip for about a half hour. After replacing the filter and pan gasket, I snugged the pan bolts and made certain to have the proper Allen key (IIRC) for the level indicator drain plug.
Let me add, I have Techstream for monitoring transmission temps, but it can be done via the instrument cluster, too, but that's later.
With the pan drained and filter replaced, the system is down about three quarts of fluid. Take three quarts of new fluid, and using the electric pump, open the ball valve connected to the return line and send 3 fresh quarts to a new home. You are now primed to change ALL of it.
Start the engine, and with the car at idle, open the line coming from the cooler on the radiator. As soon as the fluid rate sputters, close the valve, make a mental note of how much came out, and using the electric pump, put that much back in the pan via the return line from the cooler. You don't have to shut the engine off, but also don't let the transmission's pump run 'dry', either. I marked the waste oil bucket in two quart increments, so I'd know how much came out each time.
I was going to use the 2nd five gallon bucket for the new oil, but decided against it. There was a reason, at the time, but I don't remember what it was and it was because of something specific to my situation. Honestly, that's the way to go
Repeat the above...let the transmission pump send old oil to the bucket, replace it with fresh using the electric pump. Continue until the oil coming out is the same color as that going in. The system hold a little over 12 quarts, but mine took 16-18 quarts to get all the old stuff out. I think there's a turbulence in the converter which mixes the old and new, initially, but eventually, all the old is washed out. I probably could have gotten away with just 16, but I wanted 100% synthetic in there.
Now that you have fresh, properly red oil coming out of the cooler's radiator fitting, close the ball valve, and check the transmission oil's temperature. There are instructions here for doing it via the instrument cluster, and there's an obvious measurement in Techstream. Oh, I found the detail on it! It's the pdf file.
With the engine still running, remove the overflow plug in the bottom of the transmission's oil pan. This method of measurement is, quite honestly, genius. Don't forget to put a small container under the drain hole. There shouldn't be much, but there should be some. If nothing comes out, use the electric pump to add fluid until it starts dripping. If there's fluid coming out from the get-go, replace the overflow plug and reconnect the return line to the cooler (so it's ready-to-roll), then let the engine idle while monitoring trans oil temp. Once you get to between 95F-108F, when the overflow tube flow slows to a trickle, the level is correct. However, DON'T SHUT THE ENGINE OFF, first put the overflow plug back in place, then kill the engine. You're done. If you shut the engine off before plugging the overflow tube, then you're going to lose more fluid and it'll be low. Maybe not by much, but I'm not about to risk it.
Techstream trans temp data
I think it took longer to type this than to do it all, save for putting the car up on four jackstands. Remember, the car MUST be level when you check fluid level.
It's been 10K miles, and shifting is a tiny bit less 'slurred', but otherwise, it's unchanged.
Blackstone, after reviewing the oil I removed, said it was past used up. So 100K appears to be the max distance the factory fill is good for.
After 50K miles on the new stuff, I'm going to take a sample and send it to them to see what's going on in there and what kind of life I should expect from it.
For transmission oil, specifically the Castrol Transmax I used, watch Autozone for the occasional 2 for $10 sale. There's one going on, now, which is a substantial discount over the regular price. It's usually $9.50/quart, and $5 each is better than anyplace else I could find.
Based on how the overflow drain works, if you want to change fluid going forward, drain what's in the pan, measure it, then using a 1/4" line, remove the overflow plug and pump the amount you drained back in the pan through the overflow. No need to remove the fill plug on the side of the transmission. The worst you may have to do is start the engine so it doesn't overflow immediately, what with the pump not running while the engine is off.
Also, even after draining, there was a good half a quart left in the pan. The drain hole is raised just a little, so not all the oil drains.
I'll answer any and all questions I can. I plan to do this to my wife's new RX 350, but in the autumn, when it's less than triple-digits in the garage.[/QUOTE]
I would like to do the same on a 2010 IS250. When you talk about "the return line" where is it? I am assuming you get to it after removing the pan. Does the transmission oil filter gets the oil first or does it filter the oil in the pan to send to the transmission? So the return line would be somewhere above the pan or where the oil filter attaches.
Thank you
Luke
NO !!! I think he talking about the lines that run into the rad/coolers. I't's a great writeup but i didn't have enough tome to thoroughly follow the whole post. I plan on revisiting at another time. Maybe i don't understand your post but he has the pan off to change the filter only-- no fluid is moving during this time. Great post MCK !!! Thank you.
06-08-18, 06:42 AM
Homemade transmission oil exchanger
