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We got our RX with 75K, now has 85K, been running great, no issues.
The previous owner told me he had changed the trans fluid at 70K - not at the dealer.
I just did a drain & fill to check the fluid, change the drain plug, measure the level tube & install a fill tube.
I removed the allen drain plug and around 2 qts came out..
When I removed the level tube almost another 2 qts came out.
I measured the fluid and it was 3.7qts.
I was expecting around 1.7qts would come out.
That is weird. In the 8 times I have done drains and fills on my RX I never got more than about a little over 2 quarts even after removing the overflow tube. Even after jacking up parts of the car to make it drain more.
Was the transmission warm or cold when you did the drain and fill. I always do it cold so the old and new fluid are the same temperature as it expands when hot.
Or, It may be that your transmission was over-filled.
Sounds to me like the transmission was overfilled, sorry to say. Nonetheless, it was a good thing to drop the fluid. What was the condition of the old fluid?
That is weird. ... Was the transmission warm or cold when you did the drain and fill. ....Or, It may be that your transmission was over-filled.
I thought it was weird, too. I did a drain & fill on my son's 2012 Camry and got about 1.8qts out of it.
With everything I have been reading was expecting about the same.
The trans was cold. I've been wondering if it was over-filled, too. What could happen if the trans was over-filled?
The car runs great, no noises/whines/vibrations of any kind, shifts smooth, accelerates great.
I don't know if the previous owner changed all the fluid or did just a drain & fill, but the fluid I took out looked fine, red and clear.
Another strange thing.
I couldn't find my spare trans fluid level tube for the OEM pic. (I have this thing about plastic in hot fluids.)
The supposed replacement tube is green/38mm while the OEM tube is red/30mm.
Maybe the part no. I found is incorrect for the RX.
I can cut it the same length as the red one.
Also, the tubes may be color coded.
The plastic speedometer gears in Fords are different colors.
Exactly where does that plastic tube screw into, and do you simply screw it on finger-tight?
The plastic fluid level tube screws into the trans pan before the drain plug.
It has a 6mm allen hole on the bottom.
In the drawing it shows a "No. 1 Transmission Oil Filler Tube" which I call a fluid level tube, I've seen it also called a "standoff tube".
The "Overflow Plug" I call the trans drain plug.
.... For durability reasons I sure wish that tube was metal instead of plastic.
The $90 fill tube kit on ebay comes with a metal level tube, I think they custom made it, but it's $35 for just the tube.
I put together a fill tube kit for $15.
There are 2 kits in the pic.
Seems to work fine, takes awhile to get the fluid in as the tube is only 3/8".
Still adjusting the hole I drilled in an old bottle cap to get the fluid to flow faster, but not overflow the tea can.
One side of the bulkhead 3/8"x3/8" hose barb is cutoff and installed in a hole drilled in the bottom of the tea can.
Here's the panel to remove to get access to the fill plug. The 3rd screw behind the grille on left side is missing, but doesn't look necessary.
There's the fill plug.
M18 to 3/8" NPT adapter, 3/8" NPT elbow, & 3/8" NPT x 3/8" hose barb installed. Install the adapter/elbow first, then the hose barb.
3/8" trans cooler hose line installed, just under 2ft.
Aluminum tea can with screw lid mounted.
Walmart funnel fits right in & holds bottle of fresh fluid. A 1/8" hole drilled in the cap was not large enough to flow unaided. I'll try larger holes next time. The little can overflows easily.
Last edited by rababich; 02-21-20 at 07:39 AM.
Reason: Cleaned up wording
I am replacing the transmission fluid on a 2015 RX350 AWD with tow package that I just bought. It has 63400 miles on it. I do not know how much towing it did so I want to change all the fluids out to establish a base line. I am thinking of switching to Amsoil Signature Series Fuel-Efficient Synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid and doing a three time drain and fill. Any thoughts or am I better just staying with the Toyota WS ? Just got it Saturday. Loaded with Radar cruise, Nav, Luxury Pkg,Comfort Pkg.Parking assist and more! Has factory hitch installed.
Many members of this forum switched to off brands of ATF and are reporting good results.
I did a lot of reading on this subject, and decided to stick with Toyota WS for my car. When you consider premium brands like Amsoil, you're not saving any money.
01-24-20, 02:17 PM
