I would just get a few different 10mm head metric bolts less than an inch long and see what fits. I recall the original ones took a 10mm socket plus there was one of those plastic plugs. Home Depot or Lowes will have some, they are inexpensive.

 

^^ What he said.

 

Great idea! Thank you!

 

Get a few with an 8mm head as insurance, because you never know what will fit.

 

Hopefully you have a collection of loose nuts and bolts in your tool cabinet drawers or in a box on your garage shelves. My collection has been gradually growing since I started it in the late 1970s. I can almost always find the proper screw, bolt, or nut I need if I take the time to pick through my storage bins (there are now at least six of them).

 

Quick question regarding changing the transmission fluid on a RX350 6-speed, just going to do the drain (measure what comes out cold) and refill with the same amount, do I still need to go through the process of getting the tranny upto running temp to get the level correct? Also, after watching the car care nut on youtube, he says you can put a wire across two of the scan tool OBD2 points to get the drive light to flash on the dashboard, once upto correct temperature the drive light will stop flashing and you can set the correct fluid level on the transmission, has anyone does this with the RX350? hope this makes sense, cheers.

 

If your pan does not show any evidence of ATF leaks, the three successive measured ATF drain-and-fills approach should be fine. That is what quite a few of us here on the forum have done (I did it on my wife's 2015 RX350 FWD in late July 2021 at 65,000 miles using Toyota WS ATF). Now at 83,000 miles, her transmission continues to perform normally. If we keep the vehicle long enough, I will do it again around 110,000 miles if not sooner. Fresh ATF in these 3rd generation RX vehicles is always a good idea.

 

The whole point of doing a cold drain and fill with measurement of the amount drained is to avoid doing the PIA temperature specific fluid level check dreamed up by sadistic Toyota engineers.
There is no reason they could not have put in a dipstick with cold and hot fluid level marks such as has been done on millions of American cars (and older Toyotas).

 

I would say no if the transmission is shifting perfectly before you drain the old fluid. However, if you are having any shifting issues than I would follow the proper procedure to ensure you fill the transmission to the proper level. If your transmission is not shifting properly than it may have a leak or it was not fill correctly from a prior service; so just replacing the amount that drained out may not be correct way to go.

 

As stated above in my opinion, based on experience doing many drain and fills on these transmissions, if the fluid amount drained is 2 1/4 quarts, then your fluid level was okay. If you drain less, try filling with 2 1/4 quarts and pay attention if it shifts much better, or has better throttle response from a stop. If so, then it was underfilled and you should continue with 2 1/4 quarts on the fill. Good Luck on your project.

 

Alternatively, you can use an IR gun to read the ATF pan temps. It’s what I have used on 07 Tacoma, 15 NX200t, and 07 ES350, which has the same transmission. And I do flushes, not drain/refills by disconnecting the ATF return line at the radiator. On my Tacoma, I now have an UltraGuage which reads the ATF temps from the two internal sensors and the temp variance is less than three degrees between the IR reading and the gauge. Plus, a Camry owner on the TN forum got a similar temp variance using Techstream. It is up ultimately up to you which procedure you feel most comfortable with.

 

Can anyone recommend a good tranny shop in Pasadena, Calif area?
Thanks!

 

Your best and most cost-effective option is to do it yourself over three successive mornings. It is an easy procedure and requires a minimum of tools.

 

WolfyLS460 - Start with a search on this link for shops in your area recommended by listeners of the old Car Talk Radio Show, (I found 41 shops in Pasadena) then cross check on Yelp or Google for more recent data
https://www.cartalk.com/mechanics-files

You should also check out the regional forums here on Club Lexus.

 

I have a 2013 RX350 that was meticulously serviced every 5,000 miles at Lexus.
The only thing that hasn't been touched in its 160,000 miles history is its transmission fluid and filter.
Should I change the fluid and filter on this baby or just ride her until she dies?