natlew44

Hi guys,


Have the shudder at low speeds. Read that it needs a drain and refill I think. Not sure if it has ever had the transmission serviced as while I do have access to the service records from Lexus dot com, i dont see anything that says transmission. Should I get it changed out ? if so, how many quarts do I buy ?

ibidu1

iTrader: (1)

Toyota or lexus should be able to do the drain and fill for you. I would do drain and fill 2 times, you can do 5 to 10,000miles in between. then drop the transmission pan and replace the filter and clean the magnets. For drain n fill the amount that gets drained is different with rwd and awd. I think for more awd 4qt drained. When you do drain examine the condition of the fluid, this will tell you how healthy your transmission is.

On my awd, I get them but not often. The awd torque converters were known to give issues. You gotta understand the transmission in our GS is very strong, its same series transmission found in the tundras.

Oro

With a completely unknown history, it’s always wise to start with a baseline of fresh fluid. That takes about 10 quarts. You drain the pan, fill it. Then you disconnect the cooler return line from the radiator and direct it into a bucket. Pump out 3 quarts or so, refill. Repeat one more time. This procedure is well documented many places and you can google it. An ester oil additive to condition internal seals helps greatly with longevity - Lubegard red is generally the pick.

Just draining a pan and filling means you have a few quarts of fresh fluid combined with a majority of thoroughly worn-out fluid. Just draining/filling continually mixes bad fluid and new, since the transmission has most of its fluid in places other than the pan. It would be akin to just changing two of the five quarts of worn-out oil in an engine. It will buy a little more time - but is it wise or cost-effective? No.

ibidu1

iTrader: (1)

With vehicles with high miles, and not knowing the condition of the previous fluids, add to that the issue of chattering. Doing a full drain releasing all the fluids is risky. There have been cases of people changing their transmission fluids with fresh fluids only to find out the transmission slips. For instance if the clutch packs are worn, new fluids will make things worst. By doing a drain and fill a person can examine the condition of the fluid to determine if the transmissions good or not. If you drain the fluid and its dark and burnt, that transmission is worn out.

I agree with you on the lubegaurd, to help with the chatter. Members have had success with it. Some have claimed the results were hit or miss, its worth a shot.

Oro

People reporting things on the internet and off-loading blame is really the thing we see the most, but not in the shop or real life.

Doing a couple drain and fills is lazier and easier. It’s much less efficient and it’s very wasteful. But never underestimate the ability of people to choose the lazy and easy way and find justifications for it.