I do most of my own wrenching but didn't have time right now so I took my 96 4Runner to my longtime and trusted mechanic. This guy is old school and extremely good at what he does. He is not a "Parts-changer" but a real mechanic and the best carb guy around and there is a waiting list to get in his shop.

He is currently doing the timing belt, water pump, and valve cover gaskets for me.

When I dropped my rig off I asked if he would go ahead and do a transmission flush and fill? He looked at me and said "HELL NO!, I won't do it. You don't need to unless you just want to replace your transmission and have money to burn. A transmission shop will but I don't recommend it ever."

He refuses saying that most people who routinely change transmission fluids have transmission failures more often than those that don't and can list off examples. He says unless there is an underlying mechanical issue there is no reason to ever change your tranny fluid.

I've also heard this before but not from my best mechanic until this week.

Thoughts??

 

What I've heard (from a n employee of a very well-known national chain of money-grubbers) is: after a certain point (they didn't specify, and the vehicle in question was near 200k), it's more likely to disturb any sediment, corrosion, &c. and gum up or break something.

For oil changes, I tend to throw money at someone who will catch the other maintenance that doesn't get advertised on TV (as most of my threads and advice-type responses say: I'm not a mechanic).

 

I've heard it more often with automatic transmissions, and agree that from what I've heard, and what makes sense to me, is that if the truck has gone a long time without maintenance, if you start messing with things, it might actually cause problems.

If the truck has had the tranny fluid routinely changed, I think it's a good idea to keep up with that. But I've definitely heard of people getting an older vehicle, realizing the transmission fluid had never been changed, changing it, and suddenly having transmission problems.

It seems like it's always auto trannies.

 

If I have owned the truck since it is new, I will change the fluid. A transmission that has been neglected, I wont change the fluid in it. This is on automatic transmissions only. Seems like on a neglected transmission will start failing after a fluid change. I wil change the filter and add the necessary fluid to top it off.

 

If your 4runner has high miles on it and if the transmission fluid has not been changed every 30K to 40K miles, he is right do not change it. There is the strong chance of the transmission having issues or dying completely. If its working fine, do not mess with it.

 

I totally disagree. Do not flush it for fear of dislodging something. Drain and fill a few times is a fantastic idea though.

 

Check the owners manual.
ATF is not mentioned in 2007 Corolla manual, but dipstick has a label that says no need to change it when used under normal driving conditions:


However, I agree with vasinvictor; OK to drain and fill, but not flush. If normal driving does not dislodge junk, draining wold not, either.

 

I suppose the same theory holds true for engine oil as well ??

Just change filters and add as needed .

I never learned how to drive a automatic so it is a moot point with me.

Since the power steering system uses ATF I guess it is bad to change that as well?/

 

Not sure about that because engine oil is subject to much extreme conditions - i.e., heat.

LOL! Oh no! You should come visit me in SD so I can show you how to drive auto - LOL!

 

I will visit San Diego after your first major blizzard of over 24" .

Maybe a week of below freezing temperatures.

Dated a women years ago who`s father was the one I heard no reason to change the engine oil just the filter.

Decided I wanted nothing to do with the Genes from that family pretty quick

 

LOL!
U just never know
.. with the forecast El Nino.

 

Steer clear of any flushing type service. I have 225,000 on mine and have done fluid exchanges with no issue. Its easy and there are multiple threads on it.
Most major brands now make an import only trans fluid that fits the bill. That....or bend over for your local toyota dealer.

 

Concur. Just drain and refill. Even if instructions say replacement not needed, like above, if fluid does not look good anymore (dark/burnt, not clear reddish) I would drain and replace.

 

I agree with most of the feedback here:

- NO flushing of oils. Drain and replace only
- check (and top off) low fluids regularly to monitor for leaks
- know your manufacturer fluid change interval requirements. Sometimes it's not what you think.

There are vehicles that don't require services when you might expect them (like corolla dipstick above) and vehicles that do require when you wouldn't expect (like some Honda manual trans)

I think your tech was just being a little hyperbolic, as well as mitigating his liability. Safer to refuse the service than to do it and then risk a comeback reporting system failure. Not necessarily smarter, but likely safer as long as level is full.

 

BTW, I think one possible reason that flushed trannies break is because flushing chemicals are detergents designed to breakdown oil, and after the procedure, that detergent is not completely flushed out , meaning it will also breakdown the refill fluid.

 

A small percentage of transmission die from a fluid exchange. However its how you flush that matters. You should not hook it up to a machine for the flush. You can do a full fluid exchange yourself with 12qts of new ATF by using the transmissions internal pump. Do a drain and fill of the trans pan. Then Disconnect the cooler line from the radiator and using an extra hose purge into a gallon jug pre-marked with qts increments. turn on the engine and pump out two qts, stop engine and add two qts to trans. Keep doing this until you have gone thru all 12 qts. Very easy but takes a little time. Usually an hour. If you really want your transmission to last, add a Magnefine filter 3/8" to the cooler line. This will catch any crud that is floating in the fluid. This filter is good for 30,000+ miles and has an internal safety bypass valve should it ever get clogged.

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/27...ienna-xle.html

But neglecting maintenance is foolish.

 

always service you fluid! On new vehicles eait until 60k. From then on what ever keeps it clean and red. For most about every 30k. There is no such thing as a lifetime fluid. They just want you to have to replace your trans every ~100k. Most flush machines are safe. They do exactly what someone earlier posted about the "bucket" flush trick. Except no ghetto bucket. It is a very low pressure fluid "exchange" machine. It will actually replace "all" the fluid instead of just 3-4quarts that are in the pan. If the tranny has never been serviced in 100k-150k is too late anyways. It is going to fail soon whether you flush it now or not, but dont blame it on the new fluid... Its lack of maint that is the root of the problem. So the key is regular maint and watch your trans go 200k

 

Ur mechanic is either not very good or to scared to service it due to lack of knowledge or he can see that ur vehicle is too far gone and doesnt want that liability on his hands. Or ot was ted and thinks there is no need for it at this time. Hard to say without having seen the fluid and condition.

 

This^^

Case closed....next!

 

I have exchanged my fluid three times - at 100k, 200k and 300k. The process uses a BG machine that simply acts as a old fluid / new fluid reservoir while the truck idles and sends the Toyota fluid through the machine.

I'm now at 346,000 miles and the transmission behaves exactly as it did the day I purchased the truck - June 23, 2001.



Andreas