A little while back I installed a TRD AT cooler, and after the installation I had to add some fluid to my AT. A call to a local dealership and the service advisor informed me that a plain Dexron III would do the job. However, someone recently told me that I really need the Toyota T-IV fluid and that Dexron III is totally different from the T-IV. He also told me that I may have damaged my AT. I have SC and all that good stuff and have been driven with Dexron III for that last 5000 miles. I am just wondering that (1) which fluid is the one that I need? and (2) do you guys think that damages have been done to my AT?

Thanks, fellas,
SC

 

Supercharged I understand that Toyota switched to the T-IV in 2003 and I believe it is a synthetic but am not sure. The Amsoil Synthetic is T-IV approved.

I think you want to get the Dexron out of there as quickly as you can. Transdude will probably weigh in on this. He is the expert.

 

Thanks Tomstin.

Here's the deal. Toyota T-IV fluid is definitely a bit different than Dexron III. However, this isn't the end of the world, you are not going to damage the transmission or anything. The worst that will happen is that you may experience some shift quality concerns.

If you are concerned, you can either do a couple of drain plug drops and add real T-IV or add a bottle of Black LubeGard additive. The LubeGard will convert Dexron into a fluid that has a similar coefficient of friction to T-IV.

-John

 

You know......that would explain why my tranny is shifting rougher. I had a tranny flush doen about 25K miles ago and since then I noticed when the tranny shift out of overdrive going uphills it seems to be much rougher than it was before.

Transdude- Where can you get the Lubeguard additive you mentioned?
And this T-IV tranny fluid....Is that a dealer thing because I haven't seen it in autoparts stores that I can remember anyways.

 

If all else fails, you can get LubeGard from my website http://www.importperformancetrans.com/toyotaauto.shtml (at the bottom of the page) but you can probably find it at some of the larger auto parts stores like Napa or Autozone.

Most transmission shops also carry it.

-John

 

Thank you John and all for helping. It been a long day. I am adding the TRD 7th kit to my vehicle and the damnest thing happened. A bolt that goes into the SC from the throttle body (?) had broken off and the dealer have to take it to a machine shop tommorrow to have it drill out. From what the dealer told me is that the labor cost may just have doubled- ugh!

 

Ouch. I'm sure that the dealership will be happy to charge you more.

They broke the bolt, not you right?

-John

 

Hope I'm in the right place, being a "newbie"...

What I'm looking for is a little guidance on the '03 Tacoma Pre-Runner 2WD I've bought. I want to service the auto trans (in the driveway - I'm a fairly accomplished shadetree mechanic), but haven't had a Toyota before.

1. Draining through the plug on the bottom of the trans takes out little fluid, correct?
2. If I remove the pan after draining, is there a way to access/drain the Torque Converter?
3. Is there a changeable/serviceable filter in this trans?
4. Is there a pan gasket?
5. When I button it all up, do I fill it through the dipstick tube or the filler plug on the trans (which I have to go look for).
6. Whichever way is correct for filling, this replenishes the entire trans and Torque Converter?

Thanks, and please bear with this newbie...

 

you dont need that stuff.. just use amsoil and call it a day jeesh.. amsoil is approved for T4. and hands down twice as good as t4 and no t4 is a BLEND not a full syn like Amsoil.. if you are SC'd i would highly recomend using full synthetics in everything on your truck. plain and simple

 

simple.. i would drop the pan and remove the junk on your magnets about every 50k miles or so (personally i dont do that but it is recommended). there is a screen filter not really a "filter" just remove and clean out and re install.

drain and fills every 15-20k miles no matter what. sooner if you abuse your tranny. yes you put the fluid back in the tranny via the dip stick tube

if you want to flush then do it via the return cooling line for the tranny..

amsoil and redline are pretty top notch stuff guys. m1 would fall in line close for an atf.. schaefers is another good one..