Change transmission fluid if unsure of maintenance history?

Hi,

I just purchased a 2006 toyota tundra with 200k miles on it. I got a carfax done on the vehicle and while it has a good service record, I do not see anything about having the transmission fluid changed.

My question is, should I change the transmission fluid or leave it be? I have heard that if you change old transmission fluid it can cause the transmission to slip after, but not sure how true that is.

 

This is practically a religious and political topic rolled into one, it's been covered several times. General consensus is, it's a sealed transmission, it DOES NOT have lifetime fluid. If you change, don't use anything that will forcibly pump new fluid in, and buy Toyota's WS fluid to put into it. If there's some history on the vehicle that has you concerned - heavy towing etc. - or you just don't want to full-flush at once, do a series of drain-and-fills (no need to change the metal mesh filter) over a few sessions, a few thousand miles. If it were me, I wouldn't hesitate to let a dealership perform a full fluid exchange though. If you do it yourself, please understand the proper procedure to check fluid levels for a sealed trans like yours.

I cannot recommend enough that, as a new owner, you read the 1st two replies of this thread: https://www.tundras.com/threads/so-you-wanna-buy-just-bought-a-1st-gen-tundra-eh.115928/

 

Shifty has nailed it right on the head. Thanks Shifty.

 

Thanks so much for the advice. I will roll it into the dealership and let them change the fluid. Glad to know it isn't too late to flush the fluids.

 

FYI, that's only for transmissions that are already starting to have problems. Usually the clutch material is suspended in the fluid at that point and is actually helping it to shift, but poorly. Draining and filling will most likely make it worse. If it's already having shifting issues and the fluid smells burnt you probably want to stay away otherwise changing it every 60k miles is the way to go. 30K if you tow regularly.

 

@Shifty basically nailed it on the head.

I was in the same boat as you after I bought my Tundra with 188k. If you aren't comfortable checking the fluid from a sealed transmission take it to either the dealer or a shop you trust.

Personally, this is what I did. First I drained the pan which allows you to check for color, odor, and metallic specs. Dark red or any shade of brown with no big metallic shavings gives you the green light for a Fluid EXCHANGE **NOT A FLUID FLUSH BY A MACHINE** if the fluid is black, has a burnt odor, or sizable metallic shavings leave it be. If you are dead set on keeping it for the long haul take it to the dealer and have them run a diagnostic on the health of the transmission. I can't correctly recall if a drain & fill is recommended every 30k or 60k for maintenance.

Good luck and congratulations on the new to you Tundra!!

 

Hi all,

Thanks for the information. Just an update....

I went to my local Toyota dealer today for my scheduled transmission fluid drain. I ask one of the techs when I arrived how they would do the fluid exchange and he said that they do it by flushing it through a machine. He claimed that they run a cleaning fluid through after the fluid is drained to clear out any debris in the transmission and then fill it with the transmission fluid. I wound up just leaving because everything that I have read says to avoid having a machine flush out the system.

I just wanted to get some opinions on this. Does this sound like the best path forward?

 

Before I bought my 2006 DC, the then Owner had the local toyota dealer do a trans. fluid flush /fill (whatever that consists of).
I didn't look into how it was done, because it was after the fact.
I would 'like' to think that the toyota dealers use a machine that is safe for this service on our 1st gens, but who knows.
To do the drain & fills yourself isn't that big of a deal . . . more of a time consuming hassle than anything else.

 

Honestly, at 200,000 miles, I would just do a drain and refill. I don't think I'd be comfortable with the cleaning solution. Auto trans fluid is a detergent hydraulic fluid by itself.

 

If my truck, I would drain ATF from the pan and replace the ATF filter. With pan out, you’ll get a good look at the particulate matter in the pan. You should only see some black sludge on the magnets. If you see metallic particles, that is not a good thing. Refill tranny with the amount that cane out, add, maybe, an extra half a quart, then follow the proper ATF level procedure. If all you saw was that black sludge, you can do a full flush or start doing drain/refills every 20-30K.

 

What kind of filter is in your '07 Taco? Is it the same steel mesh used in the 1st Gen Tundras?

 

Thanks everyone. I guess I’m going to go the drain and refill route. I’ll research the procedure and try to do it myself.

 

Yes, mesh, and same filter for V6 Taco and V6/V8 Tundra. I went with Beck/Arnley 044-0345. Will replace again at 260K. Currently at 210K and about to do it’s 4th flush.

 

Couple things, my friend. 1st, I have a 2001, so I don't know what it's like to have a sealed transmission. 2nd, I have taken the pan off and changed the filter and it was not exactly a fun time.

Getting the pan off was a pain and once you start the process, you are committed. Once it's off, changing the filter is a breeze, it's the reassembly that sucks. If you have ample time and a wire wheel brush, life is good, if you don't and are OCD, not so much.

The foam gasket that's been there forever, wants to stay there forever. I left CRC gasket remover on the pan for hours and hours and it was still a ton of work getting the material off.

Got as much off as I could (and off the transmission itself) with a razor blade (gotta be real careful, as it's all aluminum) and put the rubber gasket on (ordered the beck arnley kit just for the gasket). Was the filter noticeably "dirtier" than the new one? No. Was I glad that I did it to clean the pan, magnets, and see the overall condition? Yes.

 

Thanks for the heads up. I’ve watched a few videos. Seems like a bit of a task, but I think I can handle it for the most part. Will keep in mind about cleaning off the old gasket.

 

I wouldn't bother with filter and gasket, honestly. Just multiple drain/fill cycles refilling with Toyota WS fluids. And be careful with torquing things down so you don't strip anything ... it's happened to others. Measure in, measure out, and check your level per standard procedure described in videos. If you are confident in your measure in/measure out and don't do that, and it starts shifting funny, check fluid levels ASAP.

 

Ah - the videos aren't posted in here. Check these, the top one, I feel, is a better video: https://www.tundras.com/threads/05-sr5-v6-only-reverse-works.123761/#post-3170066

 

CRC gasket remover does not work, as it seems. My best deal was using plastic scraper blades and WD-40 or PB Blaster. I did a few transmissions, it worked the best, zero chance of scuffing aluminum.

But I would avoid dropping the pan. No fine particulate filter in this transmission, no need to change it. If it's clogged with something heavier, it's time to rebuild that transmission.

 

Exactly what I ended up doing! Used a real razor on the transmission though, since it's a flat surface. At least I learned how to do it...and that it probably didn't need to be done lol.

 

I also have an 06 and at 150k I did drain and fill, just measured what came out and put the same amount back in, didn’t have any issues and left it at that.

 

Bought a 2017 with 102k mi and no record of it being done. Did a drain and fill at dealership and I’m at 105k now with no issues

 

I did a drain and fill and filter replacement on my '06 AC recently. I noticed that the pan had no magnets. I thought about putting some flat neodymium magnets I had around but I did not want to risk them coming loos and getting jammed up in the moving bits in the trans. I am pretty sure I saw the magnets on the parts list.

Does anyone have any recommendations as to whether its ok to not have the magnets or if needed, how critical is it to get them in there?