Trans Fluid Swap

Is the only viable option for a Trans fluid swap the dealer? I know the trans are "Lifetime" filled which I take is the lifetime of the trans, not 500k miles. I'd love to stuff some Redline in there....

 

no. you can DIY it

 

Ok how? Doesn't it need to be a specific volume at a specific temp?

 

I’ve used Amsoil SS blue cap in WS speced transmissions. Plan on using it in my 24. General rule of thumb is to keep the bottles in the same environment as the vehicle. Measure what comes out and fill the same amount. I did this once on my beloved 15 Tacoma. Verified the pan temp via Bluetooth reader. I didn’t have to warm up the fluid. Best thing to do drain and measure what comes out add the same and an extra qrt. Read the pan temp and pull the check plug.

 

like stated above...just pour back in what you dumped out...simple. You can do a drain and fill or pump and dump. I like using pump and dump method since it gets more than just the pan. I start by draining the pan and adding the same amount back. Then I disconnect a trans cooler line and pump some more out and adding the same amount back in. You can tell the color changes the more fluid you swap out. Fluid wont have time to warm up doing quick dumps with the engine running.

 

Do it cold. Have new stuff at same temp. Drain. Measure. Refill with same amount.

 

Whereas I appreciate that the drain, measure, refill with same volume should be okay, I'm pretty anal about maintenance. Plus, there have been cases where the transmission has been underfilled or overfilled at the factory. And if you spill some fluid during draining or knock over a container accidentally, then you're down to a guessing game. I guess the answer is just don't mess up.

Anyhow - the 2 and 2.5 gen Tundras (and many other Toyotas) can be put into fluid temp monitor mode by bridging two of the OBD terminals then shifting rapidly between D and N. D light is off, turns on when fluid temp is within spec and flashes when temp is too high.

I'd like to change mine myself and have fluid on the way, but no way am I doing it without knowing how to set the fluid level according to Toyota.

 

The easiest way is to use a Bluetooth reader and an app. I use torque pro. This was on my Tacoma.

 

But the question is, what's the temp range that Toyota specifies. The prior gen Tundra was 99-111ºF IIRC, but there were variations through the years and models.