I drive this, except it isn't that one. It just looks like it, and is the easiest car to find an exact picture of on the internet.

I'm rocking a young 115k miles, with an refurbished engine that was put in ~90k. The automatic transmission has never had an fluid changes. I rarely get a problem where while cruising around 60mph. What happens is I'll go up a hill, the transmission shifts down for power, but after the hill it does not shift back up (Just going down the road @ 3.5kRPM).

I have heard that a ATF change on an older transmission can kill off a transmission and it's 70$ + an hour of my time.

Comments?

Sonic wrote:I drive this, except it isn't that one. It just looks like it, and is the easiest car to find an exact picture of on the internet.

I'm rocking a young 115k miles, with an refurbished engine that was put in ~90k. The automatic transmission has never had an fluid changes. I rarely get a problem where while cruising around 60mph. What happens is I'll go up a hill, the transmission shifts down for power, but after the hill it does not shift back up (Just going down the road @ 3.5kRPM).

I have heard that a ATF change on an older transmission can kill off a transmission and it's 70$ + an hour of my time.

Comments?

I need the exact year, make, model and whether it's a 4 or 6 cylinder.

Are there any lights illuminated on the dash when it doesn't shift properly (overdrive light or check engine)? How long has this problem been happening? There should be an overdrive button somewhere, possibly on the end of the shifter handle. If it's in the mode of not shifting back up after a natural downshift, cycle the button and see what happens. Look down at your dash during your shift event and see if the overdrive light is flashing or steady on. If you do have a legit problem and your trans is at fault, a flush will do nothing to correct the problem.

I am a strong believer in changing transmission fluid. Your mileage isn't that high yet so now is a perfect time to change it out. However, it is something that should be professionally done with the correct fluid that your vehicle calls for. There is a drain plug for the trans on a lot of cars, but that only changes approximately 35% of your overall fluid. A flush gets it all and is worth the price, as long as the proper fluid is used (very important). There are ways of getting all of the fluid exchanged in your yard but it can get messy and I'm sure future Mrs. Sonic wouldn't appreciate a massive oil slick in front of the house.

98, le, 4cyl

no lights.

I'll see who in the area does a flush and not just a fluid change

Sonic wrote:98, le, 4cyl

no lights.

I'll see who in the area does a flush and not just a fluid change

Most shops have a flush machine.

When I started thinking about this last Saturday the only place that answered their phone only did a change & filter change, not a flush.

Why do you believe it should be done by a professional not DIY?

Sonic wrote:When I started thinking about this last Saturday the only place that answered their phone only did a change & filter change, not a flush.

Why do you believe it should be done by a professional not DIY?

You don't get all the fluid out.

The average transmission holds anywhere from 12-16 quarts. Dropping the pan or draining it like it was engine oil only removes 4-5 quarts. Changing the filter isn't necessary on your Toyota. All I've ever done on vehicles with the same package as yours is a flush. If you were to drop the pan and change the filter that would be fine, it's not like it will hurt anything but my professional advice is to flush it.

Two shops that I have called specifically said that believe I should only do a change and not a flush because of the high detergent levels in ATF. That changing some of the fluid would be a good thing, but not to change all of it.

Sonic wrote:Two shops that I have called specifically said that believe I should only do a change and not a flush because of the high detergent levels in ATF. That changing some of the fluid would be a good thing, but not to change all of it.

In the thousands of hours of training I've been in and the 18 years I have been in this business I have never heard anyone say anything about detergents in trans fluid..... ever. Even when I worked for the dealer, we flushed. When I worked in a shop specializing in European cars, we flushed.

Lets stop and think about this. If you're putting in the same kind of fluid that you're taking out, wouldn't it have the same properties? Sounds to me that the shops you've called are using a "one size fits all" fluid. In your case the transmission fluid type is simple old Dexron 3, the same fluid thats been around for years and years. A drain and fill on your car calls for 2.6 quarts, the likely overall capacity of your trans is 10-12 quarts.

Also, I have personally flushed an obscene number of cars with no fucks to give about detergents.

I don't want you do do something that you don't feel is right. My opinion is that trans flushing is the way to go and, in all honesty, is what I do on roughly 80% of cars I see - and I've never had a problem. My guess is that if you call a shop with a flush machine they will tell you to flush it - If you call a shop without a machine, they will say to drain and fill.

It's your choice,Sonic, but there will be no chance in hell I will ever change my manufacture trained, ASE certified, MAP guideline following, 18 year old opinion unless the god of cars roars past me in his 60's Camaro and zaps the knowledge of transmission fluids into me with his mighty spark plug.

Listen to Da Bumble...he's knows his shit.

Darkfoxx wrote:Listen to Da Bumble...he's knows his shit.

this

Oh I believe him. Just wanted to see what he thinks about some of the stuff I've heard. I'm getting it done on Friday

Sonic wrote:Oh I believe him. Just wanted to see what he thinks about some of the stuff I've heard. I'm getting it done on Friday

Have you made any progress with the overdrive shifting issue you're having? Also, what is the actual condition of your fluid? Is it really black and nasty? I got a little side-tracked with discussing the maintenance end of the fluid exchange and we didn't really talk about your issue. Sometimes people come in looking for a flush thinking it will fix a problem and it almost never does.

Wipe off the dipstick on a white paper towel, TWICE. On the second time you wipe it, if you can see no red and If the fluid is black in color with a strong smell, it's probably too late for a flush. However, it has to be really bad for me to turn away someone looking for a flush, which I have done in the past. I turn away someone because, if it looks like the trans is about to fail, I don't want the liability when it does, not because I feel that I would make it worse.

The reason you wipe it twice is because the dipstick is kind of like a magnet for debris. The debris gets stuck on the stick and gives a false reading on the actual condition of the fluid the first time you wipe it clean.

I haven't done anything yet. I checked my fluid, it's brownish red, not nasty...it is over the hot line even when it is cold though...There wasn't much difference in color between wipe 1 and wipe 2.

Sonic wrote:I haven't done anything yet. I checked my fluid, it's brownish red, not nasty...it is over the hot line even when it is cold though...There wasn't much difference in color between wipe 1 and wipe 2.

The wipe this being the same for both is really good.

Wanna talk a little bit more about the hot line problem? Are you referring to the coolant temperature?