Automatic transmission flush or oil change

northvibe · Post by **northvibe** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 12:57 am

Anyone done the flush themselves? Im wondering on the device I would need to drain the torq converter.Otherwise I will just change the oil today (not all of it will be drained because of torq converter) and then just go to a dealership or somewhere to have it flushed.

northvibe · Post by **northvibe** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 4:12 am

Here is a quote from newcelicaQuote, originally posted by blinding-gts Â»$199!! Damn that's highway robbery. I got my winter beater fluid changed AND flushed for $50(CAD). I never changed and auto-tranny's fluid for the celica but normally you will need a transmission pan gasket, a filter and a torque wrench to do the job. You drop the pan, drain the fluid from the drain plug, replace the filter and then reinstall. Fill it up a few quarts with tranny fluid. To flush out the old fluid you can remove the fluid return line at the tranny (usually the upper two lines) and place a clear container at the ends to catch the fluid coming out. Start the engine for about 10-15 seconds then turn it off. You will have pumped some fluid out. Add some more tranny fluid in and repeat this process 2-3x more. Then reinstall the drain line back to the tranny, start the engine and check for leaks.Then keep your foot on the brake and shift the car through each gear and back into park. Check the fluid level, drive around for a bit and re-check it and add if needed. That should be it and this should take roughly an hour or so to do.Back when I had 36k miles on my car I did a lot of reading on how to DIY flush your auto tranny and that is the way above...sort of a long process... I think I decided to just drain and fill my tranny oil every 15k miles as Ive read some places that the tranny flush can be too agressive on the auto trans. Anyones opinion is welcome on this matter....

viber05 · Post by **viber05** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 5:34 am

i got a tranny flush in my 98 malibu, next thing i know im payn for a new tranny. shop said improper fluid level led to catastrophic break down of 1st and 2nd gear. so went back to place where got my flush done at and made them pay me back $2500. so moral of story get it done by a professional like at the dealer not at some autoshop or urself.

northvibe · Post by **northvibe** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 6:02 am

Well an article I was reading was saying, that the machine they use to flush them is so agressive it can push the chunks and sludge into any valves or 1 way tube things, where they shouldnt go. This can/will lead to the tranny not working. I have decided NOT to get a flush and just keep draining and filling my auto tranny every 15k miles. Well I just drained and filled and it was like 3.3 quarts of ATF. Here are some pics of the fluid... Old fluid, its in a green pan, it was really darkNew fluid it was nice and pink!It was really easy to do, just like changing oil in the engine. I used Toyota ATF T-IV, 4 quarts was like 26 bucks, not to bad.

viber05 · Post by **viber05** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 6:19 am

did u change the tranny filter?

northvibe · Post by **northvibe** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 6:29 am

It is a metal screen so you just need to clean it. It is inside the oil pan, I didnt drop the pan because I didnt want to change the gasket so no I did not clean it. Next time I do this I will drop the pan and clean it then put a new gasket in. I am also thinking of switching to synthetic tranny oil, but I'll have to read more up on it before I do.

viber05 · Post by **viber05** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 10:44 am

hmm i need to read up on synthetic tranny fluid b/c im almost at 50000 miles and im going to want to clean out everything.

northvibe · Post by **northvibe** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 11:11 am

wow just with a drain and fill my car shifts smoother, quieter shifting and faster shifts. Nice. Very happy I did this , just wish I had done it sooner. Even if I switch to synthetic I would probably drain and fill every 15k miles, because that tranny fluid was nasty and I need my auto tranny to stay nice and smooth..

viber05 · Post by **viber05** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 12:32 pm

hmmm i think i might do that this sunday. mine is starting to feel a lil rough. xcept imma try the synthetic and ill post on it later.

northvibe · Post by **northvibe** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 4:57 am

I hear the red line is the only certified one for T-IV tranny...?

viber05 · Post by **viber05** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 5:36 am

well its raining today so no fluid change for me. will try again monday. i have found the only synthetic tranny fluid there is and its amsoil.

northvibe · Post by **northvibe** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 6:14 am

here is redlinehttp://www.redlineoil.com/prod...yID=8Royal Purplehttp://www.royalpurple.com/prodsa/matfa.htmlWhen looking to buy one just make sure they support the T-IV transmission type.

viber05 · Post by **viber05** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 6:34 am

both are a no go. amsoil i think is the only one that is synthetic for the T-IV tranny, but i have no idea where i can buy it at.

northvibe · Post by **northvibe** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 6:54 am

on the celica forum they use royal purple and many recommend redline, MT-90 fluid. I guess some use castrol as well. But again I havent done much research into it, I just know people use that oil. I keep searching newcelica and everyone there either runs royal purple or redline mt-90. A couple people use Syncromech which is said to be lighter than redline. the celica is the same engine etc as the vibe/trix.

viber05 · Post by **viber05** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 7:20 am

well i was doin more research and found to my liking that toyota type T-IV tranny fluid available at any toyota dealership is synthetic so thats what im going to use.

ToolGuy · Post by **ToolGuy** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 10:14 pm

I did the drain and re-fill. Did it again months later bought a new gasket and dropped the pan. I cleaned the filter and pan magnets. I probably will not drop the pan the next 2-3 times I change the fluid. I have always drained and re-filled in my cars and have never had an issue with my transmissions. I also bought the Toyota fluid at the local auto store, Valvoline I believe makes the same approved T-IV type.

northvibe · Post by **northvibe** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 1:57 am

toolguy - how nasty was the pan? Use anything to clean it special? How much was the gasket?

quicksilver · Post by **quicksilver** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 2:44 am

The owner prior to me had a "pump through" done on the transmission fluid and put in synthetic Amsoil brand.... Is this the same thing as a 'flush'? And, is it easy to change the oil?

GrayFox · Post by **GrayFox** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 3:05 am

A complete tranny flush is where you drain the old fluid then by some means flush the tranny out (either by using a professional machine or one of the ways described in the above posts) then refilling with new tranny fluid.What toolguy describes is similar to a oil change in where you don't completely get all the old fluid out. & oil changes on this car are super easy if you done them yourself on anything else before

northvibe · Post by **northvibe** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 3:20 am

Yup Theres a drain on the bottom of the tranny maybe a foot fromt he drain on the engine, takes the same size wrench. Just unscrew and about 3.5 quarts will come out. then put the plug back in WITH the gasket, its a metal gasket so make sure you dont drop it and lose it in the oil bucket. It would be nice if you measured what was drained so you could add just that back in. But if you open your hood, in front of the engine is a orange dip stick, take it out and get a funnel to pour the ATF into that. then start the car get it warmed to normal running temp, keep it running and check the tranny dip stick for the level of tranny fluid. just like changing oil on the engine

Whelan · Post by **Whelan** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 4:02 am

How much is the Toyota brand vs. the Valvoline stuff Tool. I am going to do my ATF come next oil change. Wonder what it will look like after 30k of driving.

northvibe · Post by **northvibe** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 4:18 am

1 quart of toyota ATF for me was about 7 bucks.

northvibe · Post by **northvibe** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 9:33 am

Just did my tranny fluid drain and fill and its shifting smoother again! nice

chevelle_lover · Post by **chevelle_lover** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 11:33 am

An old trick that mechanics used to use is to take the cooler lines off of the radiator and put it in a pan. Do not turn the car on but start bumping the engine with the starter motor. This will pump out the torque converter. From what I have been told although some shops still use this process it is not recommended for newer transmissions. I have done this with my TH400 on my truck but I would not even try it on a newer vehcile.

northvibe · Post by **northvibe** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 1:50 pm

yeah ill just stick with the drain and fill method...next one ill drop the pan to clean it up and check it. Wasnt as nasty as before and like I said its shifting smooth like new again

MarkM04 · Post by **MarkM04** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 12:09 am

Trying to empty the tranny by bumping the starter would probably take all day, kill your battery and your started. If it worked at all. Just like any pump, it take more then a short turn to work. It has to run, so it can prime, then actually pump.

ToolGuy · Post by **ToolGuy** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 1:02 am

Quote, originally posted by northvibe Â»toolguy - how nasty was the pan? Use anything to clean it special? How much was the gasket?Looks like I forgot to answer you Northvibe! I used brake cleaner to clean the pan, magnet and filter screen. The pan was pretty clean actually and I do not remember how much the gasket was but have the receipt at home.

Vincent Vega · Post by **Vincent Vega** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 12:01 am

I did my tranny fluid change yesterday. First went to Pontiac for the fluid...$11.75 a quart. When that didn't happen, I went to Autozone and looked it up in there guide, Castrol Multi-Car Import is T-IV approved... and only $4.30 a quart.

zionzr2 · Post by **zionzr2** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 12:22 am

Quote, originally posted by Vincent Vega Â»I did my tranny fluid change yesterday. First went to Pontiac for the fluid...$11.75 a quart. When that didn't happen, I went to Autozone and looked it up in there guide, Castrol Multi-Car Import is T-IV approved... and only $4.30 a quart.Royal Purple Full Sythetic ATF that is Toyota Type IV is only $10/quart.

schroeder · Post by **schroeder** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 2:08 am

Did you drop the pan and clean the filter?Did you just drain the pan at the drain plug and if so how much did you add to refill?Notice any difference in shifting.Thanks

ToolGuy · Post by **ToolGuy** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 4:19 am

Quote, originally posted by schroeder Â»Did you drop the pan and clean the filter?Did you just drain the pan at the drain plug and if so how much did you add to refill?Notice any difference in shifting.ThanksFor me, I dropped the pan and cleaned the screen. There is no filter to change on this cars. All the changes after now that the screen and magnets are clean will just be removing the drian plug and refilling. In each case I used 4 quarts. You will not get all the fluid out unless you do a flush to get the cooler too. However you can drain re-fill, drive it for a few miles and then drain and refill again to try and get all the old fluid out.

ToolGuy · Post by **ToolGuy** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 4:21 am

Vincent Vega, are you a Pulp Fiction fan?

schroeder · Post by **schroeder** » Fri Aug 01, 2008 2:09 pm

Thanks!I think I will try the drain and refill and do it again soon after.

SinisterMind · Post by **SinisterMind** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 1:40 am

My Vibe has 65k and I never changed the ATF. Checked it last week and it's gray. How much would a dealer charge for replacing the ATF?

keithvibe · Post by **keithvibe** » Thu Aug 21, 2008 8:25 am

did my trans drain and fill got my fluid from amsoil.Next on the list is the front diff... just need to find a 22mm wrench lol

Automatic transmission flush or oil change

Automatic transmission flush or oil change

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