2010 2WD Vibe: Transmission Fluid Change Advice ?

[2010redvibe]

Hello all. Thanks for the help on the wipers insert question. I finally got them, and did the job. What a difference! In this case it was very quick & easy. I'm definitely not a person who knows his way around working on cars, but I do try to tackle jobs that I can read-up on, perhaps watch a how to video, and then get a job done. It's a great feeling once you learn how to do something & complete the job. Unfortunately, like most of us, the difficulty is finding the time to do a job and weighing that out against simply paying a mechanic. Ugh.

Anyway, my question is about the Transmission fluid. My car is at around 95,000 miles now, and I have never drained or flushed the transmission fluid. Should it be drained? Or should I take it to be flushed?

My Vibe manual says this about the automatic transmission (back at 60,000 miles. D'oh!). I've copied the text from the manual:

"Change automatic transmission fluid every 96 000 km (60,000 miles) if the vehicle is mainly driven under one or more of these conditions:

− In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature regularly reaches 32°C (90°F) or higher.
− In hilly or mountainous terrain.
− When doing frequent trailer towing.
− Uses such as found in taxi, police, or delivery service.

If you do not use your vehicle under any of these conditions, the fluid does not require changing."

These above conditions don't really apply to my driving exactly. I live in New York state, and commute on highways about 45 miles per day.

So...since I'm at 95,000 miles should address the transmission fluid regardless? And again, which is the way to go: drain or flush?

I read some threads on the forum already, but do you have any advice (or can provide links to already established discussions) on the best way to do a transmission drain?

Thanks very much for reading this and for your replies & help!

[jolt]

You want to read this: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=40198. Be sure to get the right fluid, which is rated WS. About 6 post down, find the link to toyotanation.com which has pictures of all you need to just change the fluid.

I myself would also change the transmission filter while I had it drained and do the partial fluid change. I am sure you can Google that for a Toyota and watch it on You Tube too. A filter kit will have the filter and a new pan gasket in it. You just remove the pan bolts, break the pan loose from the transmission and remove pan, remove the 3 small bolts that hold the filter to the bottom of the valve body and replace the filter. This will give you the chance to clean out the inside of the transmission oil pan too before you re-install it. You will need roughly 4 qt of transmission fluid to do this job unless you want to change all the fluid by remove the cooler hoses and pumping all the fluid though to do a flush, then you will need about 10 quarts or more. The bolts need to be torqued to 97 in-lb on the filter, and 71 in-lb on the pan bolts; Note that this is in-lb and not ft-lb. If you do not have a torque wench, you can rent one or some parts store will loan you one.

The most expensive part of this job is the fluid. The filter is cheap and well worth changing. If you have more time than money, then this is well worth the time to do yourself.

[Caretaker]

As I've posted before redvibe, Toyota Service Managers have told me that they have "rescued" many Toyota transmissions from shifting problems by changing out the fluid DESPITE Toyota owner manuals stating that the "fluid never needs to be changed" unless the car is driven in severe conditions. Since you have a 2010, despite the mileage, I think you are still within the age where a full flush can be done without dislodging any varnish (which is unlikely to be inside given the young age of your car). So despite the miles, I'd certainly get the fluid out of there and I'd go for the flush with World Standard fluid at your local Toyota dealership.
On my Honda Fit that I bought at 94,000 miles, I had a drain and fill done since the car is over 3 years older than your car. To put it simply, if you bought a new car and drove it 95,000 miles in one trip, I'd certainly flush it. Age, not mileage is normally what does a car in. In 4 years, I can't see varnish accumulating to the sides of your transmission. Multiple drain and fills is the safest way to go, but when you are talking about WS fluid, it is quite expensive to drain and fill whenever you feel the urge. WS is meant to stay in the car approximately 100,000 miles. As long as you have not towed with your car, or climbed Pikes peak every month, I'd say you are fine to flush. -- I'm not a mechanic, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

[2010redvibe]

Jolt and Caretaker, thank you very much for your replies. I'm going to think about doing it myself, with the transmission drain & filter replacement. But time is certainly not something I have a lot of. If I determine I really don't have the time, then I'll call around to price what a transmission flush will cost me (& have them do it).

Thanks again. I certainly know now that I should at least do something, despite of what the manual says about those driving conditions.

[vibenvy]

Sorry to hijack this thread, but I have the same question just with different vehicle specs...

Both our 2009 Vibe GTs are right around 50,000 miles. They were both built toward the end of 2008 (10.29 & 11.17), so they are about 5.5 years old and we've owned them for right around 5 years. Neither Vibe is driven under any of the conditions listed in the owner's manual. Is a transmission fluid drain or flush a good idea at this point in time or do we have time and/or miles yet to go before it should be done? Thanks in advance!

[Caretaker]

again, the World Standard fluid is good to about 100,000 miles, despite Toyota manuals saying it is good forever. I changed mine out at about 70,000 miles simply because one Toyota dealer gave me an incredible price for a full flush for only $200. WS fluid is expensive, so I got away with a bargain. To anyone contemplating having a Toyota dealer do it, send out 5 e-mails to local dealers in your area (if you have that many). Ask them for a price on a flush (if appropriate) with WS fluid. You'll be amazed at the range of prices that come back. Here's an example of Amsoil synthetic claiming it exceeds Toyota's WS specifications:

http://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-product/t ... &zo=510227" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I can't attest to the validity of the Amsoil claims. For my Honda Fit, I made my mechanic put in the real Honda stuff. I kinda lean towards having the WS in my car as well. Here's the capacity data on my corolla engine. You can type in your car's year/engine and get the results as well:

http://www.amsoil.com/mygarage/vehiclel ... IAC+VIBE+8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[vibenvy]

Okay, since it's good until 100,000 miles, I guess we can wait a while. We've had both our Vibes since brand new and they are not driven hard or abused, so they should be fine for another ~5 years and ~50,000 miles. I will definitely be sure to take them to a Toyota dealer and have them use World Standard (WS) fluid when the time comes.

[jolt]

Peak full synthetic ATF claims to meet Toyota's WS standard also. Advanced Auto has it for $5.99 a quart. I trust Amsoil products as being superior to OEM standards but do not know about Peak's products other then what Peak claims. I would think that as time passes more ATF manufactures would be making fluid that meets Toyota's standards too. If I remember right someone over at a Toyota forum said the Toyota fluid was made by Exxon but I have not checked into that.

I would always change the filter and clean the pan. That is where the wear particles from the bands, clutch plates, etc. are going to collect. As the filter gets restricted, the transmission looses pressure because it can not supply the volume of fluid needed to apply the clutch packs, bands and so on in the transmission when shifting. When that happens, things start to wear faster. It is a snow ball affect and it all goes down hill from that point. This shows up even more in cold weather where temps drop and the ATF gets nice and thick, which is harder to get through the dirty filter. Most flushes do not drop the pan. They only pump the fluid out and put new fluid in. For the fluid to be pump to the converter, which is where the largest amount of fluid is held in the transmission, the fluid has to pass through the old filter. A flush does nothing to help fluid flow.

[triz]

The Amsoil ATF is a great product. They make really good ATF and manual fluids. I think 100k is okay. I would not go longer than that. Its relatively cheap maintenance. Plus I think it shifts way smoother with new fluid in there.

[trb]

Since I drive under condition 1 probably 3/4 of the year, I did a drain & refill last year at about 65K. I bought a case of WS for like $90 and used 4 quarts I think it was. I guess I should drop the pan & filter and change another 4 quarts.