Truckfiend

So I was asking a mechanic friend the other day about doing a trans fluid flush because I just bought this truck and want to change all of the fluids. Anyhow he simply said if he were me he would not change the fluid at all, just leave it. His reason was that by doing a fluid change I will stir up any junk that is settled in the bottom and potentially ruin the trans.
Has anyone heard this or have other advice? I'm flying blind here and to be perfectly honest I'm not 100% sure on where to drain the thing or where to fill it back up at. Stupid I know. Being a manual trans it has no dip stick to fill it from and how do you know when it's full? Any help?

Lukifer

I have the same question. Picked up the truck on Friday. I want to change fluids and the timing chain. 140k on the truck and no idea about how they kept it before me.

Team420

depends on mileage, and maintenance history. If its got 150k or more on it, and has never been flushed, yeah, I'd just leave it. But if low mileage, or it has been changed regularly in the past, then keep flushing at regular intervals.

Monochrome

Draining and filling the fluid is a necessary maintenance task, though I've heard that "flushing" with another material can be detrimental. The drain plug is on the bottom of your transmission, and the fill plug is on the side. You fill it by pumping fluid into the fill plug or using a funnel with tubing somehow from above because there's not enough vertical room to simply tip a bottle.

Please use the search button, there's a ton of topics about this, and also download the factory service manual, which is the topmost link in the forums.

https://www.yotatech.com/search.php?searchid=6679538

Kiroshu

Your truck an auto or man? Well In a way kinda but not really. If its an auto trans then yea let it settle and drop the pan and clean it out along with the filter an new fluid. Theres no prob for it, you supose to do it every so often anyway. I forget its like every 40-50k miles or somethin your supose to change fluid and filter. I've done it in alot of auto 22res and never had probs. If its man go ahead pop the plug and change the fluid. This one will be a bit tough to fill though due to lack of room. I got one of my bottles of gear oil and put a hose on it and sqwezzed it in there. May take a while. Your friend is not very bright..... A flush is pointless but a new filter and new fluid change is not just clean the pan out really good.

93yota93lude

under the truck the trans has two plug bolts on on the bottom and on the side of it closer to the top. remove top bolt and then bottom to let air vent through the trans while you drain clean the threads on the plug and the threads on the bottom whole. you could invest in a magnetic drain plug for the bottom plug but the manual trans is a closed system not much gunk gets in it unless you grid the SH** out of your gears so its safe to change it and you will need some kind of fluid pump and fill the fluid into the top whole look up how much you need for you tranny and fill when you get close to the full amount pump in slowly caz how you know its full is when if pours out of the top whole so be on level ground while draining/fillin your fluids. now when it comes to synchro mesh or regular MT fluid thats up to you if your gears feel knotchy or one gear grids a little synchro is the way to go but if your tranny feels fine you could go the regular fluid synchro mesh is a thicker fluid which slows your gears down faster between shifts so when you disengage the clutch to shift the thicker fluid will slow your gears down for a smoother shift the bearings get old in the gears after a while and dont slow the gear down as fast in turn creating a knotchy shift or little grinds here and there
happy wheelin good luck!
LMK of any other problems i work at a toyota dealership used to be in service now in the collision center so i have more resources if you need more help..

Truckfiend

Thanks guys! I'll guess I'll be changing it first thing in the morning then. I didn't realize the trans had a replaceable filter in it. I'll have to pick one up. This truck Has a 4" body lift so I may be able to tip a bottle under there.

93yota- Thank you for the detailed reply.

Now on to the t-case.

Marc

Just the auto has a filter.

On a manual make sure you can remove the fill plug before you drain it.

Might as well change the diffs and transfer case as well.

DupermanDave

If you can't tip the bottle to fill up the fluid, how do you guys prefer replacing the fluid? I see those fluid pump things, but those seem like a pain to use.

93yota93lude

either the fluid pump if you find a fluid pump that holds alot of fluid its easier but the little pumps they do take time so either the pumps or a small hose inside the whole up through the engine bay and with a funnel fill it till it pours out of the top bolt hole that is how you know its full i recommend going to a local auto part store and finding a pump that looks like a big needle but it holds about a quart of fluid in it and has a 8 inch rubber hose off the front of it that is the easiest one i have used

LangyLang

I got a potentially dumb question, is the transfer case oil and the transmission oil seperate? Or do they both share the same fluid?

myyota

If your truck has a manual transmission, then change the oil, there is no filter to change and its required maintenance. Use 80w90 gear oil in the trans and transfer case. If you have an automatic trans then just drop the pan and change the filter and refill with ATF.

myyota

They actually work quite well.

DupermanDave

I just take the shift lever off and fill it up that way. It's so much easier sitting down in the cab, listening to the radio, and just undoing a few screws for the boot.

I guess it's all personal preference.

snobdds

Not a dumb question at all. Yes the transfer case and the Transmission are seperate and so is there oil. If memory serves me correctly, the transmission takes 4-7 pts (depending on type W- 46,55,56 etc...) and the transfer case takes about 3.5 quarts. Make sure to put GL-4 in the Transmission and the rest can take GL-5

iamsuperbleeder

I never understood the "don't change the transmission fluid because it's old" argument...

would you not change your engine oil or differential fluid because it's old? I mean really, think about it

how is leaving OLD worn out fluid in there going to be better for the trans than putting new, fresh fluid in it... the drain plug is on the bottom, so most sediments should come out anyways during the drain. if it bothers you that bad, buy a $5 gasket and drop the pan in the process, and clean anything that settled in it by hand

whiteywoman

I have an 89 4runner, manual trans., 4cyl. I need to add some transmission fluid, which I understand is power steering fluid on this model. which vessel does it go in?

mark3913

I have a 1994 4runner,manual transmission and 3.0 vze engine. On the passenger side of the tranny I have a drain and fill plug however on the drivers side I have a fill plug but no obvious drain in sight. Can someone please tell me what this other fill plug is for,obviously a newbie here.Thanks.