3rd Gen Auto Trans Drain/Flush/Pan Drop - What do yall do?
04-01-2010, 11:39 AM
#21
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if u find a dirty filter and clumps in there but lets says the vehicle runs good, would removing all that crap result in bad results because you hear about flushing stuff out is not always a good idea. just wondering since although my 97 is running nicely im still stuck on the fence on whether to drop the pan or just drain and refill. so if you drop pan, you should clean everything out? is that a good idea or not?
04-01-2010, 11:51 AM
#22
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If its just dark but still red and doesnt smell your fine. Just means its time to change it out. Since you may not know previous service you could drop the pan if you want to check out screen and magnets.
But since you say its running good a flush wont hurt it-just replaces all the old fluid. Your not going to add anything worse into your system thats not already there. If you do mostly daily driving and are not harsh to it.. its a Toyota and will keep on going.
Just keep track of what you drain out to re-add at begining. Then do quart at a time for about first 4-5qts then you can do 2 at a time.
But since you say its running good a flush wont hurt it-just replaces all the old fluid. Your not going to add anything worse into your system thats not already there. If you do mostly daily driving and are not harsh to it.. its a Toyota and will keep on going.
Just keep track of what you drain out to re-add at begining. Then do quart at a time for about first 4-5qts then you can do 2 at a time.
04-01-2010, 12:17 PM
#24
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I flushed mine at around 185,000 and I had rough shifting going into it. All problems went away after the flush. I think "flushing an old tranny is bad and will cause it to fail" is an outdated thought, pertains mainly to machine flushing in which cleaning solvents and detergents are used, and is a wive's tale IMO. It fixed my tranny's shifting problems. I'm not a tranny expert, but I can tell you that it was a good thing that I did it to mine, I really don't think it would have lasted as long as it has if I hadn't flushed.
04-02-2010, 03:11 PM
#27
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I don't recall the manufacturer. It was an aftermarket rubber gasket that came with the a filter I purchased from Autozone. I ended up reusing the stock filter because it was fine and liked the idea of and OEM part.
I have done the pan drop and flush twice using the rubber gasket. The first, i ran 50,000 miles with no leaks before the 4Runner was totaled. On my current 2000 4Runner I am at a total of approx 113k miles with about 38k miles on the rubber gasket. No leaks or issues thus far.
Like a few others on the board, i installed an in-line magnefine filter and change every 10k or so and drain and fill periodically. As long as I have no tranny issues and no chunks in the in-line filter, i have no plans to drop the pan again. I dropped the pan primarily for peace of mind and to learn something new.
I have cut the magnefine filters open (sorry no pictures) and found a very fine metal "paste" on the magnet, similar to the stuff found on the magnets on the bottom of the pan magnets. Fortunately no chunks of metal.
I have done the pan drop and flush twice using the rubber gasket. The first, i ran 50,000 miles with no leaks before the 4Runner was totaled. On my current 2000 4Runner I am at a total of approx 113k miles with about 38k miles on the rubber gasket. No leaks or issues thus far.
Like a few others on the board, i installed an in-line magnefine filter and change every 10k or so and drain and fill periodically. As long as I have no tranny issues and no chunks in the in-line filter, i have no plans to drop the pan again. I dropped the pan primarily for peace of mind and to learn something new.
I have cut the magnefine filters open (sorry no pictures) and found a very fine metal "paste" on the magnet, similar to the stuff found on the magnets on the bottom of the pan magnets. Fortunately no chunks of metal.
Looks like I'll be following your footsteps exactly. I just bought a filter kit from Advance Auto Parts, and I have a Magnefine inline filter ready to install as well.
I have no doubts the rubber gasket will work great. My main question is: how could you tell that the factory Toyota filter was still good? It looks like a self contained unit to me.....like I can't see the inside of it or any filter material.
04-02-2010, 07:00 PM
#29
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Yeah, I kind of can. But I don't feel like I can see enough to judge whether or not there's some crap hidden in there. I guess I'm just going to change mine and put the "cheap" Pro-King brand filter in there and it'll work fine.
04-03-2010, 03:11 AM
#30
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you can look through the holes. there shouldn't be an physical damage to screen inside the filter. just check for any debris. i had very little in mine and used a can or so of brake cleaner to wash out the little that was in there. I am sure the Pro-King will be fine.
Last edited by TimZ; 04-03-2010 at 03:14 AM.
04-03-2010, 11:34 AM
#31
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One thing I did notice was the cork gaskets on the filter kinda got smashed down and I was worried that if I didn't put it on exactly in the position it was before, it may not seal good so I ended up just buying a new filter before I put it all back together.
04-03-2010, 12:59 PM
#32
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Some of the debris stuck in the filters I've seen was stuff not soluble with solvents (like brake cleaner). Stuff like little slivers of metal, stuck halfway though the screen.
04-04-2010, 07:00 PM
#33
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it seems like flushing as described in the first post link really doesn't seem like it does harm to your tranny. its not pushing detergents or cleaners in, its just running fluid thorughout right? should this be fine to do then w/o dropping the pan?
04-05-2010, 12:04 PM
#34
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I have a 97 that I have done 2 flushes on and have been impressed. I did one at 85k(week I bought it) and the other at 160k. I never had any problems, grindings shavings nada. I have 181547mi currently and it runs well.
04-06-2010, 09:58 AM
#35
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ive decided to drain and fill to try and get most of the old oil out. so would i do this about 3 times lets say. my local sams club has dexron III fluid for 19bux for 12qrts. could i run this stuff to most of the old stuff out and then possibly put good oil maybe on the last fill. or should i use the good stuff the entire process? any recommendations? the stuff at sams club is a store brand atf but its for dexron III/mercon. would this be ok. i think our 4runner calls for dexron II so im pretty sure this is ok for it. i know some use amsoil the entire process. is this overkill if you plan on draining it out anyways. ???
04-06-2010, 10:07 AM
#36
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Just so ya'll know, I talked with my friend at the Toyota dealership. He said they have NEVER sold a trans filter for my 02' Auto 3.4L. Just drain and fill (or flush if you want) but you shouldn't ever need to change the filter. If it leaks around the pan then I will change it while I am in there but otherwise I will not change my filter after hearing that.
To do the pan you will need Toyota FIPG or equivilant. Hondabond I am sure will work too.
To do the pan you will need Toyota FIPG or equivilant. Hondabond I am sure will work too.
04-08-2010, 11:03 PM
#40
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I did a drain and fill on my 2wd transmission today and got about 2.9 quarts out. Does anybody know the total capacity of the 2wd transmission? I'm trying to figure out how much new fluid I will have in it if I do another drain and fill in a few months.
