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Since this one is 2 parts I’ll end up posting both videos here when done. I think the most ‘controversial’ part of this series will be the service interval. I did have quite a bit of trouble nailing down a service interval, in fact most of what I found said ‘don’t change it’. What are your thoughts and experiences?
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Hi MR2Aaron!
I did a very similar thing to fill up the gearbox of my Citroen AX; I mean using a very long transparent tube small enough to enter into the filler plug; I then routed the tube way up out of the engine bay, where it was very easy to reach, then connected the tube to a funnel then started dropping transmission oil into the funnel.
Gravity is your friend here; remember the principle of communicating vessels? 😉
I kept a close look on the filler plug, to check when the oil started overflowing.
When it just started to do it I quickly extracted the tube from the filler hole and closed it by sticking a matching size bolt into it, then retracted the tube and then screwed back again the filler plug.The trick is to use a clear tube, so that you can actually see the oil flowing into it.
Also when counting how much oil you’re pouring into the gearbox, you have to take into account the tube capacity!Hope this helps 🙂
Live long and prosper,
10nico
[quote=”10nico” post=39958]Hi MR2Aaron!
I did a very similar thing to fill up the gearbox of my Citroen AX; I mean using a very long transparent tube small enough to enter into the filler plug; I then routed the tube way up out of the engine bay, where it was very easy to reach, then connected the tube to a funnel then started dropping transmission oil into the funnel.
Gravity is your friend here; remember the principle of communicating vessels? 😉
I kept a close look on the filler plug, to check when the oil started overflowing.
When it just started to do it I quickly extracted the tube from the filler hole and closed it by sticking a matching size bolt into it, then retracted the tube and then screwed back again the filler plug.The trick is to use a clear tube, so that you can actually see the oil flowing into it.
Also when counting how much oil you’re pouring into the gearbox, you have to take into account the tube capacity!Hope this helps 🙂
Live long and prosper,
10nico[/quote]
Exactly; I’m not familiar with Citroens, as I’ve never seen one in the US, but the idea is the same, using gravity to do the work of pumping the fluid into a hole you can only actually reach from below. On Toyotas, you’re supposed to fill them until the fluid come back out of the hole, so it’s not super critical to measure how much you’re putting in. Just go slowly, and it’s pretty obvious when it’s time to stop.
Every FWD (or MR) Toyota transaxle I’m familiar with has an identical plug on the top, as well. It’s usually buried under a bunch of coolant hoses, and not explicitly intended for use as a fill port, but I used those with success sometimes too. You remove the side plug, and fill through the top until the gear oil dribbles out the side port.
[quote=”EricTheCarGuy” post=39894]So what do you do if you don’t have a dipstick?[/quote]
Most automatic transmissions are still cooled via a lower radiator section aren’t they? Why not simply drain, drop, replace filter, fill the pan partially while re-attaching it with enough to keep good lubrication, then do a complete remaining flush/fill using the sending and return lines? Perhaps a few extra levels of PIA when trying to re-attach the pan if you’re not concerned with completely flushing the old fluid? I’m unsure as to reasoning, as I don’t know for sure if that one is actively cooling via this, I imagine so, but not certain.“#@%!!” i LOL’ed so hard at work when i saw this on my lunch break.
The F-bomb is my word of choice when ‘stuff’ breaks like that.
So I have a question here.
1. Why would Toyota put a drain plug on the trans and not offer a service interval?
They thought hey, we’ll be nice to our customers and put a drain plug on our trans, and offer a filter too that’s easy to replace!
Then they thought, we cant fit a dip stick for this trans so we won’t put service intervals on the trans, perfect!
A little later they began: well, for the people that tow and drive in dusty weather should change the fluid every now and then so we’ll put a fill plug on it, but just so qualified techs with service experience will be able to find it and service it.
And their last thought: Well who’s really going to change this fluid anyway, we can just run the exhaust under it, no big deal. Who’s really going to change the fluid anyway?
In the end, Why did they put a drain plug on the trans and make it a hassle to fill it? Toyota only got it half right, but opposite of most American manufacturer’s who offer a fill hole and no drain plug.
Here’s a good question for the astudious reader: would you rather have a trans with a drain plug and difficult place to fill or have no drain plug and an easy place it fill?
There is a procedure. You prefill it, like you did. Then after that you start the car and depending on if you have the right scan tool or not you have to watch the temp gauge of the transmission fluid. There is a way to put the car into inspection mode or however its called to where when the trans fluid temp reaches the right temp, some of the dash lights will start blinking. When the temp is right, you take out the other plug that is on that trans pan and let it “overflow” until it trickles, then you know that the fluid is at the right level.
Typical of the exhaust nuts Toyota uses, they don’t like to go back on, they are considered one time use for a reason. Dumb dumb design. Maxlife is spec’d for Toyota WS, it’s a good fluid, although there are better out there if you’re willing to pay for them. Personally if that was my vehicle I would put in Royal Purple ATF, it’s not cheap but considering the pain in the neck job it is to swap out the fluid, may as well spend the extra cash. It’s about $10-12/quart BTW.
What is the total capacity of the transmission? A full flush would be better, done by accessing the tranny cooler lines, although I don’t know exactly how one would go about making sure the transmission is being filled with fluid as the old stuff is being pumped out. I always use the dipstick tube for that, without out it could be an issue.
Don’t ask me why auto makers are removing dipsticks, it makes no sense to me except they are trying to prevent the average guy from doing his own maintenance.
My first thought on the difficult fill hole was to unhook the return line from the tranny cooler and push the fluid back through it.
A hand pump sprayer at a local hardware store with a few added pieces will work for this much like Erics pump set up he had. I also use this for prelubeing engines if they sat a while.[quote=”SludgeMan” post=40052]Typical of the exhaust nuts Toyota uses, they don’t like to go back on, they are considered one time use for a reason. Dumb dumb design. Maxlife is spec’d for Toyota WS, it’s a good fluid, although there are better out there if you’re willing to pay for them. Personally if that was my vehicle I would put in Royal Purple ATF, it’s not cheap but considering the pain in the neck job it is to swap out the fluid, may as well spend the extra cash. It’s about $10-12/quart BTW.
What is the total capacity of the transmission? A full flush would be better, done by accessing the tranny cooler lines, although I don’t know exactly how one would go about making sure the transmission is being filled with fluid as the old stuff is being pumped out. I always use the dipstick tube for that, without out it could be an issue.
Don’t ask me why auto makers are removing dipsticks, it makes no sense to me except they are trying to prevent the average guy from doing his own maintenance.[/quote]
I probably would not recommend doing a flush at 150k miles.
Awesome video, thanks again Eric.
As someone who has no idea what to do if a manifold bolt breaks, what was involved with repairing it?
[quote=”msully725″ post=40436]Awesome video, thanks again Eric.
As someone who has no idea what to do if a manifold bolt breaks, what was involved with repairing it?[/quote]
Lots of options but to be honest it would be best to post it in another thread as to keep the information organized.
Flushing a transmission is easy when there is a dipstick tube. You simply remove the return line from the tranny cooler and direct that into a container. Have someone start the engine, the transmission fluid will be pumped out, as that happens you add fluid. When the fluid appears clean you shut the engine off, that’s it. I’ve used this method many times without issue, there is no risk of damaging anything because the fluid is being replenished as it comes out. You are also not pumping fluid through the transmission at any higher pressure than normal because the tranny is doing the work for you.
The only way I can see that above being an issue is if your transmission is so far gone that the clutch material floating around in the oil is the only thing keeping it from slipping. But if that is the case, I don’t expect the tranny to last much longer anyway.
I agree with you Eric that the industry is moving more and more to a modular approach (same as many other industries) but that doesn’t mean we have to like it! If I ever had a car with no dipstick tube I would try to find a way to add one, or I wouldn’t buy the car in the first place.
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