stir_fry_boy

I was told by multiple dealerships that the Dex III fluid could be changed out with T-IV fluid. But they recommended a flush, dropping the pan and replacing the filter instead of adding it 4 qts + at a time through a drain and refill. I will just stick with the Dex III in mine, that is what the dipstick / owners manual says to use.
When I do my drain and fills, if I have my truck on ramps in front I get about 6.0 qts out. If I have my truck level, I use just under 5.0 qts. I am going to be switching to either Redline equivalent to DEX III or AMSOIL.

Kerby J

Go ahead and use Dexron VI BC its synthetic basically and is totally better than just normal fluid but the only downside is that its bout 7 bucks a quart but when u only change the fluid every 50000 miles its not to expensive

iso_n

Just a quick update.

Do a drop pan/filter + cooler pipe drain with 16Q new fluid, the sound go down a lot. Fluid come out is still very dirty (after the first time 6Q drain/refilled).

Also couple additional things I found it is handy while doing the pan drop.
1. use a small paint can opener to pry the oil pan a little bit at the corner, and the putty knife go right into the seal pretty easy.
2. use a old credit card to remove the old seal, so you will not scratch the block and pan, you may need keep cutting the credit card to get a good edge, but speed you can remove the seal is pretty good.
3. I go for the AutoZone transmission filter, since it have the gasket come with it, and I don't need to remove the sway bar for the TGIF, But make sure you got a good torque wrench to torque evenly so it don't leak. And you can do the next drop pan a lot more easy.

wrpsuite

wonder if this is worth $41 per gallon?

notice at the bottom of the page under suitable replacement both type II & III is reference and also '03-04' 4Runners specifically but nothing earlier...

http://www.redlineoil.com/product.aspx?pid=51&pcid=9

J2F42C

Redline D4 is about the best ATF one can use in a A340E/F tranny IMHO. It is worth the extra $$$. With a little Googling , a case (12qt) can be found from an Internet dealer for under $100. A quart, however, still costs close to $10.

wrpsuite

I find it interesting that Redline doesn't have an application guide on the website. Instead they have a form to fill out in the customer service area and will get back to you. If the stuff is a good as they say then it's worth it every 50k I think. I just need to figure out which product goes in the diff and transfer case..

iso_n

Haven't try the redline ATF on the 4Runner, but I use redline on my Integra MT and they are great.

In general, redline is a good product, but you need to be careful to select which one you pick since some of them have the additives which is for LSD and wrong fluid will eat your syncro.

Worth the $$ or not, it depends what you want, my past experience on redline is very positive. If I have the time to order it online up front, I will do that, unlike this time I want to get it done and don't want to wait for another 2 wks for the oil to arrived.

LifeOnABoard

Sorry for hijacking this thread. I just called my local Toyota dealer for a quote on a fluid exchange. He said they use a BG machine and it cleans out the filter so the filter doesn't need to be replaced. I asked if it uses a solvent to do this but he said he didn't know. I imagine that it must. The quote was $190. Has anyone had good experience with the BG machine/solvent method?

brian2sun

All the bad stuff you hear about flushing is with the machines, I personally would not do that. The DIY flush is much safer and works just as good if not better IMO.

mt_goat

Wow, $190! I hope that price was for using full synthetic ATF.

I'd say no, it does not use solvent to clean the filter, in fact I seriously doubt it cleans the filter at all. The guy was probably just BSing you because they don't want to drop the pan and change the filter. Why should they when they can get $190 for one 10th the work?

The type stuff that gets trapped in the ATF screen usually is not soluble with solvents anyway. Most anything that is soluble in a solvent is also soluble in hot ATF.

All the places around here use those BG machines, they just use the tranny's own pump to remove the old ATF and that pressure is transferred (via a flexible bladder partition) to force the new ATF in. You can do basically the same thing yourself with a method like this one: http://home.centurytel.net/stevenjac...sh/tranny.html

LifeOnABoard

Yeah, another Toyota dealer I just called wants $180 for a flush. Then I got a 3rd quote from a regular shop for $130 for a flush with a machine and no detergents.

As far as quotes for a filter change, the first dealer wanted $160 + cost of additional lost fluid.

The shop wants $300 to do the filter based on estimated time involved and cost of filter.


I think I'm just gonna do this one myself......

mike73737

Is changing the filter just a preventive thing or is it really needed at a certain interval?

mt_goat

IIRC Toyota considers it a lifetime filter. From my own observations they stay pretty clean and would probably be fine for 100,000 miles or more unless there is a major problem going on. The magnets and pan bottom probably need cleaning more often than the filter/screen needs replacing. If you have the pan off anyway for some reason I'd go ahead and change the filter at the same time. If you run an in-line aftermarket filter you could probably go much longer without changing it (they should filter much finer particles than the factory screen does).

stir_fry_boy

I have talked with my buddy at the Toyota Dealership here in SLC. He said that he has never sold a tranny filter in any Toyota that he could remember. In fact if I wanted it, I would have to order it in.

mt_goat

Yeah, the parts counter guys (at dealer) have told me they don't stock them and the shop doesn't normally replace them.

wrpsuite

recently received this from Redline asa result of filling out the request onloine for 02' 4x4.

hope it helps

Thank you for contacting Red Line Oil, in your 4Runner I would recommend the D4ATF in the automatic transmission (2.1 quarts), the 5W30 in the engine (5.5 quarts plus filter) and the 75W90 in the transfer case (2.1 or 2.5 pints) and differentials (2.4 front plus 5.2 or 5.8 pints rear).

3 quarts D4ATF
7 quarts 5W30
6 quarts 75W90
These quantities should be sufficient for any variations and additional for the filter.

Regards, Dave
Red Line Oil

mt_goat

Don't believe that volume, but I know that's from the misprint in Toyota's own specs so can't really blame Redline for that.

J2F42C

$330 for a filter change and non synthetic fluid replacement, then flush at a dealership in Washington, D.C., as of late last year.

I am going to change my filter and flush with 18qts of Redline D4 before the 4th of July. We will see how it goes. I'd take pictures but the transmission filter and fluid change write up by SKJOS last year is about as good as it gets....

iso_n

Another quick update and comment....

take the car for a 1500 miles vacation trip and
1. run smoother
2. gas mileages go up ~ 1 miles.
3. the very little woe noise is gone!!!

Check with my buddy and he was thinking there might be air pocket inside the the transmission or QC, but since it is a open design, it will eventually flush out for a nice hot run.

About the filter change, even with my nasty original transmission fluid (all black for ~100K), the filter seem OK after I drain out all the fluid in the filter. But you never knows until you open it up and check.

Since you already go throught the hardest part for breaking the seal, why not pop 4 more screw and drop in a new one for another worry free 100K miles??

Just my 2 cents

LifeOnABoard

I just swapped out my fluid yesterday. Figured I'd also do the external cooler mod as well. I used the B&M 70268 which was $47 shipped from amazon. Ended up using 18 quarts of fluid as the tranny spit out the fluid faster than I could fill it. It spit out 16 quarts in the amount of time that I could pour 12 quarts in, oooppppssss! I shut it down and poured the last 4 quart jug in with the engine off then topped it off as needed after driving it around.

OH well, it's shifting fine, no more hunting from 2nd to 1st and 3rd to 2nd anymore. Shifting to Drive from Park is smoother, it would kind of quickly smack into gear, not worrisome but a little harsher than I liked. Just drove 50 miles and re-checked the level, it's right at the hot mark and no leaks. Glad I finally had the time to do this.