im not sure if it was ever done before. should i get it done now? i dont want to open up a leak.

 

yes. But check your fluid first - if it smells horrible, burnt, has metal particles, etc, that might mean your tranny is fried (i.e. doomed), and in that case I'd say don't change it, just start putting away money for a replacement.

 

Just make sure the oil is not burnt to hell cause then your gonna cause problem but if it looks alright change it with just a drain and refill, then after like 5k change it again the same way, this way changing the fluid every 5k or even 10k your slowly getting the dirty fluid out and you will not put the transmission into shock like flushing it out which is gonna loosen up all the dirt holding the fluid in, you should have no problem buying some trans fluid at an AutoZone not like you have to use Toyota fluid so it's cheap.

Now if it's a manual just change it, the autos are completly different

 

If you have not changed it in all that mileage, check the fluid for sure!
If it is burnt....DO NOT CHANGE!

If the fluid is still a nice red color:
1) pull the pan
2) clean the filter
3) refil with fresh fluid

 

well i bought the truck used and the fluid is pink. that ok?

 

If it's pink you got the Ladies's Edition 4Runner.
And it also means the fluid is fresh. Brown/red=old

 

Brown/red=old well maybe it is that color. its a dark dirty pink lol

would it be ok to just do a drain then refill every 5k miles for then next year or so?

 

I know that burnt fluid = no change...but what is the technical reason for that anyway?

 

Get 2 white dishes, pour equal amounts of used and new ATF into each dish. Take a picture of both of them at the same time then let us see it. The YotaTech gods will be able to tell you approximately how old it is.

 

what if i wipe the dipstick on a white paper towel a few times. then dip the dipstick in the new bottle of tranny fluid and whipe that on the towel a few times.

i'll try that and see how it looks. i have to mechanic abilities whatsoever.

 

That would work fine too.
Smell works best for me....if it smells burnt compared to new fluid, leave it.
You will know right away if it is burnt or not, trust me!
My hunch is it will be fine to change, just check first.

 

smell it when its cold or hot?

 

Hot or cold doesn't matter.....the smell will be a bit more pronounced when hot.

 

Bump on this...why wouldn't one want to change it out if it smells burned? :wtf:

I just checked mine last night and it's still reddish but I think I'll change mine anyways since it's been over 20k miles since my last one.

 

If it is burnt then that means more internal wear may have happened, and the burnt fluid is full of gunk which makes like a buffer of sorts. When you drain and add new fluid it may start to slip due to the wear caused by the breakdown of the old fluid. The new stuff will lubricate but if the parts are worn enough you will experience tranny slip. Then your talking rebuild or replace.

 

ok i checked the fluid and wiped it on a napkin. spill a little pepsi on a table and wipe it up with a napkin. thats exactly what it looks like. smells bad too.

what do i do? just wait it out until it dies? how long do you think i have?

or

can i do just a drain and refill?(no vaccuum)

 

I see! Thanks so much for the detailed explanation E1. OK, I just bought Dexron III ATF fluid to replace my ATF fluid, think I'll do that when i get home later today.

Sorry to hear about the burnt fluid madmaniac.