blacknight_rc

Hi all!

I'm having a '04 xA with 63k miles on it, and wondering when to change ATF (flush & change). I'm having noticeable gear changes from 1st to 2nd to 3rd compared to those days which I only had 1st-2nd change felt to me (about 30k miles before)..

Is this a reason to change ATF? It doesn't show any less ATF on the gauge or any dark color change.. any advises pls?

Thanks!

Phoenyxx

You should be changing ( flushing ) Your ATF around every 50k miles or so. The main thing to look for when you think you need to change it, is the color. You want it to look like a dark clean red color. If it looks like a brownish red color, it's probably good to go ahead and change it. =P Hope it helped! =P

blacknight_rc

Hi,
Thanks for the reply.. the color seems a little pinkish but definitely not brown.. and i did a bit of researching and it seems to me its better to do manual changing with cleaning the sump (+ magnet) and install new filter/gaskets everything.. Im NOT really bothered about the cost, i just need to get it done perfectly..

any advises on what i think? flushing seems a bit forceful and i fear it would bring up new issues that im not currently having..

Phoenyxx

I personally am always a fan of doing everything by hand. =P The manual drain in my personal opinion I like better, but you will always find people who don't think so, and prefer the flush. I'm also a big "if it's not broke, don't break it further" fan... and flushing is a bit more "intense" if you will. I also baby my car, though I have a standard tranny, so no ATF for me. =P

I've also had friends who have taken their cars to shops ( 3 to be exact ) and had the tranny flushed, and popped up with issues pretty soon afterwards... Coincidence? Possibly... but again, everyone is entitled to their own preferences and opinions. =P So, personally speaking, I'd go manually. =P

blacknight_rc

hahaa i'm also in the same opinion, that i dont wanna fix anything if it isnt broken already

Thank you for sharing your experiences about your friends, turns out to be i too have some friends who'd do it manually if its got no big issues.. and that finalizes my decision on how to do it.. i wud just clean the sump, get some new gaskets and/or filter if necessary, and top up my ATF

Thanks again!

blacknight_rc

Hi again!,

Yesterday I did my ATF change at the dealershop, and they were pretty neat on their jobs. Cleaned the sump and filter, installed new gaskets and topped up to correct level. It took almost all of the 4 liter can

Cost me about $50 for Genuine Toyota T-IV ATF, some 20$ or so for gaskets and another $30 for labor and was done in less than 2 hours..

I didnt really expect much improvement in shifting, because my ATF was still OK when they drained it (not bright red as it is now, but not brownish either), but there is a small improvement on 2nd to 3rd shifting now and also a definite improvement on down shifting when you slow down.

Anyway this was my first time at the dealershop and it was a good experience!

blacknight_rc

Hi all im back.. I just did my routine service, and the guy there says my ATF is low.. I told him how come i changed it just a few months ago, and it was ok back then..

how he says its low is by turning on the engine and checking the level a few seconds after.. is this method correct? my engine cool LED was still on when he checked it, and it was around the "COOL" area in my dipstik (he was like "whooahh you gonna need like 1 liter of ATF!"

I said alright whatever and came back home and checked while the engine was still running and hot.. it was just up to the bottom mark of "HOT" area then.. is this good enough? Should it be well up to the top mark of "HOT" area?

Thanks for any replies guys..

Cheers!

jct

you can try adding a lil bit of oil to it do they still recommend doing it by the the pint?