Where is transmission fluid drain plug? Is it protected by a plastic shroud? I change my oil and would like to change atf on my 2007 4 cyl with 30k miles. Thanks
OK thanks for the report.Don't worry about it Don. I did mine many months ago and my wife drives 35 highway miles to work each way (and we have already taken several out of state trips). I haven't noticed any problems whatsoever.
• 100,000 Mile Maintenance Interval — Inspection only; ATF-WS does NOT require any flushing or changing during the life of the vehicle.
• The use of Genuine Toyota ATF-WS is recommended.
• The use of additives or aftermarket fluids that are considered compatible or substitutes may result in shift concerns and damage to the internal transmission components.
• ATF-WS is NOT compatible with T-IV or Dexron ATF.
I've said this before, but it bears repeating:Toyota TSB said:• 100,000 Mile Maintenance Interval — Inspection only; ATF-WS does NOT require any flushing or changing during the life of the vehicle.
I agree totally.Regardless of what the manufacturer claims, there is NO SUCH THING as "lifetime" fluid,
interesting info. I haven't seen it before.I have been reading this thread, which is very informative! Great job. I also spent some time going over other websites and related info. I found that Toyota sells for about 325 bucks a "Transmission Fill System" tool (00002-11100-02) which has a pump. I could not find details about how is it used, probably to remove the old oil. But I am not sure if it is also used to pump new oil in, the name "filling" would imply that!
Somebody has mentioned here in Rav4world the problems that arise fro bubbles in the system. Now AMSOIL warns about improperly filling the transmission if the tool is not used, which would cause exactly that (bubbles).
Consumers... do not have the Toyota Transmission Fill System. Without this equipment, proper flush and change procedures may not be accurately completed, leaving the consumer’s transmission vulnerable to the detrimental effects of incorrect fill volume. Under-filled transmissions can result in erratic shift patterns and, ultimately, transmission failure.
What should be done to avoid these problems? One clear step is to replace exactly the same amount drained. But could bubbles be created by draining without using Toyota's magic tool? (It is magic because it creates gold $$$ for Toyota LOL!)
Here's the report:
http://www.amsoil.com/techservicesb...009-10-01 toyota transmission fill system.pdf
Thanks, and as always this forum is great!