Hello everyone, new member, first post. I just bought a 2017 with 60,000 miles on it. The vehicle is a one owner in excellent condition. I looked up the maintenance performed on it on CarFax & I see no mention of a tranny fluid change & I have seen no mention of it in the owner's manuel. Does anyone know when this service should be performed? The tranny shifts fine but I am a strong proponent of changing fluids no matter what the manufacturer reccomends. I do not believe in "lifetime fluids". Opinions welcome. Should I change the fluid even though it shifts fine?
kpg7121
I'm new to Toyotas and am certainly no expert. I have been doing my own maintenance for the last 45 years. I like to follow this Toyota mechanic on YouTube, called the carcarenut. You will get a lot of good tips by perusing through his videos.
By the way, the RAV4 tranny has a standpipe in the pan so it's tricky to change the fluid. It also has to be changed and measured at a specific operating temp. You'll see when you find carcarenuts video on the subject.
Cheers!
By the way, the RAV4 tranny has a standpipe in the pan so it's tricky to change the fluid. It also has to be changed and measured at a specific operating temp. You'll see when you find carcarenuts video on the subject.
Cheers!
Many will say at 30,000 or 60,000 miles. Toyota says the fluid is good for the lifetime of the vehicle, however, no fluid lasts forever. Many will recommend a simple drain and fill not a flush. I do two drain and fills every 40,000 miles and have had no problems (at least not yet) with shifting or converter shutter. If you are a DIY person, you can go to YouTube and see how it's done. A good person to watch is the Car Care Nut on YouTube.
Has the vehicle towed anything (is there a hitch and wiring on it?) has it been used in a heavy-traffic city? If yes to either, it’s a good idea to change the fluid around 60k. If no, and you won’t use it this way, members have been satisfied to change at 100k. Post 2 is correct about the tricky change/fill procedure which must be done for the right volume of fluid. You may want to take this in, if you’re not comfortable with all the requirements.
From the accounts I’ve seen, Toyota WS as the factory fill is not a synthetic fluid and should be treated as a conventional. There apparently is an Aisin branded WS synthetic available (Aisin is the Toyota subsidiary which makes the transmission).
From the accounts I’ve seen, Toyota WS as the factory fill is not a synthetic fluid and should be treated as a conventional. There apparently is an Aisin branded WS synthetic available (Aisin is the Toyota subsidiary which makes the transmission).
I own a 2017 Rav4 LE. The tranny fluid has not been changed and the mileage has been approaching 100k miles. Researched how to do the fluid change but am waiting for warmer weather and no snow on the ground before attempting.
The fill plug should be checked to make sure it can be removed before attempting to drain the fluid. When you remove the drain plug, you see that the fluid does not necessarily flow. There is a fluid level tube inside. That must be unscrewed to remove it and allow the fluid to flow out. They say temperature of the transmission is important when changing the fluid. Some just measure what they have taken out and replace it with same amount (if it makes sense). Then the fill level tube must be replaced. Fill thru fill hole using a pump or transfer pump to fill. If the transmission is still close to temp then fill til flow. Then, reinstall drain plug. Done. Carcarenut on Youtube works on Toyotas and is very good. Of course, take his advice with some sense in mind (grains of salt).
Note: Use only Toyota fluid to refill.
The fill plug should be checked to make sure it can be removed before attempting to drain the fluid. When you remove the drain plug, you see that the fluid does not necessarily flow. There is a fluid level tube inside. That must be unscrewed to remove it and allow the fluid to flow out. They say temperature of the transmission is important when changing the fluid. Some just measure what they have taken out and replace it with same amount (if it makes sense). Then the fill level tube must be replaced. Fill thru fill hole using a pump or transfer pump to fill. If the transmission is still close to temp then fill til flow. Then, reinstall drain plug. Done. Carcarenut on Youtube works on Toyotas and is very good. Of course, take his advice with some sense in mind (grains of salt).
Note: Use only Toyota fluid to refill.
I took the car into a local shop, (highly rated & not a dealer) & had the tranny flushed & refilled. Cost me $340, a good portion was for new fluid, 12 qts. So now it's done.
I changed the oil myself which I will do every 5,000 miles. The shop that did the last one really cranked on the filter housing, but I got it off taking my time. I used the filter housing tool from Advance Auto but it kept slipping. So next time I'm going to pick up an OEM tool from a Toyota dealer.
I changed the oil myself which I will do every 5,000 miles. The shop that did the last one really cranked on the filter housing, but I got it off taking my time. I used the filter housing tool from Advance Auto but it kept slipping. So next time I'm going to pick up an OEM tool from a Toyota dealer.
The filter housing only goes on so tight, other wise you bust it. It is designed to be tightened to where the filter bottoms out. And the torque setting on the housing matches when the housing bottoms out. As far as the tool, the OEM tool works well. I have three or four aftermarket cap wrenches and they all slip. Not sure how others claim their aftermarket cap wrenches don't slip. The Toyota cap wrench is ~$50.
Recently did the drain and fill twice on my 2017 Rav4 Le FWD. Took out 2.5 quarts and refilled with 2.7 quarts. Done at 108K and 109K miles. First time the fluid was black. Second time the fluid wasn't as black. My brother owned the car, from new, before me. He kept telling me not to change the fluid. He had a matrix which never had the tranny fluid changed. He never had a problem with the car until he changed the tranny fluid. He doesn't do any work on the car himself. So, I am thinking the mechanic flushed the tranny which caused the problem at 200K miles.
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