Hello all,
Did an ATF exchange last weekend on my 07 I4 using the method of doing a drain & fill then popping off the return line and draining 1 liter at a time until it was completely filled with new fluid. Also dropped the pan to clean it and replace the gasket which was leaking very slightly.
Anyway, I purchased 3 gallons of Valvoline MaxLife Full-Synthetic ATF as the replacement fluid, so I cycled through 3 gallons, assuming it would level out at the end since I removed as much as I took out, but when I check the dipstick it seems over-filled. Is there a better way of making sure the atf level is correct besides the dipstick? I don't know how it could be over-filled when I removed the exact amount I cycled through. Driving it seems great, it's shifting a lot better.
FYI Rav was at 125k , never had ATF replaced before because Toyota claimed it was "Lifetime"... No real issues shifting (although it did shift kind of hard before the flush) but the ATF looked almost like engine oil it was so black, so I changed it. Pan was coated in a thick layer of sludge, but the mesh filter was in good shape so I just cleaned it and re-used. Lesson learned, don't listen to the manufacturer on everything...
Did an ATF exchange last weekend on my 07 I4 using the method of doing a drain & fill then popping off the return line and draining 1 liter at a time until it was completely filled with new fluid. Also dropped the pan to clean it and replace the gasket which was leaking very slightly.
Anyway, I purchased 3 gallons of Valvoline MaxLife Full-Synthetic ATF as the replacement fluid, so I cycled through 3 gallons, assuming it would level out at the end since I removed as much as I took out, but when I check the dipstick it seems over-filled. Is there a better way of making sure the atf level is correct besides the dipstick? I don't know how it could be over-filled when I removed the exact amount I cycled through. Driving it seems great, it's shifting a lot better.
FYI Rav was at 125k , never had ATF replaced before because Toyota claimed it was "Lifetime"... No real issues shifting (although it did shift kind of hard before the flush) but the ATF looked almost like engine oil it was so black, so I changed it. Pan was coated in a thick layer of sludge, but the mesh filter was in good shape so I just cleaned it and re-used. Lesson learned, don't listen to the manufacturer on everything...
