First off I love my 2013 Camry SE 2.5 and im a maintaince Fenatic,doing routine maintaince far more then required,5000 mile synthetic oil changes,coolant change every 30,000 miles,ANYTHING to make my camry LAST,im very concerned about this lifetime transmission fluid thing,does not sit well with me,i want ti chage it at like 30,000 miles,ive read so many things conserning this procedule,and im still clueless,seems you need some kind of scanner,engine tempeture has to be this or that,if I just want to drain and fill tranny with new fluid while cold,can this be done,also is there a way to change it thru the Transmission Cooler lines at the Radiator,ive been researching this since I owned my 2011 Camry LE(hated that Car) ANYONE have any info of how this can be done,its making me nuts,ive seen a few other Toyota models where people do it,but cant find anything on the Camry 6 speed SEALED transmission

 

Fluid is synthetic. Toyota uses a color chart to determine condition based on trans fluid color. 30K may be too soon unless towing or hard driving.

What model number of trans? The drivers door should have info. One letter such A, E, U etc, followed by 3 numbers and another letter. Example = U660E.

Trans is not sealed. Toyota eliminated the dipstick and added a side fill port similar to manual trans and differentials. Does the trans have a dipstick?

The trans is filled with fluid, then engine run until fluid is between 104 and 113F (the trans has a temp sensor). Make sure car is on level ground.

There may be a manual way to check fluid temp by connecting the #4 and #13 terminals on the ODBII connection.

Start engine and run to heat up oil but not over 102F (guess at this). Connect terminals, shift between D and N at 1.5 sec intervals for 6 seconds.

The D shift indicator on dash will come on for 2 sec when temp in range, again when temp reaches 104F and blink when exceeding 113F.

Place in Park, stop engine and drain excess trans fluid out.

Use fluid type recommended by Toyota.

If fanatic might drop trans pan and clean. Pan uses form in place sealant.

 

that's what I'm saying THERE IWS NO DRAIN PLUG,how do I get the fluid out,i just want to do a drain and fill,im sure I can do cold and measure how much comes out but where
DO I DRAIN THE FLUID,it just has an overflow bolt????

 

I am interested in this.. didnt know anything about a camry sealed tranny

without a pan and no drain plug or dip stick

toyota may just have a portable fluid pump and hose small dia hose
enough to stick in the overflow hole ............and get the oil out that way

could also use it to fill the tranny with new tranny oil

picture is

 

I know this is a little late, however, there is a drain plug for your transmission fluid. Once you remove the 6 mm hex nut, put your hex key back in the hole and unscrew the inspection tube, it also comes out with the hex key. When replacing the inspection tube, only finger tight.

 

Why not a fan of your 2011 LE? I have a 2011 SE and experiencing more issues then I expected from a Toyota

 

The controversy about whether to change the trans fluid or not is still not settled. In my newspaper, there is a writer who answers questions about cars, etc. Normally, I trust his opinion, but not on the trans fluid change. My 2013 LE was giving me a small jolt shifting at 40mph. Doing a little research and taking the advice of those here, I had the fluid changed at 80K. The trans now runs very smooth. The author stated that changing the fluid was like pouring money down the drain. It did cost me $500, but I think it was worth it as the problem was gone.

The other issue is trusting the Toyota service manual on oil changes. One service manager at Toyota said to start changing the oil at 5K instead of the recommended 10K. The other service manager said to stick to the recommended 10K. I now change it at 5K. Why take a chance on something so simple. Just my 2¢ worth.

 

Everyone has their own opinion.

The experts have weighed in. Heat kills transmission fluid no matter if mineral or synthetic and the hotter the fluid gets the shorter the life. If the trans fluid never got hot it would last a LONG time. These are facts backed up by hard data. Trans repair experts state worn out trans fluid is the No 1 cause of trans failure. These people make their money repairing trans not changing trans fluids so no bias. If synthetic change it before 100K and the sooner is better. Its cheap insurance! Here you did well to change it.

Toyota uses a color chart to compare to trans fluid to determine condition.

Toyota was stating the trans fluid was "lifetime" but what does that mean?

The dealer will state whatever Toyota states or their own bias. This can include if the dealer is paying for the oil change as part of some free maintenance program or the car owner is. The issue with 10K changes is it gets put off to 15K. Some Toyota engines models would have greatly benefited by changing the oil every 5K or sooner even if synthetic due to design flaws.

 

I have towed with my camry with stock cooler for over 10000 miles pulling a combined load car and trailer of 6000 pounds, on the interstate i drive 75 I have passed people at 90 and guess what the trans fluid was last changed at 40k miles,(previous owner or mechanic had stripped the drain plug) now at 150k miles it started shuddering going into lockout so i unhooked the stock cooler drain line and added 2 quarts with a funnel , bumped the key till 2 quarts came out the pressure line, then i did it again I added castrol transmax cvt maxxlife because its next to amsoil in viscosity and way cheaper, shudder instantly gone, shifts like new fuel mileage 36 highway 31 combined and towing i get 19mpg when not in the mountains or on interstate then its around 17, i measured the oil i took and put the exact same in . anyone who thinks changing trans fluid is a bad idea either has an already ruined trans or is just not aware of the fact that trans fluid has a lifespan also. my experience is change it change it often every 4 oil changes is what i do.