Transmission Fluid Change - Question
 

Recently acquired a 2002 Camry with auto transmission. Car has 155K miles. Transmission fluid is black. I do not know the vehicle service record. My mechanic recommends that I do not flush the transmission fluid and replace with new. He says that new fluid in a transmission that has not been cared for will cause the transmission to fail.
Is there anyone on the forum that can confirm this recommendation?

The shops recommendation is common!

The theory is the dirt and grime in the old fluid is what is keeping the friction disks in the trans engaging each other. Fresh fluid would clean out all this grit and cause clutch plate slipping.

The situation comes down to this:

Don't change the fluid and be sure that sooner or later the trans will fail due to worn out and dirty fluid or change it and risk failure. In my opinion the risk of failure is over stated.

Some owners take another route. This being repeated fluid changes over shorter driving intervals say every 3000 miles. Draining and refilling the trans pan gets about 1/3 of the fluid out (2+ quarts), the rest is in the torque converter. Thus repeated changes are required.

If you can change the engine oil, you have the skills needed to change the trans fluid yourself and save $$.

This will over time result in fresher and cleaner fluid being introduced. In my experience using this method the fluid in the trans never gets to the point of being the reddish color it is supposed to be. This requires a complete change of the fluid via a flush.

There are several types of flushing machine systems, some are better then others. You want one that allows the old fluid to be removed and the new fluid to enter the trans with no chance of them mixing. Or any chance of dirty fluid from previous trans flushes the machine has done from being introduced into your trans.

A Google search will turn up many hits on trans flushing and the equipment used.

can someone please tell me how to do a transmission oil change... thanks.

i have 2001 camry. and the transmission is acting funny lately. i thought i'd do a transmission oil change. my little sister drivers the car and don't have the owner's manual.

--where is the drain plug?
--how much fluid to put in?
--what type of fluid?
--is it as simple as engine oil change or do i need anymore parts?

thank you all.

V6 or 4 cylinder engine?

A trans drain and refill is about the same as an engine oil change.

Find the trans. Under the trans is an oil pan, much like the one on the engine. There should be a drain plug on the bottom of the trans pan.

Depending on the model of trans it can hold say 6-8 quarts of fluid. Only about 2.6 will drain out the pan as the rest is held in the torque converter.

The easiest approach is to measure how much fluid drained out and refill with the same amount.

The trains has a dipstick. Check fluid when hot, engine running after moving the shifter from Park to Low and return. The dipstick will have a "Hot" and "Cold" mark, use the hot mark if the fluid is hot. The stick will also have the type of fluid used, typically Dexron III or now called "ATF" fluid. Read the container to make sure it is a substitute for Dexron III.

As only 1/3 to 1/2 of the total fluid amount drains out of the pan at one time you will need to do a few drain and fills over time to get most of the old fluid out.

I have a 4-cylinder with 150,000 miles on it. i don't remember when transmission fluid was last changed.

i went under the car and saw that there is a hex-screw like bolt for transmission pan. do you by any chance remember the size of it? i have to go buy and want to make sure i buy the right tool.

thanks.

also, i read a lot about not changing transmission oil if it hasn't been changed in a long time, what's your opinion Toyomoho?

hi
1st u take one white paper i will preffer white stcker. take out ur trans dipstick and put some drops on that white paper or white sticker. and look for some grinding matel if u find alot dont touch with fulid and keep it run. and if you dont find alot than 1st u open drain plug of trans pain very slowly if u notice some big pieces of matel r coming immediatly close. if not u drain ur that fluid and keep it dont not lost this fluid.when u drain all fluid u buy trans fluid from toyota and put 1-1/2 qt and than u start engine and if check lavel. u can add if its not sufficent. take a test drive if u dont feel any changes its good.but ur trans oil will still black not clear red like new. u do same thing after 2 month drain trans fluid and put new.if u feel ur car is not shiffting like before after changing fluid or feel any bad changes u drain new fluid and put the old one what u drain before from ur trans.
i did some many time with my toyota camry. its works when i bought trans fluid color was black i changed 3 times in 6 month its perfect now i dont know it will work with ur camry or not.

Well I can't follow the last post but just a couple comments on what I think he said. You will probably not see metal on the dipstick as it will sink to the bottom of the pan and get caught by the magnets in the pan. If you have any metal you need to change fluid. When you drain the fluid you will not see metal unless you run it through some type of filter and again you probably will not because of the magnets. I have used a paint strainer but it is not really necessary unless you suspect something is broken in the tranmission. If you have not changed the fluid before I suggest you change the screen and clean the magnets. You can find a DIY on ToyotaNation website. If something does not feel right do not put the old fluid back in. Drain and refill again. I did this about three times within a month and then after about 6 months. Now the fluid is clear red as it should be and the transmission shifted great after the first change.

I do not recommend a power flush. You can do it youself very simply. See the DIYs at ToyotaNation website for directions.

I think the best route is the several drain and refills, using the drain plug, within a short time. Dextron III is not expensive if you buy a case. You will probably notice an improvement in shifting after the second one. As one of the other guys said, though, don't expect it to turn bright red.