ATF Drained and refilled today. Lifetime fluid?

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Veilside1

Member
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2010 CX-9 Sport AWD
Did my usual springtime maintenance today which involved oil change and tire rotation. And since i was at 24,118 miles i decided it would be a good time to start my Tranny drain and fills with oil changes. As we all know the ATF is supposed to be "lifetime fill" for normal service; under which i fall. Refilled with ~3.5 qts of Mobil JWS 3309 ATF.

Attached a pic of the fluid that was drained. Please note that i hand cleaned the pan beforehand, so there is no contamination from any other fluids in pan.

 
A good portion of the fluid is still in the torque converter (about 1/2).
You need to do it again to dilute the dirty fluid.

Automaker claims it's life-time so that you don't need to replace it before 60K/5yr w/o problem.
What happens after that is none of their business. It is yours.

I have mine changed every 30K/15K(repeat).
Some here think it is waste of money. Just saying. I am not one of those people.
 
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Agreed on all the above Ceric. I don't believe in lifetime fill fluids, especially ATF. Plan is for 2 more drain and fills in the coming weeks, and then it'll be yearly.
 
I got my CPO 2010 at 23K miles and could not believe the ATF color. Pretty much like yours/brown. Did 3 drain and refills within the 1st week with Toyota ATF IV. Now it is looking like transmission fluid.

Lifetime fluid is a statement to put everywhere so they can claim that cost of ownership is low. It might work until 60-100K miles and then you are on your own needing a new transmission.

One of our other cars is a Dodge Caravan; they are notorious for blown transmissions. I put it on a strict regiment of pan drop and ATF4 change and it is still fine at over 150K miles. Goes to show.
 
Veilside 1 did you replace the drain plug? or did you re-use the old one? also do you have a pic of underneath the tranny where this plug is located. Thank you in advance for any info you can give me.
 
kornholio said:
Veilside 1 did you replace the drain plug? or did you re-use the old one? also do you have a pic of underneath the tranny where this plug is located. Thank you in advance for any info you can give me.
Click to expand...

i assume you mean the crush washer? or did you actually mean the drain plug itself?

either way, i replaced neither, reused both. drain plug is easy to locate, but you will need a 10mm socketed HEX to open it. Having owned many toyotas sporting Aisin trannys in the past i had one on hand. i did not take a pic of the plug itself, but i will on my next drain and fill in the next few days. i will post pics here when i'm done.
 
ceric said:
Automaker claims it's life-time so that you don't need to replace it before 60K/5yr w/o problem.
What happens after that is none of their business. It is yours.
Click to expand...

EXACTLY!!! In Automotive retail world; lifetime=Lifetime of warranty
 
Yikes!!!!!!!!! I have 75K and have not changed it. I will be making an appointment this week to do so.
 
If you post the pic on your next drain and fill it would be appreciated. How many times can you re-use both the crush washer and the plug before replacing. Does anyone have the part number to these two items? once again thanks for the info.
 
Considering that no interval exists for routine fluid changes, i would doubt one exists for replacing either the plug or washer. I can personally say i've yet to replace a drain plug of any kind unless it was physically damaged. I know recommendations exist that one should replace the crush washer on the oil drain plug on many vehicles, including many that i have owned, but i have never done so and never had a problem. If you do plan to replace the washer, i would suggest you save some dough by taking the old washer to your local auto part store and finding a generic sold in bulk for lots cheaper than you'll find at the stealership.
 
I did not change the crush washer and all is fine. Just torqued it to specs.
If one needs it, my local dealer does not stock the washer, but Toyota has it and it is much cheaper. I matched the washer I bought for my '05 Camry and it is the exact same washer. It is ~$2 at Toyota.
 
Do you have that toyota part # for the drain plug. Here in new york they won't even try to find it unless you have a part number. Thanks again for the replies.
 
Second drain and fill completed today. Pics as below, starting with drain plug location as requested.









Fluid drained, at least it's red this time...


Drain plug and crush washer.

 
Veilside 1, Thank you !!! you are awesome. You are the first to actually answer and help me with my request here. I really appreciate it. Thanks again. Have a good day.
 
Veilside i have 2 more questions, how much fluid did you have to add with the drain and fill and what do i torque the drain plug to when i am tightening it. Thanks again and have a good day.
 
My repair manual says torque it to 17.4-40.4 ft/lbs; quite a range. I guess it is because of the crush washer. I did it to 17-18 and have no leaks.
As far as the fluid amount, I think it is 3qt and 8 Oz, but it might be more if the transmission is warm/hot. That gives you a ballpark to start and then check the level both at cold and hot temps.
 
There is.

Have it (flush) done at dealership today for $138.
Listed 10qt of ATF @$4.42.
 
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