Transmission fluid change

[cvx5832LC]

Update. I changed the fluid again (now 62K miles), and rounded the drain plug again. I really think the 6mm hex key is too small a driver for the 30ft-lb spec.

That said, looks like Toyota has caught on. The part has been revised, and now has a proper 14mm hex head.

Picked up from the dealership today:

Anyone doing this, I recommend getting one from your local dealership. Cheap $5 insurance.

 

[EOD Guy]

Iwant to add this to the Part Numbers Only thread.

For clarity........ the 2nd picture of the "Hex head" drain plug is part number 9034112034

 

[cvx5832LC]

Correct. That's the revised part number.

Iwant to add this to the Part Numbers Only thread.

For clarity........ the 2nd picture of the "Hex head" drain plug is part number 9034112034

 

[Masbirdies]

Does anyone know if this is the same one used as the engine oil drain plug?

 

[cvx5832LC]

No. The engine oil drain plug has a nose which will destroy the oil tube. If you have a grinder, however go for it. That’s what I did with my old (oil) drain plug and now have it as a spare. It has the same thread and pitch.

 

[Masbirdies]

No. The engine oil drain plug has a nose which will destroy the oil tube. If you have a grinder, however go for it. That’s what I did with my old (oil) drain plug and now have it as a spare. It has the same thread and pitch.

Thanks!!!

 

[Q8_250]

Hey I was wondering if it's ok to use oil change machine to change the transmission oil, the type that would suck old oil and push new oil in, i had someone here done that to their LC250 and he's happy for 2 weeks now no issues, he changed the transmission oil filter too, total of 16q to fully flush the transmission.

 

[ultane]

Hey I was wondering if it's ok to use oil change machine to change the transmission oil, the type that would suck old oil and push new oil in, i had someone here done that to their LC250 and he's happy for 2 weeks now no issues, he changed the transmission oil filter too, total of 16q to fully flush the transmission.

I think The Car Care Nut did a video on transmission fluid change a little while ago, but it wasn’t on a LC IIRC. I didn’t finish watching it, but it should be easy to find on YouTube.

 

[cvx5832LC]

Hey I was wondering if it's ok to use oil change machine to change the transmission oil, the type that would suck old oil and push new oil in, i had someone here done that to their LC250 and he's happy for 2 weeks now no issues, he changed the transmission oil filter too, total of 16q to fully flush the transmission.

I personally wouldn't. Fluid through the lines means you bypass the filter, and it doesn't take much to clog an oil passage in a valve body. Also, how do they measure the amount if not doing it through the standpipe?

 

[DctrEvil]

This write up taught me a lot, thanks for the work that has gone into it. I'll be approaching 60k before the end of the year and would like to drain and fill transmission fluid at that point. I think I've gleaned what I need from this thread, but just want to summarize and ask a few questions to make sure I proceed correctly.

Adapted from post above by @Blue Bear :

1. Open Fill plug bolt on the upper side of the transmission body (24mm bolt with an O-ring)
2. Drain transmission fluid
   1. Unscrew drain plug (factory 6mm hex bolt, but consider replacing with the new improved Toyota 14mm hex bolt -part #90341-12034 -as mentioned by @cvx5832LC )
   2. remove standpipe - also a 6mm hex, let all fluid drain, then reinstall standpipe and torque to 1.7 Nm.)
3. Fill transmission with Toyota ATF WS fluid using a hand pump until the fluid just begins to drip out of standpipe (a quart or two), then install drain plug.
4. Add an additional 4.1 qts of transmission fluid.
5. Bring the transmission fluid up to the proper operating temperature by doing the procedure outlined in the document shared in the thread above (L580F Fill Procedure.pdf)
6. Remove the drain plug and allow any excess fluid to drain out of the standpipe.
7. Reinstall and torque both the drain and fill plugs with new crush washers.

My Questions:
1. What crush washers (or I thought the fill plug was an O-ring) are needed (what to order)?
2. If I want to also drain the small pan for the hybrid motor, I assume it has no standpipe? And after draining this fluid at the same time as the main transmission drain, the fill procedure is just the filling of the main transmission, but more fluid will be needed before it starts to overflow? An additional 6.9 quarts? In other words, as you refill both the main transmission and the hybrid motor, you would just keep filling to a rough total of 11 quarts before it should start to overflow? Is the operating temperature procedure still the same and any excess after the procedure will just drain out as you remove the drain plug?

 

[Bad1975]

Fill procedure is the same whether you do the transmission only or the also drain the hybrid pan.

Changing the filter is next to useless. Internal automatic transmission filters are nothing more than a metal housing with a metal fine mesh screen inside of the housing, the housing is much like an engine oil pan pickup tube and windage tray combination. Depending on design you can clean anything from the screen if accessible or sometimes backflush it with clean fluid.

You will also find there are four magnets on the oil pan to catch any metal particles and hold them in the pan. if replacing the strainer you'll need the second parts list, not sure if the o-ring for the strainer is included or not, they typically are included.

There isn't much fluid to be gotten out of the hybrid assembly pan, I personally wouldn't risk draining the hybrid unit pan. There is a solenoid and valve body unit in there and I wouldn't want it to run dry even for a second or two, those are the same solenoids that have failed on some transmissions btw that resulted in full transmission replacement.

If your concerned about getting all the fluid out either flush via the return line from the cooler for the drain and filling while via the supply line to the cooler. Top hard line is cooled fluid returning to the transmission on the bottom is hot fluid going to the cooler. Plenty of hose connection points to remove to accomplish this way. You'll need a pump capable of circulating the fluid and about 3x the fluid capacity of the entire system to do a complete flush. Alternative is to do 3 or 4 back to back drain, fill and adjust with short drives between. All this is unnecessary under 100-150k unless you've overheated the transmission.

Part list of orings, and seals for the drain plugs attached. 1 is the oring for the trans fill plug (used in 10 other locations on the trans) 2 is the bottom drain and fluid adjust plug and 3 is the for the hybrid pan plug.

 

[DctrEvil]

Fill procedure is the same whether you do the transmission only or the also drain the hybrid pan.

Changing the filter is next to useless. Internal automatic transmission filters are nothing more than a metal housing with a metal fine mesh screen inside of the housing, the housing is much like an engine oil pan pickup tube and windage tray combination. Depending on design you can clean anything from the screen if accessible or sometimes backflush it with clean fluid.

You will also find there are four magnets on the oil pan to catch any metal particles and hold them in the pan. if replacing the strainer you'll need the second parts list, not sure if the o-ring for the strainer is included or not, they typically are included.

There isn't much fluid to be gotten out of the hybrid assembly pan, I personally wouldn't risk draining the hybrid unit pan. There is a solenoid and valve body unit in there and I wouldn't want it to run dry even for a second or two, those are the same solenoids that have failed on some transmissions btw that resulted in full transmission replacement.

If your concerned about getting all the fluid out either flush via the return line from the cooler for the drain and filling while via the supply line to the cooler. Top hard line is cooled fluid returning to the transmission on the bottom is hot fluid going to the cooler. Plenty of hose connection points to remove to accomplish this way. You'll need a pump capable of circulating the fluid and about 3x the fluid capacity of the entire system to do a complete flush. Alternative is to do 3 or 4 back to back drain, fill and adjust with short drives between. All this is unnecessary under 100-150k unless you've overheated the transmission.

Part list of orings, and seals for the drain plugs attached. 1 is the oring for the trans fill plug (used in 10 other locations on the trans) 2 is the bottom drain and fluid adjust plug and 3 is the for the hybrid pan plug.

View attachment 77356


View attachment 77358

Thank you! So are you recommending to not drain the hybrid motor fluid? Isn’t it all connected and the same circulating fluid as the transmission? Sorry for my confusion, but it seems that if you drained and refilled the main transmission fluid, it would be contaminated by old fluid in the hybrid motor mixing into what you’ve just replaced…

 

[cvx5832LC]

This write up taught me a lot, thanks for the work that has gone into it. I'll be approaching 60k before the end of the year and would like to drain and fill transmission fluid at that point. I think I've gleaned what I need from this thread, but just want to summarize and ask a few questions to make sure I proceed correctly.

Adapted from post above by @Blue Bear :

1. Open Fill plug bolt on the upper side of the transmission body (24mm bolt with an O-ring)
2. Drain transmission fluid
   1. Unscrew drain plug (factory 6mm hex bolt, but consider replacing with the new improved Toyota 14mm hex bolt -part #90341-12034 -as mentioned by @cvx5832LC )
   2. remove standpipe - also a 6mm hex, let all fluid drain, then reinstall standpipe and torque to 1.7 Nm.)
3. Fill transmission with Toyota ATF WS fluid using a hand pump until the fluid just begins to drip out of standpipe (a quart or two), then install drain plug.
4. Add an additional 4.1 qts of transmission fluid.
5. Bring the transmission fluid up to the proper operating temperature by doing the procedure outlined in the document shared in the thread above (L580F Fill Procedure.pdf)
6. Remove the drain plug and allow any excess fluid to drain out of the standpipe.
7. Reinstall and torque both the drain and fill plugs with new crush washers.

My Questions:
1. What crush washers (or I thought the fill plug was an O-ring) are needed (what to order)?
2. If I want to also drain the small pan for the hybrid motor, I assume it has no standpipe? And after draining this fluid at the same time as the main transmission drain, the fill procedure is just the filling of the main transmission, but more fluid will be needed before it starts to overflow? An additional 6.9 quarts? In other words, as you refill both the main transmission and the hybrid motor, you would just keep filling to a rough total of 11 quarts before it should start to overflow? Is the operating temperature procedure still the same and any excess after the procedure will just drain out as you remove the drain plug?

You got the procedure right. The 4.1 changes as you point out. But I wouldn’t worry about the exact amount on the initial fill. When you crack the drain bolt when it reaches target temp, just be aware of how much comes out. If it only drips when you open it, you’re probably low. Just fill it from the fill plug until it does overflow.

I personally used a copper washer from my Amazon kit of bazillion washers I’ll never use. Lots of M12 washer options out there. Just make sure you get the wider ones, instead of the narrow M12s like on modern BMWs.

Go to the L580F teardown on YouTube from that transmission professor guy. He takes that pan off towards the end of the video and you can see how the drain bolt fits into the pan. He explains how the motor/generator is fed oil, and that no special operations are needed on it other than closing the bolt back up.

 

[cvx5832LC]

This guy 12:55

 

[Bad1975]

@DctrEvil , yes I wouldn't mess with it.

You're not going to get all the fluid out unless you do a flush, the torque convertor holds a significant amount of fluid, fluid remains in the valve body and is trapped in other areas of the transmission as well, no way around it. Lucky if you get half the fluid out in a drain and fill even if you drain the hybrid unit.

IMO you're already venturing into a fluid change that is completely unnecessary in the first place this early in vehicle life and the potential for issues is too great, at least wait until your out of warranty.

Your vehicle though so do as you wish. Your also supposed to reset the transmission fluid degradation value when do this, no harm in not doing that but it is what is supposed to be done.