TRANSMISSION FLUID LV 4L $36

[campbeam]

Big benefit of doing posts is that it reminds you of previous maintenance activities in greater detail than what you may have recorded in a personal spreadsheet.

On a recent road trip, I was noticing the engine revs and how well the transmission was performing. It was more about the gear changes and overtaking performance.

Now back home, I am noticing how quickly the transmission appears to be moving into higher gears and lower engine revs when coasting along with the foot off the accelerator. Maybe it is a case of being more aware of my lead foot or being more gentle on the accelerator. 

I am thinking that this is due to using the Penrite ATF LV and the recent road trip has given the valve body a thorough clean out. Maybe the ECM has also got a good bit of reprogramming from the road trip.

Now considering whether or when to drop the transmission pan to check for any sludge build up since it was last cleaned about 4-5 years ago. Also considering whether to change the ATF in the transmission pan now or leave it for later in the year.  

[Tony Prodigy]

10 hours ago, campbeam said:

Now back home, I am noticing how quickly the transmission appears to be moving into higher gears and lower engine revs when coasting along with the foot off the accelerator. Maybe it is a case of being more aware of my lead foot or being more gentle on the accelerator. 

I am thinking that this is due to using the Penrite ATF LV and the recent road trip has given the valve body a thorough clean out. Maybe the ECM has also got a good bit of reprogramming from the road trip.

Testament to your rigorous servicing regime there Ash. 

10 hours ago, campbeam said:

Now considering whether or when to drop the transmission pan to check for any sludge build up since it was last cleaned about 4-5 years ago. Also considering whether to change the ATF in the transmission pan now or leave it for later in the year.  

I'm still having to find the right time to do mine still. The tyranny of work and family life 

[campbeam]

In a gearbox pdf article, I noticed a section about the Toyota WS specification in that it was a low viscosity ATF for fuel economy.

I then did some Google searches about ATF WS and the ATF WS viscosity.

https://www.google.com/search?q=ATF+WS&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

https://www.google.com/search?q=atf+ws+viscosity&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

Eventually, I looked at the ATF viscosity specifications on various oil manufacturer's websites for their products complying with the Toyota WS specification.

End result is that I am happy to keep using the Penrite ATF Multivehicle LV .

https://www.penriteoil.com.au/assets/pis_pdfs/ATF LV (Full Syn) .pdf

[KAA]

Thanks as always for the research Ash, it always makes life easier to know what is what

Keep Safe

KAA

[ZZT86]

Great find Ashley !

The VI @ 40 & 100C & Density at 15C on both the Toyota WS & Penrite LV are virtually identical so a really good match. I wouldn't hesitate using Penrite, they make very good oils, highly recommend 😉

[campbeam]

Just noticed that REPCO have 20% off Penrite ATF LV 4 Litres for $39.

[Tony Prodigy]

9 hours ago, campbeam said:

Just noticed that REPCO have 20% off Penrite ATF LV 4 Litres for $39.

I have yet to use my existing stock of Penrite ATF lol.. I should make a plan to do my tranny service real soon. At 120K it is still driving perfectly to be honest and I am actually looking forward to seeing the condition of the fluid when I drop it.

[ZZT86]

Hi guys & gals,

Just wondering if any of you guys/gals (especially 50series owners) who have gone directly from Toyota WS to Penrite LV if you noticed any difference in shift quality ? I can see the spec b/w the 2 is almost identical so I'm expecting it to be fine. For the record my 2016 Sportivo with 42K kms has shifts that's barely noticeable, especially when hot, no fluid change yet.

I've gone thru this whole thread & I've asked Tony for his input & there would appear to be at least 2 x 50series owners here who have gone the change & given it the thumbs up.

I ask cos Repco have a pretty good deal going atm for the Penrite LV & I'm considering biting the bullet & getting a 20L drum of the stuff for $167.30 (Repco Member price) which is $8.36/L.

Not sure if Toyota/Aisin made any change to the tranny from 40-50 series so perhaps anyone could chime in, pretty sure Ashley is going to say it's great, do it & I'm inclined to.

Cheers 😉

[campbeam]

6 hours ago, ZZT86 said:

For the record my 2016 Sportivo with 42K kms has shifts that's barely noticeable, especially when hot, no fluid change yet.

I doubt if there is any urgent need to be changing the ATF at this stage. Different matter if you have been street/track racing or towing where the ATF is likely to get hotter than normal operating temperatures. HEAT is what shortens the life of ATF so it then needs to be changed. Check the owners manual where I am sure that it says in severe driving conditions to change the ATF at 70K.

Recently I have been reading about transmissions being sealed to reduce oxidation thus extending lifespan of ATF. Another one of my conspiracy theories bits the dust.

Like yourself, gearshifts are barely noticeable. So far, I have avoided the temptation to go tinkering and check the ATF level.

It is when you are more aware of the gearshifts [without looking at the tachometer] and feel that the gearshifts are not as smooth as before that there will be benefits from changing the ATF

If you do get the 20 Litres [quite attractive price], hope you have got a good storage place. 

https://www.blauparts.com/blog/motor-oil-expiration-shelf-life.html

Thank you for the laugh. You must know my bargain hunting and hoarding tendencies which I am trying to reform.

Only [hardware] change to the transmission that I have read about so far has been an improved/upgraded valve body.

 

[campbeam]

12 hours ago, ZZT86 said:

Not sure if Toyota/Aisin made any change to the tranny from 40-50 series

I was having another look at Wikpedia. Looks like the Final Drive Ratio is different. If so, 50 Series could be that little bit more fuel efficient.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_U_transmission#U660E 

Also looking at a website that listed technical issues and repair guidelines for the U660E transmission.

" all abovementioned problems with the U660 unit are common for very old or quite worn-out automatics. A high percentage of cars equipped with U660 serve before covering standard 200 thousand kilometers (in many cases even longer) without any repairs under the condition of timely ATF change and filter replacement. "

https://go4trans.com/transmission/u660e/

 

[ZZT86]

Actually Ash you make a very good point about storage although Penrite makes mention it will be fine for 5 years in good storage. My car still has another 18K kms to go before I dump the fluid @ 60K kms & since I do about 20-22K kms/yr it would be about 2.5-3 years before the next ATF dump/flush so on second thoughts I may just wait a bit longer ;) Rippa price though, almost fell off me chair as it's from Repco.

In my Aurion Service and/or Owners books there's no mention of ATF change anywhere, not even for Severe driving, only for Camry/Hybrid which is strange. I think 60K kms is a nice round figure especially considering I drive it like an ol' fart.

Yes the GSV50R Aurion can be had with excellent economy especially given the size of the motor & weight of the car. Govt Average figure is said to be 9.3L/100kms, I easily average 8.7L in my usual travels & can easily get 7L on the fwy non-stop.

I'm of the opinion if the ATM is serviced well & looked after it should last a very long time ;)

 

[Tony Prodigy]

Mine's on around 120K with the original transmission fluid in there still. Admittedly, our Aurion has had an easy life. It's never ever thrashed, or driven hard. I can honestly say too that I've never floored the accelerator either. You just don't have to. It goes amazingly quick with just a light tap.

So in saying that, I am looking forward to seeing the condition of the fluid when I do my service. I have to plan a weekend to be able to carry this out. I'll definitely report back on this.

[campbeam]

10 hours ago, ZZT86 said:

Actually Ash you make a very good point about storage although Penrite makes mention it will be fine for 5 years in good storage. My car still has another 18K kms to go before I dump the fluid @ 60K kms & since I do about 20-22K kms/yr it would be about 2.5-3 years before the next ATF dump/flush so on second thoughts I may just wait a bit longer 😉 Rippa price though, almost fell off me chair as it's from Repco.

In my Aurion Service and/or Owners books there's no mention of ATF change anywhere, not even for Severe driving, only for Camry/Hybrid which is strange. I think 60K kms is a nice round figure especially considering I drive it like an ol' fart.

Yes the GSV50R Aurion can be had with excellent economy especially given the size of the motor & weight of the car. Govt Average figure is said to be 9.3L/100kms, I easily average 8.7L in my usual travels & can easily get 7L on the fwy non-stop.

I'm of the opinion if the ATM is serviced well & looked after it should last a very long time 😉

 

Apart from a preferred 5 year maximum storage period, it is the ongoing developments or improvements to the specifications.

In the Warranty & Service Book for my Oct.2006 Aurion, I got lucky and spotted it for the 90K or 72 month maintenance schedule. Normal is Inspect; Severe is Replace.  

 

[AurionX2]

On 10/8/2020 at 10:22 PM, ZZT86 said:

Just wondering if any of you guys/gals (especially 50series owners) who have gone directly from Toyota WS to Penrite LV if you noticed any difference in shift quality ? I can see the spec b/w the 2 is almost identical so I'm expecting it to be fine. For the record my 2016 Sportivo with 42K kms has shifts that's barely noticeable, especially when hot, no fluid change yet.

Changed it around 60k mark (from memory) on my wife's 2013 and there's no noticeable difference between Penrite ATF-LV and the original fluid. Now sitting around 78k and still shifting perfectly fine. On my 2008 the transmission service, using the same fluid, has actually improved the shifting, most likely because it was still on the original fluid at the time. So based on my 2 vehicles sample set with 100% success rate, I'd say you can't really go wrong with Penrite LV. But 42k and 4yo is perhaps too early, especially if you know the car didn't cop significant abuse.

[Tony Prodigy]

4 minutes ago, campbeam said:

In the Warranty & Service Book for my Oct.2006 Aurion, I got lucky and spotted it for the 90K or 72 month maintenance schedule. Normal is Inspect; Severe is Replace

You prompted me to check mine again because I remember never seeing anywhere where it says "replace" the fluid. Only "Inspect"

If I remember correctly, Auto trans fluid was scheduled to be replaced every 60 or 70k right ?? I believe That used to be the norm Ash until they came up with this lifetime fluid Malarkey  

These are the pages from my service book.

 

[Tony Prodigy]

12 minutes ago, AurionX2 said:

Changed it around 60k mark (from memory) on my wife's 2013 and there's no noticeable difference between Penrite ATF-LV and the original fluid. Now sitting around 78k and still shifting perfectly fine. On my 2008 the transmission service, using the same fluid, has actually improved the shifting, most likely because it was still on the original fluid at the time. So based on my 2 vehicles sample set with 100% success rate, I'd say you can't really go wrong with Penrite LV. But 42k and 4yo is perhaps too early, especially if you know the car didn't cop significant abuse.

Did you do a flush as opposed to a pan drain ?

[campbeam]

2 hours ago, Tony Prodigy said:

Auto trans fluid was scheduled to be replaced every 60 or 70k right ?? I believe That used to be the norm Ash until they came up with this lifetime fluid Malarkey 

Following YouTube video from the 10:20 mark shows the wear on the valve body and why you should change the ATF every 80,000 kms. Presumably the presenter means a full flush/replacement of the ATF. 

Buying a new valve body would have been more $$$. 

So much easier to regularly service the transmission to avoid this sort of repair.

[campbeam]

3 hours ago, Tony Prodigy said:

Mine's on around 120K with the original transmission fluid in there still. Admittedly, our Aurion has had an easy life. It's never ever thrashed, or driven hard. I can honestly say too that I've never floored the accelerator either. You just don't have to. It goes amazingly quick with just a light tap.

So in saying that, I am looking forward to seeing the condition of the fluid when I do my service. I have to plan a weekend to be able to carry this out. I'll definitely report back on this.

Expect the same as this following YouTube video showing ATF change after 60,000 miles / 96000 kms. 

I got similar end results [after doing my last transmission pan drain]. My ATF looked red, not black when it was draining. However, when doing a comparison with new fluid, it came up looking dark.

 

[AurionX2]

3 hours ago, Tony Prodigy said:

Did you do a flush as opposed to a pan drain ?

Yeah, full service for both, documented here somewhere. Pan drop and cleaned properly, filter, o-ring and gasket change, then flushed through the cooler return line, 1 liter out, 1 in, rinse and repeat 'til it came out the hose brand new. From memory needed 10-11l all up for each car. On the 2008 I followed up 2 years and 42k later with a drain & fill.

[ZZT86]

That Nordic sounding bloke above was good value, I like 🙂. I think most people here know that oils don't last forever & that lifetime well could mean anything, a few years perhaps, all really depends on how it's driven & looked after.

@AurionX2 Wow you used that much ? Last time I did a flush was on my old MCV20R with a capacity of 6.75+diff=7.6L & I'm sure I also used more but my notes are not clear enough to confirm, I'm thinking it was just over 8L.

I can tell you guys the Service books have changed, mine is similar to Tony's & the only mention for Aurion is an Inspection at every 45K kms for normal driving & every 22.5K kms for severe. I'm guessing Inspection will mean check sample for colour & smell using your little finger, if bad then dump otherwise they confirm level OK & call it a day.

Edited October 12, 2020 by ZZT86

[Tony Prodigy]

52 minutes ago, AurionX2 said:

o-ring

Do you mean the o-ring on the drain stick because I've seen videos where some have them and others don't. I guess I'll know if mine has one when I remove it.

[campbeam]

1 hour ago, Tony Prodigy said:

Do you mean the o-ring on the drain stick because I've seen videos where some have them and others don't. I guess I'll know if mine has one when I remove it.

I am sure that Aurion X2 is referring to the o-ring for the transmission filter/strainer. 

As for the drain stick, you could be referring to the internal plastic straw/tube for the fluid level. If so, I am sure that there is no o-ring because you are using the 6mm hex key to unscrew it and then re-tighten it [do no over-torquing it, please]. 

[AurionX2]

3 hours ago, campbeam said:

I am sure that Aurion X2 is referring to the o-ring for the transmission filter/strainer.

Yep, that's the one, sits between the strainer and the valve body.

5 hours ago, ZZT86 said:

That Nordic sounding bloke above was goof value, I like 🙂. I think most people here know that oils don't last forever & that lifetime well could mean anything, a few years perhaps, all really depends on how it's driven & looked after.

@AurionX2 Wow you used that much ? Last time I did a flush was on my old MCV20R with a capacity of 6.75+diff=7.6L & I'm sure I also used more but my notes are not clear enough to confirm, I'm thinking it was just over 8L.

I can tell you guys the Service books have changed, mine is similar to Tony's & the only mention for Aurion is an Inspection at every 45K kms for normal driving & every 22.5K kms for severe. I'm guessing Inspection will mean check sample for colour & smell using your little finger, if bad then dump otherwise they confirm level OK & call it a day.

Yeah, look, after replacing 3.2l during the pan drop, then flushing 6l or thereabouts the fluid looked ok and I should have probably called it a day, but I just decided to flush 2 more litres for my piece of mind and fight my ocd. It's not the kind of service I'm doing monthly so I thought, what the hell, it's taking the whole day anyway so I might as well do it properly 🙂

[Tony Prodigy]

11 hours ago, campbeam said:

I am sure that Aurion X2 is referring to the o-ring for the transmission filter/strainer. 

As for the drain stick, you could be referring to the internal plastic straw/tube for the fluid level. If so, I am sure that there is no o-ring because you are using the 6mm hex key to unscrew it and then re-tighten it [do no over-torquing it, please]. 

Ah yes OK. I remember watching a video where a guy had the parts ready to go and he couldn't place where the o-ring went and he assumed it was for the straw. That was my recollection.

I'll have to check later should the filter kit come with the o-ring ? It's been a while and I can't remember.

11 hours ago, campbeam said:

[do no over-torquing it, please].

hahaha yes Ash. You know me too well lol. I have learned the hard way. I promise to be gentle on this one.

[Tony Prodigy]

8 hours ago, AurionX2 said:

Yeah, look, after replacing 3.2l during the pan drop, then flushing 6l or thereabouts the fluid looked ok and I should have probably called it a day, but I just decided to flush 2 more litres for my piece of mind and fight my ocd. It's not the kind of service I'm doing monthly so I thought, what the hell, it's taking the whole day anyway so I might as well do it properly 🙂

I'm gonna go the whole hog and do the full flush Adrian, just like you did. It makes sense to do it if I'm planning to spend the whole day on it. 

I was thinking to do this first major flush, then do an annual pan drain going forward.