My Transmission Service

[Tony Prodigy]

G'day Gents,

I finally stopped procrastinating and did the auto transmission service today. This service consisted of 3 parts. 

Current Odometer reading 123,050 Klm. Original factory fill for transmission.

1. Pan drain and replacement of filter.

2. Full System Fluid flush.

3. Fluid Level Adjustment.

Ok, so here we go:

1. PAN DRAIN AND REPLACEMENT OF FILTER

Had to jack the car up on all fours to get the level required. This took some time but was able to get it nice and level. Being level gives more accuracy when doing the fluid level adjustment as you know, so I took my time here and got it pretty close. Be sure to not only check the longitudinal balance, but also the lateral balance too. You don't want the car to be dipping to any one side. Nice and level everywhere.

Shop lifts make this so much easier as the car lifter is already installed on level ground, but for us who don't have that luxury, we must do it with a trolley jack and adjustable axle stands. I prefer the threaded adjustable axle stands for this purpose. If you don't have such stands, then you can just use some packing at the base of the stand as required to achieve the desired result.

After this I proceeded to drain the pan before undoing all the pan bolts to further drain the residual fluid. The fluid was darkish but by no means bad like the brown sauce we're used to seeing. It still had a tinge of redness to it but more of a purple/red colour. Definitely due for replacement though. 

 This was the total amount of fluid from pan drain. Approximately 2.6 Lt.

 

That pesky bolt we've discussed was quite easy to remove as I had just the right tool for this. I was able to use the socket end of this Snap-On 10mm and was able to get just enough clearance to rotate it out. 

With the pan out, I was pleasantly surprised to see how clean the fluid actually looked for never having been serviced. The magnets did their job well and collected the fine material too. 

The valve body and innards were nice and clean, and you can still see the translucent nature of the old fluid clearly. This car has never been thrashed or driven harshly or towed with, so it was expected the fluid wouldn't be anything close to brown. The inside of the original filter also looked very clean. I was tempted to re use it too. It's a Denso filter and it looks to be of high quality.

  

 

 

      

Gave the pan and magnets a thorough clean until shiny new and fitted new pan gasket and proceeded to install. Straw was screwed back into place during this time.

After installing new filter and pan, torqued everything up and filled with the amount that was initially removed, which was 2.6 Lt plus an additional litre to commence the flushing procedure.

 

2. Full System Fluid flush.

 

I searched out this method because I wanted to purge as much of the WS fluid in there and have mostly the new Penrite LV. It took several flushes to get the required result, which was clear red fluid. I removed the return line from the radiator and attached a clear hose to enable the dirty fluid to collect in the clear jug. I would start the car momentarily  and watch the old fluid pump itself into the jug. When it got to around 1 Lt, I shut the engine off and repeated the process. I ended up doing six flushes, each time adding a litre or more in. To demonstrate the colour change from old fluid to new fluid, I dipped a piece of paper into each sample collected from each flush. By this stage I had used up nearly 3 containers of fluid.

I also saved 200 ML for the final top up as per the update in the service bulletin. You thought I was going to forget this hey Ash ? LOL..

 

  

This was after the 6th flush and the results speak for themselves.

Handy "Tom Thumb" fluid transfer bottle. These are a high quality item and will serve you well when you need to add fluid without making a mess. I purchased half a dozen of these a while back and I assign one of each to a specific fluid type so no cleaning required between use.

Hook design dispensing tip allows the tip to remain in place whilst pumping the fluid through. Neat touch I thought.

 

These below are the fluid samples taken at each flush. I used a different jug for each sample collected so no cross contamination of colours.

This one has all six plus a "control" sample from new fluid straight out of the Penrite Container.

You can clearly see the change after the fourth flush. I decided I'd keep going until I used up the contents of the 3rd container for best results.

Happy with this I fitted the return line back to the radiator and proceed to do the final step. Fluid Adjustment.

3. Fluid Level Adjustment.

So now it was time to commence the fluid level adjustment and after having topped up the transmission for the final time, I hooked up my Autel Maxysis and dialled into the transmission live data to monitor the transmission fluid  temperature. The given target is somewhere between 40-45 degrees C. I opted for 42.5 degrees.

I started the engine and waited for everything to warm up. During this time I cycled the fluid by going through the gears (with foot on the brake). I went from P to D back and fourth a few times to enable the fluid to cycle itself thoroughly.

As soon as it hit 42.5 I went under and loosened off the drain bolt, and with engine running, collected the overflow until it slowed to a trickle as specified. Torqued up the drain bolt and then I added the extra 200ml as per the bulletin. 

Cleaned up the area, put tools away, re assembled the various bits on the car, removed off the axle stands, washed up and took it for a drive. I decided to go for a drive to the local garage, that way I could also check tyre pressures too.. 

The car drove magnificent. Gear changes still smooth, both on the up shifts and downshifts and nothing unusual.

Just happy it's done now. I think I'll just do a pan drain on an annual basis from now on.

Need new tyres soon....

Thank you for reading my report guys. Hope you all liked it.

Edited June 26, 2022 by Tony Prodigy
UPDATED.

[KAA]

Your a Legend Tony..what a brilliant, concise, and detailed service document mate..that is what I call dedicated to the forum..Glad all went so well for you and now you can rest comfortably knowing that it is done..it does show however the quality that Toyota put into their transmission that it stood the test of time when the fluid was still having that red tinge to it after never being touched..Thanks again Tony..brilliant detailed work

Appreciated

Keep safe

KAA

[AurionX2]

Good stuff there, precise, right tools, well documented, congratulations. One thing: if I remember correctly the 200ml fluid top-up is done after finishing the fluid level check, during the flush is irrelevant because you'll follow up with the level check anyway. I wonder if their engineers have initially miscalculated the amount of fluid that should be used and corrected it later.

L.E. See Ash post right after my 2008 transmission service post:

 

Edited October 17, 2020 by AurionX2

[campbeam]

17 minutes ago, AurionX2 said:

Good stuff there, precise, right tools, well documented, congratulations. One thing: if I remember correctly the 200ml fluid top-up is done after finishing the fluid level check, during the flush is irrelevant because you'll follow up with the level check anyway. I wonder if their engineers have initially miscalculated the amount of fluid that should be used and corrected it later.

Yes, final step is to add the 200 ml after the fluid level check then refit the fill plug. I think that the top up can be an allowance/preventative measure if too much fluid has been drained while performing the fluid level check. Certainly avoids customers returning complaining about transmission / gear shift issues when ATF is cold caused by fluid level being a bit low.

[Tony Prodigy]

5 hours ago, AurionX2 said:

Good stuff there, precise, right tools, well documented, congratulations. One thing: if I remember correctly the 200ml fluid top-up is done after finishing the fluid level check, during the flush is irrelevant because you'll follow up with the level check anyway. I wonder if their engineers have initially miscalculated the amount of fluid that should be used and corrected it later.

Thanks Adrian. Yes, you are correct. You add the extra 200ml after fluid level check is done and the pan bolt is torqued.

Edited October 17, 2020 by Tony Prodigy

[Tony Prodigy]

10 hours ago, KAA said:

Your a Legend Tony..what a brilliant, concise, and detailed service document mate..that is what I call dedicated to the forum..Glad all went so well for you and now you can rest comfortably knowing that it is done..it does show however the quality that Toyota put into their transmission that it stood the test of time when the fluid was still having that red tinge to it after never being touched..Thanks again Tony..brilliant detailed work

Appreciated

Keep safe

KAA

You're too kind Robert, thanks for that. I must say that it was kind of fun and exciting, a bit fiddly, somewhat messy if not careful, and most of all, like you say, I can rest now knowing that it's done and the transmission is in tip top shape.

I love this car and I want to preserve it as best I can.

Thanks for your comment.

[campbeam]

I had another read of the original post and the pictures.

Also had another laugh. I know that you are too OCD to have forgotten that extra 200 ml. If you had, I would have been very surprised.

Lots of preparation involved so the job would have gone quite smoothly.

Big benefit of dropping the pan is to clean off that accumulated sediment. Extra effort means that the new ATF will be less likely to get dirty/contaminated. 

I reckon that you will be giving your Dad's Aurion a transmission service in the near future.

[Tony Prodigy]

1 hour ago, campbeam said:

I had another read of the original post and the pictures.

Also had another laugh. I know that you are too OCD to have forgotten that extra 200 ml. If you had, I would have been very surprised.

Lots of preparation involved so the job would have gone quite smoothly.

Big benefit of dropping the pan is to clean off that accumulated sediment. Extra effort means that the new ATF will be less likely to get dirty/contaminated. 

I reckon that you will be giving your Dad's Aurion a transmission service in the near future.

Haha yeah Ash. My OCD isn't just limited to detailing 

I knew how much importance is placed on good prep work and you really need to be organised when tackling this job that's for sure. It's not as simple as an engine oil change.

Totally agree on the pan removal for the cleaning of the sediment. If it weren't for that crud on the magnets, you could virtually leave it as is including the original filter too. The filter I removed is virtually sediment free and I reckon if I soak it in some fresh tranny fluid I'd be surprised if the fluid changes colour. Also, now that I've done the magnets, It would be interesting to see how much sediment accumulates after 12 months or so using the Penrite LV.

Regarding Dad's car, having done mine has given me extra confidence doing his for sure, but his car still only has around 60K on clock so it's probably a little premature at this stage Ash. What do you think ?? He drives his car smoothly too, so I'm not expecting anything worse than mine. 

I have my little kit put away now and it'll be ready for action some time in the future.

I think the Toyota WS has done a good job considering my car has never been serviced till now. It's probably way overdue according to the specialists, but it goes to show that good driving habits can be rewarded along with good quality products. They go hand in hand mate.

[campbeam]

Totally agree with what you are saying. For a sealed transmission, you really need to do your research and know the fluid check procedure before touching the transmission. 

Since recently noticing the maintenance schedule [for the 40 Series Aurions] includes replacing the ATF at 90K kms or 6 years under severe driving conditions then ATF "lifetime" under the Toyota WS specification could be estimated to be 180K or 12 years. I previously assumed a lifetime estimate of 10 years and 160K.

As for your Dad's car with only 60K, I would expect less sediment build up on the transmission pan. As for the ATF, I would be more considering it when it is 5-6 years old and more so for preventative maintenance purposes. 

 

[LordBug]

Such a good guide that I had to make it into a PDF for posterity, provided you're fine with that 🙂

 

Aurion Transmission Flush.pdf

Edited October 19, 2020 by LordBug
Updated PDF with proper credit

[Tony Prodigy]

7 hours ago, LordBug said:

Such a good guide that I had to make it into a PDF for posterity, provided you're fine with that 🙂

 

Aurion Transmission Flush.pdf 1.24 MB · 0 downloads

I am honoured Bertil. No problem at all mate.

[ZZT86]

Tony you're an absolute fusspot - a bit like me 😉 Great write up with nice pics, you made it look so easy. Key also was in the jacking up & checking for perfect level otherwise it all goes pear shaped.

ps: if you ask me your tranny pan is pretty darn clean, magnets got a little fluff but nothing to drastic especially for 123K kms. Good signs

[Tony Prodigy]

6 hours ago, ZZT86 said:

Tony you're an absolute fusspot - a bit like me 😉 Great write up with nice pics, you made it look so easy. Key also was in the jacking up & checking for perfect level otherwise it all goes pear shaped.

ps: if you ask me your tranny pan is pretty darn clean, magnets got a little fluff but nothing to drastic especially for 123K kms. Good signs

Haha yeah. I am fussy. I like to be organised and work as cleanly as possible. Have the plan set in place and everything else just flows nicely then. Getting the car level took quite some time and it was probably the most frustrating part actually. I didn't show it in my pics but I also got it level laterally, not only longitudinally just to be precise. This would mimic the car being on a workshop hoist. 

I had a good feeling about the condition of the transmission because I've never had any shift issues at all. It's always behaved perfectly to be honest so there was no trepidation about any muck build up. I was probably expecting the colour of the fluid to have been more brown given the kays, but was pleasantly surprised to see the WS was still in good shape after all this time. Like I mentioned before, It has a lot to do with how you drive it too. It's had an easy life and the old fluid was the proof. I'm very happy it's done now and I can move on to other aspects of maintenance. 

[campbeam]

1 hour ago, Tony Prodigy said:

Haha yeah. I am fussy. I like to be organised and work as cleanly as possible. Have the plan set in place and everything else just flows nicely then. Getting the car level took quite some time and it was probably the most frustrating part actually. I didn't show it in my pics but I also got it level laterally, not only longitudinally just to be precise. This would mimic the car being on a workshop hoist. 

I had a good feeling about the condition of the transmission because I've never had any shift issues at all. It's always behaved perfectly to be honest so there was no trepidation about any muck build up. I was probably expecting the colour of the fluid to have been more brown given the kays, but was pleasantly surprised to see the WS was still in good shape after all this time. Like I mentioned before, It has a lot to do with how you drive it too. It's had an easy life and the old fluid was the proof. I'm very happy it's done now and I can move on to other aspects of maintenance. 

It is all in the preparation then everything should flow smoothly. Certainly helps to have the right tool to deal with that 1 pan bolt.

When I am doing the fluid level check, it is on a fairly level driveway. If the car is jacked up with the passenger wheel removed, I then lower the vehicle until it is fairly level laterally. Essentially the same as if the vehicle was sitting on all 4 wheels.

Interesting point because the vehicle is not level longitudinally [on the ground] as it would be on a workshop hoist. Possibly another explanation for adding that extra 200ml after doing the fluid level adjustment.

I am finally very happy with how well my transmission is performing so like yourself moving my focus to other maintenance.

[Tony Prodigy]

10 minutes ago, campbeam said:

It is all in the preparation then everything should flow smoothly. Certainly helps to have the right tool to deal with that 1 pan bolt.

It was pure luck I had this tool and it fit to be honest. I hadn't been under there previously to investigate that pesky bolt and it wasn't until I had it up and took a good look at it I tried the conventional way with an open ended spanner and quickly realised what you were all on about. Then I remembered my little snap-on tool and had a Eureka moment. What a fluke it fit. I was relieved.

13 minutes ago, campbeam said:

When I am doing the fluid level check, it is on a fairly level driveway. If the car is jacked up with the passenger wheel removed, I then lower the vehicle until it is fairly level laterally. Essentially the same as if the vehicle was sitting on all 4 wheels.

I needed the clearance to be able to work under there reasonably comfortable so I had to raise it from all four corners and then I used a scissor jack at the right rear to act as my 'pivot' to get it laterally level whilst getting the longitudinal level sorted. It was frustrating but I eventually found the sweet spot.

[campbeam]

16 minutes ago, Tony Prodigy said:

It was pure luck I had this tool and it fit to be honest. I hadn't been under there previously to investigate that pesky bolt and it wasn't until I had it up and took a good look at it I tried the conventional way with an open ended spanner and quickly realised what you were all on about. Then I remembered my little snap-on tool and had a Eureka moment. What a fluke it fit. I was relieved.

I needed the clearance to be able to work under there reasonably comfortable so I had to raise it from all four corners and then I used a scissor jack at the right rear to act as my 'pivot' to get it laterally level whilst getting the longitudinal level sorted. It was frustrating but I eventually found the sweet spot.

Investigating that pesky bolt was part of the preparation. Very fortunate that you had that particular tool. Using the open ended spanner vertically takes more time and a few attempts but still worth it compared to loosening transmission mount bolts and jacking up the transmission for working room.

First time around you would have wanted the extra clearance to be more under the vehicle and see what you are doing which is very understandable. I am sure that you will find a quicker way of doing it next time.

[Tony Prodigy]

5 minutes ago, campbeam said:

compared to loosening transmission mount bolts and jacking up the transmission for working room.

I definitely didn't want to go down that route. That little tool saved me a lot of grief and time that's for sure.

6 minutes ago, campbeam said:

First time around you would have wanted the extra clearance to be more under the vehicle and see what you are doing which is very understandable. I am sure that you will find a quicker way of doing it next time.

I'm sure the second time around will be much easier now I have my head around the process and procedure. 

Doing my Dad's car when it's due will be a breeze.

[campbeam]

19 minutes ago, Tony Prodigy said:

I definitely didn't want to go down that route. That little tool saved me a lot of grief and time that's for sure.

5 years ago that was the known way. I had a very frustrating hour trying to remove that bolt. Ended up using a small ring spanner from a Trade Tools combination set. This took me most of a Saturday afternoon.

Fast forward and I did the transmission service within an hour just by being able to remove that bolt with an open ended spanner held vertically.

No wonder that others have replaced that pan bolt with a hex head bolt. Just found the bolts that I bought so maybe next time when I have the car up on the ramps

 

[AurionX2]

Ah, that damn bolt never ending story :)) When servicing my Aurions it *appeared* that I had just a little more room to access the bolt on the 2013 compare to the 2008. Or was it because I did the 2008 first and my expectations and the fact that I got off the mark with the right tool made the job easier on the 2013?

[Tony Prodigy]

2 hours ago, AurionX2 said:

Ah, that damn bolt never ending story :)) When servicing my Aurions it *appeared* that I had just a little more room to access the bolt on the 2013 compare to the 2008. Or was it because I did the 2008 first and my expectations and the fact that I got off the mark with the right tool made the job easier on the 2013?

I would imagine the clearance would be the same on both, given there are many differences between the two cars, I suspect this is probably one of those that's unchanged. 

What tool did you end up using Adam ? I was planning to use a 1/4" drive 10mm socket with a uni-joint adapter, then I remembered my snap-on 10mm socket combo spanner. It worked straight off the bat and I didn't bother testing the 1/4" socket.

[campbeam]

6 hours ago, Tony Prodigy said:

I was planning to use a 1/4" drive 10mm socket with a uni-joint adapter, then I remembered my snap-on 10mm socket combo spanner. It worked straight off the bat and I didn't bother testing the 1/4" socket.

I just knew from my experience 5 years ago that a 10mm socket with a uni-joint adapter would not have worked because not enough clearance. Anyway, I have just tested it [very quickly] with the car up on ramps and no go.

However a shallow 10mm socket with a 1/4" drive wobble extension bar does work to loosen that pesky bolt.

I was going to replace it with a M6 hex head bolt but decided to leave it as is.

[campbeam]

I was looking at this YouTube video mainly to compare/check the fluid level check procedure being demonstrated.

Prior to 13:16 in the video, he talked about a trickle. The vertical stream of fluid has just started to splutter. Bit of a difference to how I have been doing it. I was waiting until the stream of fluid became a broken series of drops then add an extra 200ml of ATF.

At the 15:00 in the video, he highlights an important extra step required for the 8 speed transmission. 

 

[Tony Prodigy]

5 hours ago, campbeam said:

I was looking at this YouTube video mainly to compare/check the fluid level check procedure being demonstrated.

It's prudent to watch as many videos as possible to get a broad cross section of information. You will tend to take something from them all and then be able to form your own step by step procedure. I can't recall how many I watched, but having done so really gave the confidence to tackle this fiddly job.

5 hours ago, campbeam said:

Prior to 13:16 in the video, he talked about a trickle. The vertical stream of fluid has just started to splutter. Bit of a difference to how I have been doing it. I was waiting until the stream of fluid became a broken series of drops then add an extra 200ml of ATF.

I don't think it matters if it's a slow trickle Ash as we have to add the extra 200ml anyway according to the bulletin. I didn't hear any mention of him adding the 200ml (did I miss something perhaps ?) and that leads me to think that he opted to plug it when the fluid "started" to slow to a trickle. Those ML's of fluid retained not  allowing the fluid to slow to a trickle is the 200ml we'd otherwise have put back in.

He made a good point in saying to re check the fluid level after about a week just to make sure. Easy for him to say when he has those quick jacks 😄 To get the car level again takes ages and is a frustrating thing to do. But, in saying this, I should do this.

Love to get those quick jacks, very pricey though. Maybe I'll stick to the old fashioned way for now.

5 hours ago, campbeam said:

At the 15:00 in the video, he highlights an important extra step required for the 8 speed transmission. 

That's why doing your research is extremely important. Going into this blind, thinking you know everything, is dangerous.

[campbeam]

4 hours ago, Tony Prodigy said:

It's prudent to watch as many videos as possible to get a broad cross section of information. You will tend to take something from them all and then be able to form your own step by step procedure. I can't recall how many I watched, but having done so really gave the confidence to tackle this fiddly job.

I don't think it matters if it's a slow trickle Ash as we have to add the extra 200ml anyway according to the bulletin. I didn't hear any mention of him adding the 200ml (did I miss something perhaps ?) and that leads me to think that he opted to plug it when the fluid "started" to slow to a trickle. Those ML's of fluid retained not  allowing the fluid to slow to a trickle is the 200ml we'd otherwise have put back in.

He made a good point in saying to re check the fluid level after about a week just to make sure. Easy for him to say when he has those quick jacks 😄 To get the car level again takes ages and is a frustrating thing to do. But, in saying this, I should do this.

Love to get those quick jacks, very pricey though. Maybe I'll stick to the old fashioned way for now.

That's why doing your research is extremely important. Going into this blind, thinking you know everything, is dangerous.

After lots of research and experience to get it right, I have developed a few, revised, quick workaround procedures that I am happy with but would upset the "purists". Same thinking about that trickle approach. Extra fluid added at the start avoids the need for that extra 200ml.

After the next road trip, I will have to remember to do a precise fluid level check using a thermal gun. It would be a good time to try and quantify that trickle approach vs slow drips then add 200 ml. 

[Tony Prodigy]

1 hour ago, campbeam said:

It would be a good time to try and quantify that trickle approach vs slow drips then add 200 ml. 

It's a little different for everyone but I would safely assume if the transmission fluid temperature is within the specified range and the vehicle is dead level it shouldn't be too difficult to get the correct level. I went with 42.5 exactly. 

Whoever you ask, they will all give you a different answer. Nothing absolutely concrete though.

It's funny though, the service bulletin calls for an additional 200ml after fluid level has been performed correct ? The U.S based Youtubers don't mention this at all and they have the same U660E transmission. I'd rather lean on the side of the bulletin and follow the recommendation.