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.

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.

I have noticed that when I have the front tyre pressures at 40 psi, the steering is very responsive.

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.

I am expecting that the Dealer will look at any Service Bulletins and most likely update the transmission control software. If that does not solve the issue, next step is to consider whether a replacement of the valve body is required. Just as well the vehicle is under warranty.

Based upon my limited experience, I would be confident in saying that the fluid level is not low. If the fluid level was low, I would expect having shifting issues when the ATF is cold. Toyota service Centre will need to scan the ATM computer control unit to check for any codes relating to the change solenoids and sensors. There could be an issue with the electrical connections for the shift solenoids that only occurs when the ATF is at operating temperature.

Nice touch. As you say, it is a bonus pouring spout. I do not have a fluid transfer pump so use a plastic funnel and a length of plastic hose which is fed down through the engine bay near the battery to the side of the gearbox. Then more fun maneuvering the end of the plastic hose into the filler hole. Advantage is that all of the ATF poured into the hose goes into the gearbox.

An estimate of 4 hours labour is realistic assuming no problems with disassembly and reassembly. Usually there is always 1 bolt that is troublesome. Following YouTube video shows what is involved in replacing the rear struts. Certainly interest to hear your feedback once the KYB Excel-G's have been fitted, particularly stiffness of the ride.

So many oil specials available now in the lead up to Bathurst. Best to search the Super Cheap, Repco and AutoBarn websites. For the budget minded, I spotted this 5 Litre Nulon semi-synthetic 5W-30 oil for $14.99 https://www.autobarn.com.au/semi-synthetic-5w-30-advanced-protection-engine-oil-5l

The answer is in this thread which has posts from both of us back in 2017.

When we got old enough, we upgraded to cars and here we are. This is another online calculator which I use often for tyre size comparisons even though I am staying with the stock original size tyres. https://tiresize.com/calculator/

This post did have me thinking again about my High School maths. Certainly have not used any algebra and forgotten all of the formulas that we had to memorise. My Dad was a builder and he always said that the perfect pitch of a roof was 33.33 degrees. Now that approach angle would have you going over the handlebars of your push bike.

I viewed a few YouTube videos about servicing the brake slider pins. They consistently mentioned using anti-seize grease which made sense to me. I did check the slider pins when I changed the brake fluid. All looks good so next brake check will be more for the brake pads and fluid. Thanks for the update. I think that I will stick with the anti-seize grease. I have also got plenty of Castrol LMM grease.

We have gone full circle so back to your original post. I remember reading an internet post that upgrading your rear sway bar is like applying a band aid when the real underlying problem is worn shocks/struts. I was going to put that statement to the test by replacing the rear struts and then see how much it reduced the rear body roll going around a local roundabout. What ended up happening was the exact opposite in that I applied an "ättractively priced band aid" which has reduced the body roll and the new replacement struts are still in their packaging. When I want more handling then I will be fitting the replacement struts. Also been delaying waiting for the QLD NSW border to fully open without restrictions then do the replacement after the trip.

You will need to do some measurements of the ground clearance and the distance of your wheel to the bumper. Then input your figures into this calculator. https://www.calculator.net/right-triangle-calculator.html?av=6&alphav=&alphaunit=d&bv=28&betav=&betaunit=d&cv=&hv=&areav=&perimeterv=&x=75&y=17

Not exactly sure whether you are referring to apexing the corner as demonstrated in this video or perhaps cornering techniques as demonstrated in the embedded video of this link https://www.carthrottle.com/post/4-things-you-should-never-do-in-a-front-wheel-drive-car/

Actually, I rather liked that he was somewhat contradictory. I was thinking that he was taking into consideration that all transmissions are not the same particularly as design and specifications have been changing over the years. I am thinking that what determines the amount and type of servicing is going to be the driving conditions and that specific transmission model and design. Because you drive your Aurion like Grandpa [so you say] i.e. drive sedately, owned the vehicle since new and less than 60K on the odometer, I think that there would be little benefit from dropping the pan and changing the filter. Saying this because my project 2008/9 Aurion [used family vehicle mostly driven by the 1st owners wife] with 109K had little build up on the transmission pan mostly around the magnets. I just visually checked the filter then refitted it before doing a full flush of the transmission. Different matter 5 years ago when I bought my used 2006 Aurion with 165K on the odometer. When I dropped the pan, there was a significant amount of sediment all over the bottom of the pan and I did replace the filter. I did buy extra filters at that time. After viewing that video, I am planning upon changing the filter next year and then opening up the replaced filter. Not really expecting to find any metal particles.

Certainly appears to be an intermittent power supply issue. Best to start by checking the fuses and usually there are 2 fuse boxes. When I remove fuses, I look at them using a magnifying glass or in good lighting conditions. Next step would be check for any loose electrical connectors or a loose ground wire on the electrical harness. I also recall posts where there was corrosion on the ground connection or replacing with a better ground connection/wiring.

The Accountant in me would be leaving the gauges as is. Nice difference that the temperature gauge has a red pointer and the pressure gauge has a white pointer. I would think that you are more likely to be monitoring the oil pressure gauge so best place that gauge for a better line of sight.

If it is in the manufacturer's maintenance schedule for that particular vehicle, then definitely replace the transmission filter. The issue is more the recent trend towards sealed for life transmissions. Reduced or minimised servicing now is going to raise the potential for expensive repairs down the track.. The video presenter is making the point that costly repairs if something goes wrong such as a broken bolt can be avoided by not doing an unnecessary replacement of the filter. Good workaround is to perform regular changes of the ATF which is good preventative maintenance..

Following link relates to a US Patent Office Application titled "Lubricant Compositions For Reducing Timing Chain Stretch" https://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2017/0321146.html It may be useful if you are trying to differentiate between various high quality oils.

Following YouTube video makes a number of valid points about whether you really need to replace a low pressure transmission filter. Transmission filters are different to oil filters. In his opinion, generally it is better to be doing regular changes of the ATF.

I did the flush on my project Dec.2008 Aurion Prodigy [has 109K on the odometer] via the return line which is the line where the ATF flows from the radiator cooler back to the transmission. I was refilling the transmission with the new ATF using a funnel and hose to the refill hole on the upper side of the transmission. Refill plug is 24mm. Basically the same as when I did my 1998 Camry transmission which has a dipstick. Toyota Camry ATF Transmission Fluid Flush.docx Same sequence with the additional/unmentioned step of cleaning the pan before refitting.

Great lot of fun. Good opportunity to properly clean and detail the parts that get removed. Maybe more Aerospace 303 protectorant on the plastic bits. It was rubber hose. Looks like they selected a lower grade so the initial solution was to replace that bit of hose with a higher grade. Final solution was a full metal VVTi oil line. Similar situation with the oil cooler which has rubber hose lines. At least, these hoses are replaced when a leak is detected with a full metal line unit by Toyota Australia. Quite a few threads and posts on this issue. Again, it is another PITA job needing the right tools to make the job possible [so I have read]. At least we know that the timing chain is designed to last the lifetime of the engine. Essentially, it is another engine component that needs to be adequately lubricated for wear protection purposes.

Some filter kits come with the o-ring and others don't. Wesfil kit [5 years ago] did not include it so I ended up re-using the o-ring. I am sure that the smaller o-ring that comes with the engine oil filter cartridges is the same size. Good idea to set aside a whole day. A full flush only took me less than an hour [without changing the filter] but I had previously loosened that troublesome bolt. With the car up on ramps, i had plenty of working room to manoeuvre off the transmission pan. A major flush is going to replace 100% the ATF. I have recently calculated that 4-5 pan drains at say weekly intervals will get very close to fully refreshing the transmission with new ATF. It also explained why some transmission shops [according to internet posts] do a pan drain, drive the vehicle to circulate the ATF then do another pan drain. Transmission should then have about 75-80% new ATF and 20-25% old ATF. I have been doing lots of pan drains in the last 5 years after replacing the filter. Makes sense to me to remove some of the used/contaminated ATF and to refresh the additive package. Next year I am planning on dropping the transmission pan to check/replace the filter so will then see if there is any noticeable "built up material" on the bottom of the pan especially around the magnets.