Flush Transmission???

I just called a local Toyota dealer to inquire about dropping the Trans pan and replace screen and refill with new fluid. They recommended a trans Flush....pumping in new fluid and flushing it out and then replace. In all the reading I have done, I have not seen any recommendation to flush the system.
What do you all think of a flush??
I purchased my 2010 Tundra a month ago (115,000) and want to get all the fluids up to date.

 

I’d avoid flushing with that mileage and unknown service history. Drain and fill twice 10k apart and then every 30k thereafter.

 

Yeah if there are no issues with the trans operation, Save your Money and just do a drain/fill every 20-30K. It'll work forever....

 

The 2x drain and fill and then a single drain and fill every year or two will keep these going a long time.

The pans on these are not all that willing to come off, and the risk of a flush is disturbing junk in the pan that you'd like to stay there (and that you will drain out with your drain and fill cycles).

 

No on the flush, especially with higher miles. Drain and fill only.

 

I recently read on this forum that "flushes are for toilets, not transmissions".

 

I think if you had the drain bolt out and the fill plug off, you could spray into the pan with brake parts cleaner to wash some gunk off the bottom of the pan and out the drain, but that's about all I would do.

 

I stopped by my dealer last weekend for some Camry oil filters and while I was there, I hit up the service writer for some Tundra transmission fluid change info. I informed him of my model year and mileage (2007 w/266k) and he responded "yeah, those trans fluid jobs are important" and quoted me a approx. price of $250. When asked about the danger of dropping a pan (i.e. broken bolts) that old he informed me that they old don't bother the pan on a sealed transmission service. They do the extraction and filling through the fill hole. I then asked about replacing the strainer.....he then sort of hemmed & hawed til saying that it would be up to the tech whether they would suggest it, depending on the condition of the drained fluid. Haven't made my decision yet...

 

Keyword dealer....of course they will tell you something that will make them more money.

 

Well aware. I've never had any dealership touch a vehicle I've owned. Hell, couldn't afford too.

It's just that this transmission service deal is maybe has the most widely varied opinions in the Tundra-verse.

 

I would do a drain and fill a couple times and see how it feels. If it feels off then maybe consider the flush.

 

I’m trying to figure out the same thing, 235k on the truck. Transmission was serviced prior to my purchase. I’m not sure if they did a drain/fill or a drain/flush/fill. I purchased the gaskets/strainer/O-ring but now I’m wondering if they used a universal fluid or actual Toyota fluid. The trans is a little sluggish/hard shifting when cold but once warm operates normally. That’s why I’m leaning towards a drain/flush/fill or am I getting ready to create new issues.

 

The propensity of the pan bolts to break off would definitely convince me that replacing the filter just isn't worth it unless it's a last resort attempt at remedying a real issue.

 

I'd like to point out that there are two types of "flushes". One is extremely dangerous, the other is not.

The dangerous one is what you'd get at a run of the mill drive through tranny fluid shop. They forcibly pump new fluid in with an external machine. Very bad things tend to happen here, especially on older trannies.

The safe one is to use the tranny's built in pump to pump out the old fluid while new fluid is being added. This *should* be what your dealer is talking about, and is safe if done properly. But you should ask the tech with open ended questions to see exactly what they mean by "flush". (Don't put words in their mouth or ask yes/no questions.)

I had the safe one done at my dealer on my '15 around 100k miles. Of course, being a dealer, you have to take their word for it that they actually did it.

 

Re the filter, unless you think there's a problem, I would avoid that.

I manually changed the filter on a '98 4runner that had thick coffee black tranny fluid (probably original fluid @ 230k miles). That took care of the hesitation issue I was having. Also did it because the stick broke off and was stuck in the pan ... so I ended up changing the pan at the same time. That's another story though.

 

Good info and discussion, I’ll keep doing some research and see what I come up with.

 

I'm about to have my transmission (189K on the dial) drained and refilled by a friend who owns a transmission shop. My transmission shifts fine in the morning when the fluid is cool but as soon as the fluid gets hot it stays in a higher gear. Example is that first thing in the morning I can run 60mph at 1500-2000 RPM but when the fluid gets hot it runs at 3000 rpm at 60mph and won't come down. So, I'm going to asked him to do a drain and refill to see if this solves the issues. When I bring it to him he will check it for himself and tell me what really needs to be done.
Anybody experience this? What was the fix?

 

If you’re having an issue like that, I would change out ALL the fluid at once for maximum effect,if it helps. I personally don’t think a few quarts is enough of a difference.

 

I am currently having mine serviced 187k, dis you have any trouble codes pop up? It would show a p0983 You could be having an early S4 shift solenoid issue. It will lock you out of 5th and 6th gear. So effectively at 60 mph you're sitting right at 3k.
I noticed mine started acting up when we would get drastic changes in weather. I sent it in for a new solenoid. Since the pan has to come down for that I will be replacing the filter and fluid.
Lastly, with our early gen 2's there is a factory TSB for multiple potential issue regarding bad C1 clutches. I believe it was 07-10 tundras with the early AB60 transmissions. I will edit this post later tonight with links and that TSB when I get home.

 

If you're paying a shop to drop the pan and replace a valve here or there, I would just order a new valve body and do all of them.

 

Normally I would agree but multiple dealers told me a 2-3 week lead time after paying until part arrived. Additionally a new valve body is 1,092. Where as my Solenoid is 228.xx. If I were to use that theory next time I need a new drop in I might as well put a Harrop on it.

 

Most dealerships don't do an actual power flush. You need to ask for a world spec transmission service. They exchange all of your fluid -/+ 16 quarts. New fluid is pumped in via a transmission cooler line at the same pressure that the transmission pump produces, at the same time the old fluid is extracted. I did this on my 08 Land Cruiser and it worked great. For reference I had it done at 120k miles.

 

I saw a few not long ago around $800. That would seem preferable to maybe having to pay again if another valve acts up.

 

Very good idea!!!

 

^^^ This is the right way to do it.

 

I was under the impression that a new valve body comes with solenoids, perhaps that's not correct?

 

That seems like a bad idea.

 

Well that's a horrible deal!

 

I talked with my service tech the other day about this. He said I should flush mine at 60,000. I’m at 53,000. He did say if I was at a higher mileage he would just recommend drain/fill.

 

I do drain and fills on all my cars annually. If the fluid is bright red, I can skip the next year.

Across my scion, tundra, sienna and my dad's Tacoma, I used 13qts of WS in December.

I actually prefer this method as it constantly cycles in fresh additives.