trans problems after filter and oil change

i have a 2020 tundra limited trd 77k on it. i had the toyota oil and filter to change trans but wasnt getting it done before a montana grouse trip. took it too local dealer and had them do it. when i picked it up noticed the trans shifted into reverse slow and slow to engage. took it back the next day and they sid they added some fluid. was better but not the same as before. pulled a 14 foot enclosed trailer to montana, first morning leaving camp 44 degrees held in first longer than it should let off and it started slipping. let it warm up put it in tow haul and it didnt slip driving on sandy roads light load 15 mph it would slip from 1500 to 2000 rpm. lt off and tried not to drive it lightly and got by all week, got home tried it this morning cold no warm up and not as bad but shift points are off seems like a double engagement when starting in drive. how could they mess up a simple filter oil change like this? driving ut to dealer tonight so it is there in the am cold if i can get them to drive it. supposed to leave on friday for a 2 week hunting trip sorry for the long first post,

 

I’m confused on what service you had done. Engine oil and filter change it seems, but did they also drain and fill the transmission?

 

had the transmission filter and oil changed

 

By transmission filter, I'm guessing that's the screen in the pan. Almost no one is doing the screen change, as it is not actually a filter per se. Did they do a transmission fluid flush, or just drain and fill? How comfortable are you checking the transmission fluid level?

 

They pay a overworked inexperienced tec 20 bucks to do a transmission fluid change and kept the other I'm guessing 350 bucks for profit. They already admitted they didn't fill it to the proper level by saying they had to add more fluid. Maybe the damage has been done by being low on fluid, ot there is something else they still screwed up. Who knows might be the wrong fluid in it.

Please post dealers name so other Tundra owners know how this dealer underfills fluids causing damage when charging top dollar!

Also no reason to change the filter in trans mission. It's a screen that only stops larger chunks from getting sucked in.

Either go to a shop with better customer service and integrity and see what they say, or read up and watch videos and do a drain a fill with Toyota WS fluid yourself. I did mine first time in an hour including watching the video how to do it. And fluid was like 75 bucks.

 

Bummer. The transmission shouldn’t be behaving like that; sounds like a fluid level issue to me. The fluid check procedure is a little different but not complicated. I would ask them (or check the paperwork) to see if they did a flush/full fluid exchange or a drain and fill. I underfilled the transmission on another vehicle years ago and the test drive did the same thing: slow to engage gear, felt like it slipped/skipped/momentarily popped out of gear around 2000 rpm.

I’ve done a half dozen drain and fills on my truck with zero issues. Unfortunately, driving with low fluid and a slipping transmission can cause internal damage, especially with the additional load of pulling a trailer.

I would contact the dealer and let them know it is exhibiting those issues and ask if they feel it is ok to drive or if they would prefer to have it towed. I suspect they will say something along the lines of ‘we can tow it on your dime unless we find an issue’. If they are at fault, it will be on their dime but they may also say that the damage could have been pre-existing; theoretically it could be but realistically, they were the ones to perform the service and did not do it correctly to begin with. Just might be a little bit of battle.

When they accept the vehicle to look at, ask adamantly for a sample of the fluid as it comes out of the transmission. Collect a few ounces it in a clean bottle for you to inspect with them there; perhaps mention you would like to send it off to Blackstone Labs for independent analysis.

In the interim, are you stranded somewhere between MT and UT?

 

As @blenton stated sounds like a fluid level issue. I make it a point when doing a drain/fill that after the final check with a trickle. I add an extra 1/2 to full quart and call it good. The ab60 can hold an up to an extra quart.

 

uh changing the filter not a great idea

 

If you don't mind getting a little dirty, slide underneath and count the number of pan bolts they broke.

 

Sorry to hear you're going through this. Find a reputable transmission shop. Dealer suck at pretty much everything, so I only use them for warranty work. It sounds like they were clueless on your tranny.

 

Seriously, I broke one myself just trying to change out the bolts with better ones, which in turn I ended up having to drop the pan so I changed the filter while I was there but wont bother doing that again. If If I were you @riverview I would do a drain and fill and do the proper level check, clearly they dont know how to do it properly, its not a common service, many dealers will just tell you its a closed system and doesn't need to be touched.

 

I wouldn’t before I took it back and had them have their “master tech” look at it and see what’s up. If they broke it, make them fix it.

 

i dropped it off last night so it would be cold, was there 20 minutes before they opened, went for a ride with their tech certified in transmissions, went about 200 yards and it was holding in first too longs and he stated this, he is dropping the pan and starting over.

 

They may have installed a cheap Chinese filter that does not have the seal lip done right. Or they fscked up the installation. It can be the oil pump is now sucking air and here you go: dropped line pressure, frictions eat themselves.

When I was rebuilding my transmission (Aisin for passenger car), I discarded two filters because the seal looked troublesome. Ended up paying $80-something for OE filter, I think.

 

Definitely could of had o ring on filter roll or be pinched. Good call.

 

Are we even sure the correct type fluid was used - uggg the nightmares.

 

Don't have anything to add, just as a fellow grouse hunter I wanted to wish you luck- both on the transmission issue and your trip!

 

being a toyota dealer I would hope so, but who knows

 

Still trying to figure out why anyone is dropping the pan on a 4 year old truck… they put drain bolts in for a reason. Who pulls their pan for an oil change?

 

I had a factory Toyota filter and oil as i was going to do it myself, to me i think the filter is sucking air as in Montana it was 40 degrees in the morning when it acted up the most, let it warm up and i could drive it in tow haul i think because tow haul operates at higher rpms. I was a diesel tech for the last 42 years and ran my own shop for the last 12 before i quite working. I just thought i would ask about it on here. thanks for the reply's.

 

so they had my tundra for a week, at first said it was low on oil again, filled it and had same issue, i went in on wedensday and they said my oil had moisture in it. i looked at it and it was aerated oil not moisture. they still hadn't pulled the filter called the next day and they said they had it back together and the filter was the issue. So there was a suction leak on the filter, I just put 700 miles on it and it works as it should. going in on monday and discuss the wear on my trans from putting 1000 miles on it with aerated oil from the suction leak. My guess it will give problems when it gets cold this winter.

 

@riverview That's the go to issue when the filter is changed and transmission develops problems. Why I mentioned the filter o-ring early on.

 

Did you happen to hear the tech and the service advisor arguing about whether the transmission takes 5w-30 or 0w-20, by chance?

 

Ooof. Glad they located the issue. But that sounds like an uphill battle to get anything covered/fixed if you have an issue from it down the road.

 

i went in this week and found out the new toyota filter was defective and Toyota covered the labor and filter, it is noted that the magnets had some material after running the trans with aerated oil for 1200 miles and will be warrantied to 115000 miles. i figure if anything is going to happen it will be this winter when it gets below zero. I didnt see the filter

 

Glad you pursued Toyota to take care of it! The Ab60 is pretty tough and stands up to a lot of abuse.

 

FWIW, the CarCareNut on youtube doesn't recommend dropping the pan and changing the filter. He recommends "careful" drain, measure, and refills. If this is done say every 20,000-30,000 miles you should never need to drop the pan and replace the filter.

 

About five years ago, around 115k miles, I took my truck to a local shop (not a dealer) and had them do a drain and fill on the tranny. It was the first time any service had been performed on the transmission. They changed the filter as well, and put in some aftermarket product. I got the truck back and knew immediately it was not shifting right, so I took it straight back to the shop. They replaced the no name filter with an OEM filter and the irregular shifting was no more. I’ve been driving on it the past 60k miles or so on 37s the whole time with no issues at all. About 20k miles after the service was done I had 5.29 gears installed.

 

Leave it to a dealer to screw up a perfectly fine transmission. Usually they do that by flushing. This one went the extra effort and dropped the pan for you and replaced the “filter”.