Transmission Service Interval

Hello all,

I bought a 2019 Tundra (5.7L) truck from an older gentleman. He never towed with it, 30 k miles. Mainly garaged it.

my questions is when to do the transmission service?

I’ve read 6 years or 60 k miles, whichever comes first. However, how important is that?

thank you for your time!

 

I think technically per Toyota regular use is a never service transmission. Alot of people will suggest drain and fill/checks occasionally, like 60k miles for 4 quarts in and out, which is 25$+ of ATF if you diy.

 

I just did mine, 2021, at 50k. Simple drain and fill. Check level and got peace of mind it’s done. Bought it with around 40,000 miles. Dont know whether previous owner tow with it or not. i would wait til 50k and do the drain and fill. If you drive it normally, 50k comes quick..

 

Does the whole transmission pan come off for the drain and fill?

 

No need to remove the pan. The fluid level check procedure seems complicated, but it’s not difficult.

 

Nope.. no need to remove pan..
Watch this.
https://youtu.be/NX3WRAPJ0Aw?si=7RoZf6AjO3Hm4_Ru

Then this for checking fluid level, after fill. Watch from mark 44 mins. Where he refill and what not.
https://youtu.be/Ep5CNhdMnhE?si=FYDF4tEj3ZCSUEkD

also get this crush washer. You will need it for the drain and check plug.

$8 Rexka 10pcs Transmission Drain Plug Gasket Compatible with Toyota Lexus Truck 35178-30010 4Runner, Celica, Land Cruiser, RAV4, Sequoia, Tacoma, Tundra,GX460, is F, IS250, IS300, IS350, SC300, SC400

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B17QMBQB

 

I use my '21 primarily for towing and land use. Not much else except a trip around town or so to keep the battery active. I did an exchange at 55k after seeing my temp number slowly rising. After the fluid exchange my temp numbers dropped considerably while towing. I will probably stick to exchange after keeping an eye on the temp numbers. I see it as not a big cost for a drain and fill given the peace of mind.

 

A few too many wobbly pops last night or are you always this good with people?

 

I have a 21 that tows a trailer weighing ~ 3 tons loaded. I tow this trailer about 1/3 of the time. at 22k I did a drain and fill and another at about 35k miles. I sent a sample from the second D&F to Blackstone Labs for their opinion on how well the fluid was holding up. With this sample I included a note explaining what I towed, how many miles I towed it and that I used S4 and T/H. Blackstone replied back that I could do a D&F every 50,000 miles if I continued to operate the truck as I had been. That impressed me.

One thing you should do is to remove each transmission pan bolt one at a time and give the threads a coating of anti seize before putting them back in. Do this sooner than later since these pan bolts have been know to break when removed in older vehicles.

 

2 bonus tips.
1) Remove the Add plug before you Drain any fluid.
2) Measure what comes out to be sure to put back at least the same.

 

Awesome, thank you all!

I wasn’t sure if the previous owner towed or not, seems like a good idea to continue the life of truck. I bought to have it last many years. Very helpful everyone!

 

One more question, is there ever a time you’d want to remove the pan, new gasket, magnet and refill?

Or is it just drain and fill for life of vehicle?

I’ve seen many random videos online speaking to one or another at different times. I do plan on towing. Thanks again in advance.

 

Search bar at the top right of the page will help you with a lot of this. Summary: mixed reviews on whether or not the "filter" (it's really a screen) needs to be changed or not. most drain/fill and keep moving because of the risk of snapping pan bolts. the majority of people actually going in are typically doing it for other reasons (upgraded valve bodies, solenoid replacements, etc.) and will just replace the "filter" while they are in there.

Lots of good reading and almost every question you could have about the 2/2.5 gen Tundra is answered. This site is one of the best resources available for this platform.

 

There is really no need to remove the pan unless you need to repair the transmission. Regular maintenance with drain and fills is the best way you can avoid damage requiring pan removal.

To you question about removing it, the steel pan is sealed to the aluminum transmission case with sealant. Removing it requires some patience and experience. Another issue as another poster above mentioned is the pan bolts like to seize over time, so you need to be comfortable with the possibility of extracting broken bolts.

 

Since you plan to tow you might consider adding a transmission fluid cooler. I didn't add one and probably will not if I continue to tow my current trailer. You should however consider monitoring your transmission fluid temperature with either a dedicated scangauge (which is what I do) or a phone app and dongle that plugs into the OBDI port. Also, put the gear selector in S4 and leave it there. S4 is direct drive through the transmission. This means there is less heat generated and less parasitic power lost.

Next topic, Oil weight or payload.

 

All awesome information, thank you all. I plan to tow a trailer that’s about 7 k pounds. I plan to change my oil every 5 k even though I’ve read every 10 k for some people. Want this thing to last a long time. Appreciate all your help!

 

Good plan on the OCI. I usually do the same but this one will be at 6,500. Castrol Edge 5W-30. They claim it's a 20,000 oil. I'll let Blackstone Labs be the judge of that.

 

Hell I did my first one at 100k and no issues afterwards. Probably a little better shifting, but not anything to crow about.

 

I think you have a good plan. 5k oil change intervals are reasonable. I think the proponents of 10k intervals fail to see the long-term cumulative effects of running their oil to 90% depletion at 10k instead of, say, 50% depletion at 5k. The question isn’t whether the oil is performing as it should at that particular point in time, it’s more about the long term effects of that strategy. The same concept applies to transmission fluid.

In long run, maintenance costs are relatively cheap compared to repairs.

 

Appreciate the great feedback all. I agree. I’m curious to know what the lab will say about your oil with sampling. Let me know!

 

I'll try to find the oil analysis thread and post it there. In one of the many threads on transmission coolers I posted the results of my ATF test. I remember that thread had some pretty good info on towing in S4 vs D or S5.

I can say that I saw no benefits in towing in S5 vs just staying in S4. No better MPG was ever calculated when bumping up the 5th. Once I found out S4 was direct drive and 5th was overdrive it made sense.

 

Is the transmission cooler needed if they removed it?

Im happy to install one, but don’t want to mess with it much. I am just learning about it more.

I thought it had a intercooler built in to the coolant?

 

Yes. As a fellow 2019'er towing an 8k lb travel trailer, you will want one. "Need" is debatable, but being down around 200* is so much better than 240-250*. Regardless, tow in S4, not drive, and monitor your temps via SCG or OBD Fusion or HPTuners, etc.

 

I’ll definitely check it out, thank you all! Super excited to get out camping this spring with the family.

 

the oil-water heat exchanger on the transmission is mainly to get the transmission temp up to operating temp faster; but it may moderate temps a bit. For most people no auxiliary cooler is fine, but IMO, someone towing regularly should have one.

 

It is spring ... let's goooo!

 

Hahaha, you have much better weather than me! I live in the PNW, very cold right now, 38 degrees today and rainy. Cheers all!