Fluid changes at 115k

Hi, my 2017 Tundra had 96k when I bought it last year, and currently sits at almost 115k. Other than oil changes I don’t know the maintenance history on it and I’ve been planning to change the fluids in the transmission, transfer case and both diffs soon. Anyone think I shouldn’t at this point? Anyone foresee problems, particularly with the tranny, by doing so if this is in fact the first time they’ve been changed?

 

Nope, change away and then I'd change the trans or at least do a drain and fill every couple oil changes.

 

I changed front and rear diff oil, transfer case, tranny fluid and coolant when I bought my truck with about 70K miles in December. Was $600 Cdn at Toyota. Now I know when it’s been done and I can go from there.

 

I purchased my mine with 40k miles and changed the front and rear diff and the transfer case fluid right after getting it. Wasn’t sure if it was done or not but at least I know it’s been done now.

 

Yeah I was definitely just going to do a drain and fill on the transmission, and no more. Wasn’t planning on even dropping the pan.

Thanks for the replies guys.

 

I’m in the minority here. Over a 100K on a 6 year old truck? The trans I would have to think long and hard about. Care car nut dude on YouTube will not service any Toyota or Lexus Trans that has over 100k on it unless he knows it’s been done before. IF I decided to go for it, I would do one drain and fill. Certainly not more than that for another 50K.

 

He is way overly cautious. Not servicing a 100K trans that is 6 years old is silly in my opinion. 200K maybe.

 

If you decide you'd like to update the front differential drain bolt to get rid the bad hex key design, I have a spare Koan aftermarket one ready to go, don't have to wait for shipping from Australia lol. Makes future fluid changes much nicer.

And of course always remember to free up your fill plugs before removing the drain plug!

 

the certified master Toyota/Lexus tech I know has over 30 years of experience and that was his opinion and I agree with it but hey, you must have more knowledge then him. You’ve been a master Toyota tech for 40 plus years?

 

My daily driver is a 2001 Toyota Sequoia with over 300K on my original trans and that’s because I’ve serviced it every 50k. I also have a 2017 Tundra TRD pro with 54k on it. It’s already had it’s first trans service. Odds are pretty high in your favor that if you service it, you’ll be fine. If it was mine and I didn’t know the history on it, I’d think long and hard. Pretty expensive mistake to learn if it starts to shift hard or worse.

 

Watch this and maybe it will help you decide. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jJr30r6RRgw&t=922s

 

In review of my own dealership service history of my truck (prior to purchase) I could see the first transmission fluid drain & fill service had been done at just shy of 60k miles. I just can't imagine the kind of discounted price that would need to be available to me to convince me to buy a truck over 80k miles or so without service records or history kept anywhere.

As for @OP here, how did you come across the truck? Toyota dealership? Private sale? Repo auction? Gift from family member? In several of these instances even if the history isn't accessible, you can probably surmise the likelihood of your 60k change having been done and decide if you want to do the 120k service as recommended. In any of the cases I suggested, I would. If it were 198k and not 115k, I'd be more wary, but it's not. Just my 2 cents.

 

I wish he would've explained WHY to leave the trans alone if it has100k and hasn't been serviced.

 

Local truck showed up for sale at a local Ford dealer. All I have is Carfax info which shows oil changes, inspections, etc. No sign of any other fluid changes. I’m assuming it hasn’t been done.

 

Bah, Ford dealerships!

 

Thanks, I actually went and found this video this morning after I saw your first reply. Definitely made me stop and think for a minute, but I'm still leaning toward a single drain and fill for right now. As he says, changing now for the first time can remove some of the debris in the fluid leading to slipping, harsh shifting, etc., but leaving the same fluid in long term can cause issues too. So as I see it, I should either do a drain and fill immediately, or leave it forever. Since I hope to keep this thing until 300k+, I feel like cycling in some new fluid now and changing it at regular intervals moving forward gives me the best chance of longevity. Either way I'm risking issues, unfortunately.

 

You’re correct. He basically said it’s a calculated risk.

 

I use a quality scan tool for the temperature adjustment. If you don’t have one, you can do the transmission check mode key thing and while it does work, it’s a pain in the ass.

 

I actually ordered one which should be here tomorrow. I want to make sure I get that right.

 

Smart Man.

 

Yeah I’ll never go back there, not a great experience. But I love my truck so it’s still a win.

 

I did a full trans flush (The DIY method pumping out 3 quarts at a time and refilling the pan) at 90k miles on my 2016 last spring. I did not have any prior service history, and while the truck was well maintained, I also knew it was a highway queen so it hadn't had a hard life when I bought it with 84k miles.

Everybody is right though, it's sort of a calculated risk with the transmission. You could also try check the current condition of the fluid before you decide to do a flush of drain and fills. Mine was darker, but not burnt and still rather translucent. I felt comfortable doing a full flush and all has been well. The trans is butter smooth. I think a few drain and fills is probably what I would do with yours if you're on the edge. Diffs are a no brainer though, definitely get those fluids changed.

 

This is super helpful, thanks!

 

Just to put a cap on this discussion, I did a single drain and fill last Saturday (right at 5.5 quarts). After around 600 miles driving this week, she’s running great. Fluid was definitely dark but still very red and didn’t smell burnt at all. Thanks everyone for your input.

 

Here is an anecdotal story about changing transmission fluid in a Toyota.

A guy I work with has a 2007 Sequoia that has 330,000 on it. They bought it new. He has done one drain and fill on the transmission at 150,000. I’ve driven it lately and it shifts fine. Always has.

 

I had my tranny drained and filled at 200K. When I got it back the first few days or so it shifted really strangely, I don't know how to say it but you could really feel each gear when it down shifted, so much so that I though I had F'd it up. However I decided to just wait and see so after a week it smoothed out and runs like a top now. I'm due for another drain and fill now so I'm hoping it just does what it's supposed to do afterwards and not have any problems. I'd say do it, you'll probably be fine.

 

I did a drain an fill on our unserviced highlander transmission at 78k and the fluid looked like new. Literally hard to tell the difference in the new fluid and old fluid in clear buckets. No towing, long idling, or off road though...