Transmission drain and fill - funnel size?

[BlackBart]

I'm with you - nobody wants a half a box of expensive fluids sitting in the garage. Many of us live in areas without easy access to dealers. I do have a Toyota dealer, so I buy the Toyota Type IV, one quart or a whole box. I believe the Mobile 3309 can be had from a decent auto parts store, but you may have to ask them to get it. If you do one at about 3 1/2 qts drained, then 4 new qts should do it. I did a multi-drain & fill exercise and then I've been doing one drain & fill at each oil change, and it's back to normal red color.

I also lucked out and the long skinny funnel I have fit right into the fill tube. Pour very slowly.

[gnalan]

I'm with you - nobody wants a half a box of expensive fluids sitting in the garage. Many of us live in areas without easy access to dealers. I do have a Toyota dealer, so I buy the Toyota Type IV, one quart or a whole box. I believe the Mobile 3309 can be had from a decent auto parts store, but you may have to ask them to get it. If you do one at about 3 1/2 qts drained, then 4 new qts should do it. I did a multi-drain & fill exercise and then I've been doing one drain & fill at each oil change, and it's back to normal red color.

I also lucked out and the long skinny funnel I have fit right into the fill tube. Pour very slowly.

I was planning on doing the multiple drain and fills to get the fluid not only clean but also to get all of the fluid to be the same brand/type. I have no previous maintenance records for my car, so I don't know what's in it or if it's ever been changed.

Which funnel did you use? That seems like it would be easier than using a rubber hose from the dipstick tube to the funnel, and maybe a little cleaner too.

[Georgeandkira]

Hardly rude. I'll be Elizabethan in the future.
MaxLife's price ranges from $18 to $24 per gallon with sales sometimes.
Off the shelf from AZ, AAP and others.
If it's in Walmart's online listings, 2 of 'em might ship free.

[oragex]

How many miles on the car ? I'll give you my experience - only mine. Got mine at 100,000 miles. The transmission was shifting almost very well, but I was concerned about the long term operation. I went and drained/refilled 3.5 liters which is the amount you will drain when removing the lower transmission bolt. That's about half the total capacity. Right after, the transmission started shifting with a slight kick each gear. So to my specific car, the drain actually caused a slightly harsh shift, which was basically non existent before. If I was to do it again, I would replace no more 1.5 liters at once, then drive a few months, see how the transmission adapts. This is not hard to do, if draining the sump, it removes 3.5 liters, may put back 2 of these liters, and add a fresh 1.5 or so. Again, just my very own experience, others had a different experience.

[kallekula]

How many miles on the car ? I'll give you my experience - only mine. Got mine at 100,000 miles. The transmission was shifting almost very well, but I was concerned about the long term operation. I went and drained/refilled 3.5 liters which is the amount you will drain when removing the lower transmission bolt. That's about half the total capacity. Right after, the transmission started shifting with a slight kick each gear. So to my specific car, the drain actually caused a slightly harsh shift, which was basically non existent before. If I was to do it again, I would replace no more 1.5 liters at once, then drive a few months, see how the transmission adapts. This is not hard to do, if draining the sump, it removes 3.5 liters, may put back 2 of these liters, and add a fresh 1.5 or so. Again, just my very own experience, others had a different experience.

Isn't part of a transmission fluid change to also reset the oil counter? Wonder if that would have done any difference in your case?

[Georgeandkira]

Pretty sure resetting requires a VIDA. Many do fluid refreshments with no ill effects. I dare say most do 'em without resetting.
I do not have the capacity to reset. However, the 5 of these trannies I've serviced all worked the same or better afterwards.
oragex: What fluid did you use when you got the "slightly harsh shift"?

Is now a good time to recommend using LubeGard in the ed bottle? It so improved the shifting in my '02 I use it in every family members' car I service.

[gnalan]

It shifts fine but I don't think the fluid has ever been changed. Mileage is around 183k miles. Is there a filter in these transmissions that can be changed too?

[oragex]

It shifts fine but I don't think the fluid has ever been changed. Mileage is around 183k miles. Is there a filter in these transmissions that can be changed too?

That is the kind of situation which asks for a decision. With the risk of repeating myself, I'm talking only about my car, because I know many others didn't had the same result as mine. The filter is internal and cannot be replaced. My 2c for your situation would be, if you think keeping the car for more than 50k miles, then maybe replace 2 liters and see how it goes. If rather keeping for only 1-2 years, I would perhaps not touch the fluid. If you will be towing then some fluid replacement would be needed. Even the slightest fluid refresh will force the transmission to work with new fluid properties while still having the old solenoids which by now work more or less well. If you go ahead and replace some fluid, I would try driving the car mostly on city streets, to have it shift more and adapt faster. Replacing the fluid and driving the car mostly on highway without shifting, is about the higher risk scenario for transmission damage.

To answer the other comments, I did use the Toyota fluid at that point, and I didn't reset the fluid counter (not the adaptations). I'm not sure if the fluid counter has a direct effect to the transmission operation. I am under the impression that it's simply some sort of 'reminder', with the adaptations reset and relearn being the actually change in trans operation.

[gnalan]

My plan is to keep the car for as long as I can. It's rust free, which is rare for any car in the rust belt, drives a lot better than it did when I bought it, and I'd never get back what I've put into it in either money or labor. Plus it's comfortable, and does what I need it to.

I also enjoy car shows, and I enter my car in them no matter what it is that I have at the time. From all the cars I've owned from the 50's, 60's, 80's, 90's, and the 2000's, for me it's fun to have something different for people to look at. I placed in more shows with the 1998 Chrysler Town & Country minivan I had than with all of the other cars combined. With covid this year I only made it to one car show, and I didn't have the Volvo running to enter it or I would have.

I like to take care of my cars, and having pride in owning them, which is why I like to enter them into car shows so others can enjoy them too. I usually buy rare cars that you don't see anymore, but finding parts for some of them was challenging. At least with the Volvo I can find most of what I need fairly easily. They might not be cheap, or as easy to work on sometimes, but that's part of the fun for me.

[oragex]

The 2001 had problematic throttle body and also the transmission was fragile. I would not try replacing more than 1-2 liters then drive for a while. Check the link in my signature below for videos about 'intake air thermostat' and PCV test (very important). Sites like Fcpeuro.com sell good parts like Sachs, Lemforder, Bosch - but also poor brands like Febi, Proparts and others