No fluid coming out of transmission overfill?

I was doing a drain and fill today (2013 V6 2wd automatic), measured a little under 3 quarts when I drained it out. Added in maybe 3 and a third quarts, went through the temp check and when I opened the overfill there was no steam of fluid. Drops very slowly formed around the opening but that's it.

I kept the truck idling and added in more fluid, but still nothing was coming out of the overfill. I currently have all 4 quarts in and still nothing. Should I not add fluid while it's running? Is there another reason the excess fluid wouldn't flow out? Should I let it sit an run the temp check and open the overfill again? I stopped there, figure if it's an issue I can drain some out but hoping someone smarter than me can help. Thanks.

 

If you are just doing the drain/fill in your driveway/garage/etc, you can overfill it quite a bit and be safe if the goal is to set the level right. It's also very likely your truck was underfilled from the factory (if it has the tow package supplemental trans cooler) or if the previous service did not set the level right.

The factory procedure does not mention if you can add more fluid during temp check mode so I would assume you just need to overfill the pan and start the procedure over fresh from cold.

Also, don't forget to "exercise the valve body" and cycle through the different shifter positions before you set the fluid level. This will ensure fresh fluid goes where it needs to.

 

I always put in 4 qts with pretty much all toyota drain and fills.

If its not coming out of the overflow, its not enough fluid.

Filling while running is fine.

I'd say run it through the gears, cool it off, start it again and put it in temp mode and see if it comes out of the overflow.

To confirm the over flow is the 5mm allen key right?

 

It should be running and at the right temp.. add till it comes out the overflow.

 

If you test drive it and the shifts are delayed or weired then the oil amount is definitely too low

 

Thanks for the response. It does have the tow package (but tbh don't know exactly what that entails, I bought the truck used and don't tow often so never looked into it..), any idea how much more fluid volume is needed with that? Sounds like I need to get another quart?

 

Yes, I'm referring to the 5mm allen key. Thanks for confirming that adding while running is ok, I'm thinking it's still low then, but I'll start at the temp check and open it up once more to be sure.

 

Add another quart before you start…

 

Fluid temp must be 97-115F with the engine running to check.
It's possible yours was low from the factory.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...be-low-on-fluid-directly-from-factory.312718/
I always try overfill them a bit then bring the fluid up to temp and let the excess drain out because with the narrow temperature window it's hard to add fluid while running without overshooting the target temp.

 

The tow package included an auxiliary trans cooler that I'd guess would add at least a quart of volume to the system.

 

Yeah that seems to be the case since I drained less than 3qt and adding 4qt back in isn't hitting the overflow.
So this is a basic question, but what exactly is the temp check doing? I followed a video and everything worked, but I guess I'm not sure it's it like resetting a new "set" temp, or is it just confirming that the fluid is within the correct temp range? Thanks

 

The temp check mode is basically just a way to confirm the transmission fluid is in the correct temperature range to check the level without using a scan tool to read the transmission fluid temp, nothing is being modified.

 

If you have the '13 factory tow package there will be a small auxiliary trans cooler on the driver side just in front of the radiator. Doesn't hold a huge amount of fluid - but has a small amount of fluid in the cooler and lines. This is the '14.