Trans filters - OEM vs. Aftermarket ?

Hi guys,

I'm trying to begin planning to perform a transmission drain & fill on my '07 with ~146k miles, as the last drain & fill was at about 90-something-k miles, according to my CarFax.

The OEM trans filter is pricey, and I know that the quality of aftermarket will never truly match OEM.
My instinct is still just to suck it up and pay the ~$80 for the trans filter and gasket I need from Toyota, but I wanted to see how others here feel about the filter situation.

Also, should I stick to ONLY Toyota ATF, or would I be totally fine to use another off-the-shelf, less insanely expensive ATF?

 

Lots of people using Maxlife ATF with good results, myself included.

You could always just hit the filter with some brake clean if you wanted to save money.

 

Good to know, thanks for the Maxlife ATF tip!

Yes, I considered this as well, just giving the existing filter a cleaning - but since I do not know the history of the filter, I decided it's worth it to me to replace it.

 

I used Maxlife ATF and a WIX trans screen.

 

Wix makes a Trans filter.
I’ve never used their filter on my Trans, but I would. (I’m still running my OEM filter)
I trust Wix.
$23.99 on RockAuto

 

OEM on everything transmission related is your best bet.

 

As mentioned above , you can clean your factory filter and put it back in service .
I would grab a quality pan gasket from the dealership .

You may find some useful info in this thread
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...th-pics-for-second-gen-4-liter-trucks.289913/

 

I did mine just over a year ago. Full flush and pan drop. I used Maxlife and a Wix filter and gasket. No problems.

 

I've let my own thread stagnate, but this transmission service has become placed quite low on my list of priorities. I want to do this still, but I figure it's no rush. I'm barely driving the truck these days, maybe 1-2k miles per year.

When I do get around to this task, finally... I will inspect the OEM filter, and if it's not in truly terrible shape I think my best action is just to clean with brake-clean and put back in service. I will likely purchase an OEM trans pan gasket and Valvoline Maxlife ATF, and read up on the proper procedure of getting the transmission to proper temp for the fluid level check.

 

Agree with with the Valvoline MaxLife ATF. Don't agree with "cleaning" the filter.

Question to consider. Can you really get a used filter clean????

FWIW, the filter gasket combo from RockAuto is <$30. Do you want to gamble a $4000+ transmission on pinching $30?

This is commonly known as stepping over dollars to pick up pennies.

 

Our transmissions don't have a "filter", rather it is a "screen". I believe the difference is the size of the particulate matter that gets filtered/strained out of the fluid.

That being said, I also suggest you get a new one. I run WIX and MaxLife in my transmission. I have also installed an external transmission filter, as I do not think the screen cleans the fluid sufficiently.

 

OEM. How often are you changing out the trans filter? every 100k? cost savings for a guess is minimal.

 

I ordered the OE filter (35330-60050) for $43.41 and the pan gasket (35168-60010) for $17.62 from an online parts shop (in this case it was Boch/EB Toyota Scion). You can find it from other Toyota retailers like McGeorge, ToyotaPartsDeal, et al. for nearly the same price. More expensive than aftermarket but it's OE and still less than a local stealership.

 

Its a metal screen… and it’s certainly a reasonable option.

 

If you're asking me, I do a drain and fill every 30K miles or so. Filter change at the same time - screen, every other time or so.

 

I used Wix trans filter with Valvoline MaxLife ATF

 

Certainly, cleaning the filter/screen is an option. Although, I'd debate the "reasonable" assertion

Thanks just the same. I'll choose to replace the filter for the $30-50 cost. Its a simple task. To me it makes little sense to risk the cost of a transmission repair to save a small expense. Plus the cost of the filter/screen amortized over 100,000 miles equals damn near free. I can't justify cleaning the filter/screen.

As I said earlier. Stepping over dollars to pick up pennies.

Your truck. Clean or Replace at your choice.

 

:shrug:

I replaced mine. I don’t know who you are preaching to. Life is about making choices, let’s not get too hung up over a metal screen, eh?

 

Didn't really seem that unreasonable to me to clean the filter and put back into service... I used to own and repair a Honda XR650L motorcycle, and I specifically remember a couple of screens that I would clean, and then put back into service in the motorcycle when I did an in-depth oil change. In that community it was certainly not normal to replace these screens. Everyone just cleans them with some brake clean, and continues to run 'em. That was more along the lines of my thought process.

But you aren't wrong. The filter is cheap insurance. And I am usually overkill with my maintenance. I'll probably just replace it, I am overkill on every other aspect of maintenance for this truck... I keep an excel spreadsheet with date, mileage, repair done, part numbers, etc.