Transmission temperature for checking fluid level?

I took my 2016 SR5 in for the first Toyota Care service today, currently at 6 months and 3300 miles. The service advisor said I'd need to leave it for most of the day since it would take "about four hours for the transmission to cool to check fluid level". I also asked for the revised TSB on the transmission, having the first one done in early July.

I did not specifically ask for a transmission fluid level check. Is the certain temperature range neccesary for only a manual fluid check or also for a computer (TechStream) fluid check? I bought it in May and took it in to have the fluid level checked in early July and the work order said it was checked by the TechStream, but they didn't keep it all day on that service visit.

Today I dropped it off at 10:30am and at 5:30pm the SA called to say it hadn't cooled down enough and wanted to keep it overnight. It was only 53 degrees this afternoon, so I thought it strange it wouldn't cool down enough for a fluid check.

Does this indicate they're going to check the fluid level manually?

 

From what I understand, TechStream does not give a fluid level readout, so temp is not crucial that way. With them wanting to keep it overnight then you should feel confident they are going to check it properly/manually. You did not specifically ask for it, but they are going to do it means you have what seems to be a thorough and competent dealer.

 

That's a great service department! They are doing what should be done without you having to beg and scream! The engine must cool down to a narrow range to check it manually, which is the most accurate way, so it is very reasonable to keep it overnight and I would feel confident they are manually checking it. I waited over 6 hours to get mine checked manually after having issues...it was 2qts low, so worth the wait to me.

 

.

 

The tranny temp is supposed to be between 95-113 degrees to check the fluid level.
It takes quite a long time for the tranny to cool to that temp range.Kudos to your dealer
for doing the check right.

 

speaking from LOTS of experience in this procedure, they should have had more than enough time to let it cool and check the level if they had the truck outside.

And while there is no "techstream check", we still hook the techstream up to verify the temperature. There is another method to get the gauge cluster to tell you the temp, but you can't see that from under the truck when you're ready to remove the overflow plug and check/set the level, so we prefer to hook it up.

For ease of explanation the service writers say they need it all day. In reality they probably were busy with other vehicles and didn't get to yours until later in the day, drove it to see if it met the criteria for the ECU update, then realized they didn't have enough time left to let it cool and check the fluid level.


That's just my take on it, but what would I know about how shops run.

 

100%

 

I just had mine checked a week ago. I was there 6 hours for oil check and trans TSB. I also have a dash cam and it was about 4 hours from the time they started and parked it, to the next time it was started and parked in the service bay. I marked both the over flow and oil add plug before I went. It was well worth the 6 hour wait just for peace of mind on the trans oil. They added .75 Q of oil.

 

Around April/May was when they started fully filling them. Sure maybe there is a random one here or there.
My truck was built early June 2016, and it only took 1/2 quart of fluid to be full. I added 1 quart in and measured what came out the overflow when warm. I doubt that half quart really matters much, any more and i would be concerned, though.

Attached a photo right from the service manual for the temperature...just in case some don't believe it.

 

So, do you check it with the engine running & in Park, or ?

 

It's an overflow type trans. So you overfill it then with the engine running and trans in park or neutral, heat the trans fluid up to 110°, pop out the plug and let it drain until it's a slow trickle coming out. This sets the fluid to the proper level.

 

Thanks Murray, that would have been my guess, but I have learned that it is not always wise to go with guesses!!

 

Original poster here ...
I pickup up my Tacoma today and I was told the tranny fluid was 1/4 quart low even though the repair order listed 1.0 L (liter) trans fluid. I also had thenew revision 1 of the transmission update applied (had the original update donein July). The new update made a lot of difference. It drives the way it should now, very responsive.

 

ATF is sold in quart containers.
Plus this ATF WS is fairly hydroscopic, so you don't want old stale fluid in there. Always fresh fluid!

 

I have an appointment to bring the truck in next week. my truck has symptoms listed in the TSB and correct vin # listed....do you think they will still drive to see if it meets the criteria ? I talked to dealer a few weeks back and was told truck drives normal.

 

.
Open questions ...

I am mechanically inclined but am a far from being mechanic, especially with such good mechanics on here .... so these questions may seem silly, but they drive me crazy when I see these "transmission fluid" threads.

(1) Is is really that critical to check the transmission fluid at that "testing temperature range" ??

(2)What if I checked the temp and realized it was warm (not cold, not hot) and I do realize that transmission fluid expands when warm ... could I overfill and cause that much damage ?? ..... What would happen if I overfilled it 1 quart?

(3) My other question is:.... lets say you or the dealer checsk the transmission fluid level and it is perfect .... then ... let's say every 10,000, can you drain the transmission via the drain plug .... you measure that amount exactly and replace that exact amount back in the transmission. This seems like it would be much better than leaving 100% of that old transmission fluid in there for another 50,000 plus miles.

Partially new transmission fluid has got to be better than 100% old transmission ... I would think.

PS ... Not having a dipstick has almost caused me to almost leave Toyota several times

 

Tell them you get the 3-4 shift flare when it is cold, every day.
Hopefully they have some techs who are reasonable and will perform the update even without duplicating it. Not all techs drive the vehicle before, especially when there is a TSB involved.

Due to the fluid expansion rate being an unknown, I wouldn't venture too far from the specified range.

If you leave the truck run when setting the level, it will continuously pump more fluid out, little by little. At which point they start acting funny isn't fully known.
Due to TW blowing the early issue way out of proportion, everyone thinks their trans is low.
I checked mine for peace of mind, and curiosity. The 1/4-1/2 quart mine was apparently low didn't have much of an effect.
The vehicles that were definitely low were roughly 2 quarts low, which is about half of the total amount.

Slightly over or under filled likely won't have any impact.

I always measure what I drain out and add a little more than that back in when servicing the transmissions. Better to have a little extra in there for the overflow than to not have enough.

I think every 10k miles is excessive, but on my own vehicles I change the WS ATF every 30k miles. It's cheap and keeps the mind happy.. especially knowing what happens when old worn-out fluid is in the trans. (Look up 4Runner rumble strip)


Attached picture of the fluid capacities when servicing the trans.

 

Drain, fill to overflow, add 3.3 quarts, cycle fluid...three times.

 

.
...^^^... Thanks guys for the above tips and chart and I am assuming that I stay within the test requirement temperatures.

After draining warm transmission fluid, I will be adding room temperature fluid from the OEM container. This might be a bit cooler, but shouldn't matter that much.

Maybe, it's just me ... but I believe that you never hurt a vehicle by changing fluid levels too much (within reason). It's a peace of mind thing and I tend to treat my vehicles with lots of preventive maintenance. Had a bad experience when a family member drove an almost new Camry over 2 years and 55,000 miles (in a delivery service) and never popped the hood. That 2002 Camry was full of sludge and still running great, but we had a lot of cleanup to do on that car later.

 

...^^^... What does .... "cycle fluid three times" ... mean?

Shifting through the gears ?

Thanks