What my A750E Transmission Fluid Looks Like At 30K

My 2014 4 Runner just turned 30K. A750E transmission also used in 2WD 2nd Gen Tacoma's. My 2015 Tacoma PreRunner has about 14.5K on the clock. Will drain it in another 15K or so.
In addition to all of the other maint that's outlined in the owners maint guide for my '14 4 Runner, I did a pan drain and refill. 3 qts. were in the pan. Elevated the front as high as my floor jack would take it and got another qt. to drain. That last qt. is what's on the other side of the filter. Total of 4 qts. drained.

The smaller cup contains new Toyota WS; the larger cups contains Toyota WS with 30K miles on it.

 

Looks like normal 30K Fluid to me.

How does it smell?

 

Yes - nothing unusual about the color. Smells like functional transmission fluid. No burnt smell.

 

The factory fluid is good for like 100k

 

That's what Toyota claims and it is likely so. Numerous people here claiming 100K+ usage of the WS product.

But me.....I'm old school.

 

Now do the same thing in a week and you will have ~75% of the trans fluid replaced...

 

Dual rotation drains every 30K.

 

Does the trans pan need a new gasket after removal, or RTV?

 

Transmission pan gasket - dealer part # 35168-60010 - $22.99 + tax in my area. To save getting splashed if you decide to pull and clean screen-style filter - elevate front of vehicle with floor jack as high as it will go during pan drain. I wait for pan to drain; then elevate the front of the vehicle. Another qt.(approx.) drains. You'll still get some fluid when you pull the filter, but will spare yourself a blast from above.

 

Do you tow all the time, if not why drain so early? Seems like a waste to me.

 

No towing - pavement princess 2014 4 Runner. Wife's vehicle.

Yeah...I could likely get by just following the guidelines set forth in the maint. schedule, but as I said above - I'm old school.

 

My '15 OR is approaching 30K miles, think I'm going to drop the pan now, and in about a month. Then at 60 -80k miles do this again. Did the whole pump out, pump in routine on my '12 Sport, but truly disliked the temp/fluid level check jumping ports in the OBDI port rigamorole.

 

I think if one is able that an early change of fluids is a good idea. Your vehicle has had a chance to "break in" the moving parts. It would be advantages to get rid of that material that is suspended in the oil out giving longer life to all the parts and fluid.

 

Thanks for posting a pic OP. Oil still look good after 30k

 

Does the 2010+ 4Runner still have the exhaust crossover pipe running below the trans pan like 2003-2009 model years? (Not a problem for Tacoma)

 

No.

The exhaust pipes on my 5th Gen 4 Runner(2010-2016) run parallel to the transmission pan; then join just behind the rear of the pan and into the muffler. The transmission pan is not blocked in any way by the exhaust or any other system. You have a straight shot at all 20 of the 10mm pan bolts as well as the drain plug(14mm hex)/overfill plug(5mm allen).

 

In closing, I'd like to say a few words about getting the A750x transmission into Temp Check Mode. I see a lot of posts here where people are having a problem getting the unit into Temp Check Mode. I can't help but wonder if some of these problems are due to the 4/13 ports on the OBD-II plug not being properly jumpered. Some folks use a jumper wire and that might work if the gauge is small. The ports in the OBD-II plug are very small. I found it better to use a small paper clip. If you're concerned about conductivity, try picking up the paper clip with a magnet.

Assuming you've jumpered the correct ports, put the key in the ignition and turn it to the first position. On a 2015 Tacoma Prerunner, the following lights start blinking:

ABS - Cruise - SLIP Indicator - SRS Warning - Tire Pressure - CHECK

The number and combination of lights that blink may vary from year/model, but there will be dash lights blinking if the correct OBD-II ports have been jumpered correctly. If this is going on, you're ready to start the truck and begin the shift sequence. Once the vehicle has entered Temp Check Mode, you may remove the jumper.