How frequently does the automatic transmission fluid need to be changed? - Toyota Yaris Forums

Hamster · 03-03-2012, 09:28 PM

Yeah, I'm sorry, I know there's five million threads on transmission fluid changes, but I can't get a straight answer on one thing: Does the automatic transmission fluid need to be changed at a fixed time, or is it based on milage alone? What I mean is, for example, when it comes to the engine oil, you change it every 5,000 or six months, whichever comes first. Are you supposed to change the transmission fluid after a certain amount of milage or time, whichever comes first (just like the engine oil), or is it just based just on milage? For the record, my car is a 2009, and has about 11,000 miles on it. I'm a low-milage driver, obviously, so I want to make sure that this is something that I won't need to worry about for a long, long time.

If it's based on milage, what is the exact interval? Different people on this forum have said different things, and the ranges people have mentioned seem to be anywhere from 30,000 to 60,000. But the general consensus seems to be that Toyota (as well as a lot of auto manufacturers) are "wrong" in saying that their automatic transmission fluids only need to be changed every 100,000 miles.

So, in summary, at what intervals does the automatic transmission fluid need to be drained and changed? And are you supposed to run away from any mechanic that wants to do a "flush"?

Sorry, I'm not a mechanic, and this is my first car. I'm just trying to make sense of all these threads about the automatic transmission fluid.

JumpmanYaris · 03-03-2012, 10:06 PM

Ok this reminds me of a troll.

Neeeevvaaaaaa

UTVitz · 03-04-2012, 12:07 AM

If you really care about the car and want to get as much trouble free use out of it as possible you should plan on changing it between 30-45 thousand miles. This is an easy safe bet way of taking care of an automatic transmission. If you plan on keeping the car the 100K manufacture recommendation is not in your best interest-you are out of warranty by then and they want to sell you another car. The additives break down in the fluid. If you're concerned about time since you drive so few miles I've read 5 years is a good bet, but most recommend mileage intervals on transmission fluid over time intervals. You have many miles/years before you need to worry about this service.

CTScott · 03-04-2012, 12:23 AM

If you really want an answer, send a sample to Blackstone Labs for analysis. Besides the oil analysis that many one here have had done, they do transmission fluid analysis.

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/transmission.php

FochMan · 03-05-2012, 04:49 PM

I've been doing 30,000 drain and fills. It costs me 3 quarts ATF (Toyota WS), 1 drain plug gasket and a little time. Cheap, easy and the trans will out live the car...

Hamster · 03-05-2012, 07:05 PM

Thanks for all the replies, everyone! No, I'm not trolling, of course, it's just that I've read all sorts of different things about the ATF fluid. I've read on general car forums that manufacturers say 100,000/lifetime because they want you to wear out your transmission so that you are forced to buy another car (just as UTVitz mentioned). I was trying to figure out if that was true or not.

Looks like I'll have the ATF changed at the 30,000 mark just to be safe. That shouldn't be for a few more years, though, so it looks like this is really something I don't need to worry about. I intend to keep this car forever. I take public transportation to work, so no sense in trading in a car I hardly drive for another car I'll hardly drive. By the way, is there any other type of maintenance work that should be done, that the maintenance book that came with the Yaris doesn't mention, or is inaccurate?

ROCKLAND TOYOTA · 03-06-2012, 09:47 AM

WS fluid is changed at 100k.....

sansag13 · 05-17-2012, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FochMan

I've been doing 30,000 drain and fills. It costs me 3 quarts ATF (Toyota WS), 1 drain plug gasket and a little time. Cheap, easy and the trans will out live the car...

Hi,

Please let me know from where can I purchase ATF WS oil for yaris and how much costs usually?
Also, it you can let me know where to find drain and fill location of it, it would be really helpful.

CTScott · 05-17-2012, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sansag13

Hi,

Please let me know from where can I purchase ATF WS oil for yaris and how much costs usually?
Also, it you can let me know where to find drain and fill location of it, it would be really helpful.

Toyota dealer is really the only source, since only Toyota WS ATF is approved for use.

Here's the drain plug. You need a 10mm alllen wrench (or allen socket) to remove it. The fill location is the ATF dipstick tube.

Hamster · 05-20-2012, 07:16 PM

Cool, my old thread got revived! I can't help notice that the drain plug appears to be somewhat in the back. I'm too lazy to run out and pull my car out of the garage to take a look, but is that drain plug easy to reach without having to jack up the car? I don't jack up the car when I change the oil, so I'm hoping that years from now, when I need to change the transmission fluid, it will be just as easy to do as changing the oil.

sansag13 · 05-21-2012, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CTScott

Toyota dealer is really the only source, since only Toyota WS ATF is approved for use.

Here's the drain plug. You need a 10mm alllen wrench (or allen socket) to remove it. The fill location is the ATF dipstick tube.

Thank you Scott.. I am wondering how much used ATF comes out from this this drain plug. I was going through some forums and peopl say that just 1 quater oil will come from drain plug out for 3 quater. I am not sure how much correct this statement is for 2009 Yaris? It would be helpful if you can share your experiance with 2009 ATF change.

CTScott · 05-21-2012, 08:17 PM

The total capacity if the U340 AT is 5.68 quarts, but when you pull the drain plug only a bit over 2 quarts will drain. Pulling the AT cooling hoses and draining them and the AT cooler portion of the radiator drains about another quart. The remainder stays in the valve body and the torque converter.

sansag13 · 05-22-2012, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CTScott

The total capacity if the U340 AT is 5.68 quarts, but when you pull the drain plug only a bit over 2 quarts will drain. Pulling the AT cooling hoses and draining them and the AT cooler portion of the radiator drains about another quart. The remainder stays in the valve body and the torque converter.

Thanks Master Scott,

Need little bit more detail here.

1)Where cooling hose is located?
2)How can I suck the ATF out of it? With some suction pump or when I turn on the car, it will pump out it for me.

CTScott · 05-22-2012, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sansag13

Thanks Master Scott,

Need little bit more detail here.

1)Where cooling hose is located?
2)How can I suck the ATF out of it? With some suction pump or when I turn on the car, it will pump out it for me.

The AT cooling hoses are the two small (~1/2" in diameter) hoses that both go into the bottom of the radiator (as opposed to the pair of 2 1/2" or so diameter ones for the coolant.

You can loosen the pipe clamps that connect the rubber hoses to the metal pipes and simply drain both sides. No suction is required, and you definitely should not run the transmission to pump it out.

sansag13 · 06-03-2012, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CTScott

The AT cooling hoses are the two small (~1/2" in diameter) hoses that both go into the bottom of the radiator (as opposed to the pair of 2 1/2" or so diameter ones for the coolant.

You can loosen the pipe clamps that connect the rubber hoses to the metal pipes and simply drain both sides. No suction is required, and you definitely should not run the transmission to pump it out.

Hi Scott,

I have got 7 quarts of ATF WS from toyota this weekend. However when I went below the car to open the ATF plug, I could not figure out which kind of tool I should use to open it. Looks like it requires big hex key (bigger than 5/14"). I tried to look for that kind of hex key in local wall mart and home depot but couldn't find one. I would appreciate if you let me know which kind of hex key you used and from where can i get it.

CTScott · 06-03-2012, 11:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sansag13

Hi Scott,

I have got 7 quarts of ATF WS from toyota this weekend. However when I went below the car to open the ATF plug, I could not figure out which kind of tool I should use to open it. Looks like it requires big hex key (bigger than 5/14"). I tried to look for that kind of hex key in local wall mart and home depot but couldn't find one. I would appreciate if you let me know which kind of hex key you used and from where can i get it.

As I mentioned in post #9 above, it requires a 10mm Allen. You can purchase one with a 3/8 socket from an auto parts store.

Tedtalker · 09-03-2018, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CTScott

The total capacity if the U340 AT is 5.68 quarts, but when you pull the drain plug only a bit over 2 quarts will drain. Pulling the AT cooling hoses and draining them and the AT cooler portion of the radiator drains about another quart. The remainder stays in the valve body and the torque converter.

I just performed a drain and fill with the Yaris jacked up on the drivers side only. a little over 3 quarts came out of the drain hole. Noticed when I let the jack down it quit draining. I jacked it right back up on drivers side and fluid started draining again. That's a tip from me to others here who will drain and fill. Over 3 quarts came out of mine. Yes indeedy!

06YarisRS · 09-04-2018, 06:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tedtalker

I just performed a drain and fill with the Yaris jacked up on the drivers side only. a little over 3 quarts came out of the drain hole. Noticed when I let the jack down it quit draining. I jacked it right back up on drivers side and fluid started draining again. That's a tip from me to others here who will drain and fill. Over 3 quarts came out of mine. Yes indeedy!

That's a great tip. Coming up on a drain and fill soon, so will give that a try. Thanks.

03-03-2012, 09:28 PM	#1
Hamster Drives: 2009 5-Door Liftback Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 333	How frequently does the automatic transmission fluid need to be changed? Yeah, I'm sorry, I know there's five million threads on transmission fluid changes, but I can't get a straight answer on one thing: Does the automatic transmission fluid need to be changed at a fixed time, or is it based on milage alone? What I mean is, for example, when it comes to the engine oil, you change it every 5,000 or six months, whichever comes first. Are you supposed to change the transmission fluid after a certain amount of milage or time, whichever comes first (just like the engine oil), or is it just based just on milage? For the record, my car is a 2009, and has about 11,000 miles on it. I'm a low-milage driver, obviously, so I want to make sure that this is something that I won't need to worry about for a long, long time. If it's based on milage, what is the exact interval? Different people on this forum have said different things, and the ranges people have mentioned seem to be anywhere from 30,000 to 60,000. But the general consensus seems to be that Toyota (as well as a lot of auto manufacturers) are "wrong" in saying that their automatic transmission fluids only need to be changed every 100,000 miles. So, in summary, at what intervals does the automatic transmission fluid need to be drained and changed? And are you supposed to run away from any mechanic that wants to do a "flush"? Sorry, I'm not a mechanic, and this is my first car. I'm just trying to make sense of all these threads about the automatic transmission fluid.

03-04-2012, 12:23 AM	#4
CTScott ULTIMATE View User's Garage Drives: 09 5dr LB, 2x 08 3dr LB Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: USA, CT Posts: 13,460	If you really want an answer, send a sample to Blackstone Labs for analysis. Besides the oil analysis that many one here have had done, they do transmission fluid analysis. http://www.blackstone-labs.com/transmission.php __________________

03-06-2012, 09:47 AM	#7
ROCKLAND TOYOTA TRIM HUNTER View User's Garage Drives: 2007 BLAZIN BLUE YARIS 3 DR Join Date: May 2006 Location: ROCKLAND COUNTY NY Posts: 2,088	WS fluid is changed at 100k..... __________________ http://rocklandtoyota.com/IFrame.aspx?iFrameID=2388 TOYOTA PARTS AT A DISCOUNT........

05-21-2012, 08:17 PM	#12
CTScott ULTIMATE View User's Garage Drives: 09 5dr LB, 2x 08 3dr LB Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: USA, CT Posts: 13,460	The total capacity if the U340 AT is 5.68 quarts, but when you pull the drain plug only a bit over 2 quarts will drain. Pulling the AT cooling hoses and draining them and the AT cooler portion of the radiator drains about another quart. The remainder stays in the valve body and the torque converter. __________________

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03-04-2012, 12:07 AM	#3
UTVitz Drives: Black Vitz Liftback Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Salt Lake City Posts: 238	If you really care about the car and want to get as much trouble free use out of it as possible you should plan on changing it between 30-45 thousand miles. This is an easy safe bet way of taking care of an automatic transmission. If you plan on keeping the car the 100K manufacture recommendation is not in your best interest-you are out of warranty by then and they want to sell you another car. The additives break down in the fluid. If you're concerned about time since you drive so few miles I've read 5 years is a good bet, but most recommend mileage intervals on transmission fluid over time intervals. You have many miles/years before you need to worry about this service.

03-05-2012, 04:49 PM	#5
FochMan Drives: 2009 Yaris HB Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Maine Posts: 5	I've been doing 30,000 drain and fills. It costs me 3 quarts ATF (Toyota WS), 1 drain plug gasket and a little time. Cheap, easy and the trans will out live the car...

03-05-2012, 07:05 PM	#6
Hamster Drives: 2009 5-Door Liftback Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 333	Thanks for all the replies, everyone! No, I'm not trolling, of course, it's just that I've read all sorts of different things about the ATF fluid. I've read on general car forums that manufacturers say 100,000/lifetime because they want you to wear out your transmission so that you are forced to buy another car (just as UTVitz mentioned). I was trying to figure out if that was true or not. Looks like I'll have the ATF changed at the 30,000 mark just to be safe. That shouldn't be for a few more years, though, so it looks like this is really something I don't need to worry about. I intend to keep this car forever. I take public transportation to work, so no sense in trading in a car I hardly drive for another car I'll hardly drive. By the way, is there any other type of maintenance work that should be done, that the maintenance book that came with the Yaris doesn't mention, or is inaccurate?

05-20-2012, 07:16 PM	#10
Hamster Drives: 2009 5-Door Liftback Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 333	Cool, my old thread got revived! I can't help notice that the drain plug appears to be somewhat in the back. I'm too lazy to run out and pull my car out of the garage to take a look, but is that drain plug easy to reach without having to jack up the car? I don't jack up the car when I change the oil, so I'm hoping that years from now, when I need to change the transmission fluid, it will be just as easy to do as changing the oil.