DIY: ATF Flush, With Pics.

[2XOverhead]

Over the weekend, after all the questions (my own) about all the what's and which's and how's, I finally flushed my tranny.

Before starting, I like to thank all the TS members who took the time to write up their own instructions, without which I could not have done this, and from which come much of the following descriptions.

Before you begin, I STRONGLY suggest that you search the forum and read up on other versions on how to flush your tranny. Also, be aware that you are servicing your truck at your own risk. The following is only a description of how I did it.

Tools and Parts

--At least 16 qts of ATF (I used Mobil 1 labeled Mercon V)
--Sealant (Part No. 00295-01281)
[
--At least 3' of 3/8" coolant hose.
--Rubber Mallet [(Got one for 5 bones at the dealership when I picked up the washers)]
--Bucket, labeled in quart intervals.
--Crush washer (for drain plug)
--Your basic wrenches, sockets, extensions are a must.
[--Brake cleaner (non-residual)][SIZE="1"]

I. Drain, Drop and Fill

1. Drain pan by removing drain plug (14 mm), reinstall drain plug w/ new crush washer.

2. Drop pan by:

2a. removing the mounting bolts (10 mm if I remember right). Approx. 20 pcs.

2b. using a rubber mallet, moderately lightly tap the pan at all four sides until the seal split. Be sure to hold the pan somewhat in place while tapping, unless you want the remaining ATF in the pan to be all over your garage or driveway once you've popped off the pan.



2c. removing the mounting bolt that secures the dipstick tube to the engine. Haines suggests disconnecting the bottom half of the dipstick tube from the top half, but it was too difficult for me to maneuver it out. So I thought it was best to just dismount the whole tube lest the tube be bent too outta shape.

3. Remove filter from transmission, 4 12 mm bolts. Be careful as you're now smack in the internals of your dear tranny.





4. Clean filter and pan. I tried to wipe them as clean as possible, and then I used brake cleaner to finish them off.



5. CAREFULLY scrape off the old sealant on the transmission housing with anything wooden or plastic, you don't want to damage or scratch the surface or slip and damage any internal parts.

6. Do the same for the pan.



This and #5 were a PITA. In fact, this took the most time. I had to be careful because, as mentioned, I didn't want to damage anything and, second, I didn't want to get any old sealant debris into the tranny.

7. Place magnets back on the pan.



8. Appy sealant to the entire rim of the pan. Be sure to follow the instructions that comes w/ the sealant. Remember to put the sealant only on the center and outer portions of the rim of the pan. You don't want to squeeze any excess sealant into the tranny when you're tightening the pan.

9. Reinstall filter and pan and remount dipstick tube. DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN, use the quarter- or half-turn rule. Use a torque wrench if you desire to be more precise.

10. Pour 4 qts. of ATF via dipstick tube.

II. Flush

At this point, you're done with the drain, drop and fill. Next, if want to continue, comes the flushing.

1. Remove the upper line from the ATF cooler and then connect your 3/8" hose to the cooler.



2. Place the other end of the hose into a desired container. But be sure to mark your container in increments of 1, 2, 3, etc. qts.



3. With the truck in neutral, AND PARKING BRAKE FIRMLY ENGAGED , start the engine and pump out 2 quarts of ATF at a time. It took me about 30 seconds (give or take 3 sec.) to pump out two quarts. It is advisable that you test how much time it will take YOU, the last thing you want is to pump out too much before you refill.



4. Refill via the dipstic tube 2 qts. of new ATF.

5. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 five more times. This means that you should have pumped 2 qts. of ATF a total of six times by the time you're finished. In other words, you should've flushed out 12 qts. of ATF, which should be enough to have completely flushed your system.

6. During the last fill (the sixth time), I only added 1 qt. so as to not overfill and give myself enough room to adjust my final fluid level.

7. Drive your truck around until you've brought it up to operating temperature, making sure all gears have been engaged at least a few times. Go home, let your truck sit for 30 min. or so (go wash your hands, assure the wife/gf you're almost done, have a few cigs.-I did all of the above .) Then check your fluid level. If it's between the High and Low marks, then I would leave the level where it is and drive the truck for a couple of days, rechecking the level after each time you drive . And, after a few days, add fluid as needed for the last time.

Again, thanks to the TS members who first wrote the instructions.


Empty Bottles: Money well spent.

[LifeTech]

Vey nicely done.

Yu get some rep. points dude.

LT

[THarms]

Ditto's!!

Also, your pan/filter/magnets looked like they hardly needed any cleaning. How much metal particles/filings were on the magnets?

[kathyricks]

Flushing via your method is controversial whereas draining and refilling just the oil pan is not. So I use the pan only method.

The final step - getting the hot fluid level correct - is the most critical and most overlooked. You must drive at least 20 minutes around town and in the suburbs to get the fluid up to normal operating temperature and then you need to get the fluid level all the way up to the top of Full Mark. If the transmission is even one pint low on fluid you will lose some horsepower and fuel economy because power transfer is less efficient.

[2XOverhead]

Vey nicely done.

Thanks my friend.

Ditto's!!

Also, your pan/filter/magnets looked like they hardly needed any cleaning. How much metal particles/filings were on the magnets?

Surprisingly, not much at all. I only had to wipe them w/ a little elbow grease. No shavings, some small particles reflecting some light. The only thing is that when I was pumping out the ATF, there was some foam. Incidentally, the foaming emphasizes the importance of the last 2 steps of the flush process. The prev. owner was pretty conscientious about maintenance, maybe a bit too much.

Flushing via your method is controversial whereas draining and refilling just the oil pan is not. So I use the pan only method.

The final step - getting the hot fluid level correct - is the most critical and most overlooked. You must drive at least 20 minutes....

I must say, though, that I was glad that I did it. As you can see, the drain and fill doesn't even get all of the fluid out of the pan. Moreover, I like the fact that I was able to clean off the layer of accumulated film throughout the pan and filter. It's quite a reassureing feeling knowing I got all new fluid in the dear tranny. And, having bought the truck used, I'm now decisivley assured that the proper preventives were done.

Keep the comments coming!

[ricqik]

I know low fluid causes tranny slip, but what kind of damage if any will overfilling cause?

[apimpdad]

great writeup!

[HOGWILD]

Great Tutorial and thanks for sharing!! just wish i had a dipstick!! hehe!!

[ddvk]

Actually, pumping out 2Q and refilling will result in mixing of old and new ATF in the Torque Converter.

The way I do it is, drop the pan which will drain 4 to 5Q out. Put pan back and overfill with fresh ATF by 1 or 2 Q. Then flush via return line till 5Q is out while going over each gear for 20sec. Then fill 5Q via the dip stick, reconnect return line and check levels.

This method results in 90% exchange. Filling in 2Q and stopping will result in more mixing of old and new ATF, not a good idea.

[LifeTech]

Yu got this stuff down...

LT

[2XOverhead]

Actually, pumping out 2Q and refilling will result in mixing of old and new ATF in the Torque Converter....

Actually, I was wondering about how much old would be mixed with the new. Some have suggested ridding 4 qts. at a time. I didn't want to pump out too much, thereby risking tranny damage.

Hopefully, I have at least about 70% new, then. W/ frequent future drain and fills, the % will increase.

[THarms]

the torque converter (TC) issue is true, but with the amount of fluid you pump through the system to do the flush there should be very little left in the TC. If you have that much concern, flush the system with an additional 3-4qts of new fluid.

[2XOverhead]

the torque converter (TC) issue is true, but with the amount of fluid you pump through the system to do the flush there should be very little left in the TC....

The way I figure it is, unless you have a machine, you can't really expect to completely flush the system. The point is to get out the old stuff as much as possible. As mentioned, I bought the truck used, so I wanted to be certain that the tranny had relatively all new fluid.

All in all, it's better than not doing it. And, BTW, the tranny is shifting smoother, esp. first to second, and no more occasional high rev. in first.

[ddvk]

rich20:

You are better off doing the return line flush with mixing of old and new ATF. I HATE those machines out there.. Some push old ATF with air, some with new ATF, god knows what pressure the fluids are pushed into the TC etc and which soleniod wiring it is going to affect or what old grime it is going to errate and plug the soleniods/VB..

I think you are fine, just keep up the routine for drain and fills moving fwd. Your investment is well protected.

[Tundra Truck Driver]

Wow. Very solid. Wish I knew how to do this stuff.