[MANNING1960]

WHY IS IT SO HARD TO CHECK TRANSMISSION FLUID ON THIS TOYOTA? IT SAYS ITS "SEALED", DOES THIS MEAN I HAVE TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER?

 

[MANNING1960]

EVERYTIME I TAKE THE SEQUOIA TO HAVE THE OIL CHANGED, DOES THAT MEAN THE LEVEL HAS NEVER BEEN CHECKED IN THE LAST 5 YEARS ?

 

[cheapskate]

Well if you drove it for the last 5 years, and never asked them to look at the tranny fluid level, then one would guess the answer would be no they did not check it. And no, you do not have to take it to the dealer to check the fluid level, you could do it yourself but if you dont even change your own oil I doubt you would want to check the tranny fluid level.

 

[scuddog]

Numerous Sequoia videos on YouTube can help you out. It is not a simple the good old dipstick days, but it is also not that difficult once you understand what you need to do. Some guys get WAY too deep on the process. Good luck.

 

[flyingriki]

Any good shop can drop the pan, clean it out and refill through the side hole. Dumb design.

 

[scuddog]

flyingriki.... I went to a new local shop that is reputable about a month ago. Did a pan drop, new tranny filter/O-ring, refilled with Toyota WS fluid. I was surprised that it took 5 quarts but drove it home anyway. I had an odd feeling in the transmission at mid-range so I decided to get smart on the transmission drain pan. I couldn't believe it. 10 years of ownership... numerous transmission services by my trusted mechanic (out of business thanks to Covid) and I was convinced that after 180K miles my transmission was shot. It make a whirring noise and seemed to slip around 15 miles per hour. I was so pissed! Rather than go back to a shop and argue in vain, I decided to check this out for myself. Since it is 90 degrees here in the lower Keys anyway, I started the truck from a cold start and drove .25 miles. I parked the Yota on flat ground and took out the measuring drain plug. Hours of You Tube videos showed me that the plastic straw that runs up the center of this drain plug is ideally level with fluid at about 110 degrees of temperature.

So... what came out of the drain plug? Over a quart of (fortunately) very nice looking red ATF! The flow stopped and I replaced the plug. I have since put over 1500 miles on the truck and have had zero sensations of the mid-range noise/surge that was there before I got the transmission level correct.

Lesson to be learned? Don't simply jam as much fluid in the fill hole as possible like that shop did with my truck. It will overfill! Open the drain and fill plug and fill with genuine Toyota WS fluid until it starts coming out. Close up everything. Warm the engine/tranny to 110 degrees. It is difficult, but necessary. Open the drain plug and let it level out at that temperature. Done.

Toyota - FAIL.... your customers want a transmission dip stick. So sad that these are now scoffed at as "old" and "fuddy duddy".
Off topic - In trying to help my mother maintain her 2015 Volvo V60 small wagon, I popped the hood to check out the battery which is on its last legs... first time under the hood. No oil dipstick. None at all. I spent quite a bit of time searching for it. Apparently, the infotainment system can be manipulated to check the oil level under certain conditions. Seriously? No dipstick? What could possibly go wrong?!?!