When To Change The Oil For Automatic Transmission?

March 2, 2004

Hello everyone. I own a 98 Corolla 1.6 with automatic transmission. Now it has 160,000 km and I was wondering if I have to change the oil of the automatic transmission.

I have made all services every 15,000 km, but my Toyota dealership has always been saying that changing this oil is unnecessary because it lasts as the car itself and they didn't change it as prescribed by the service booklet. To their credit, the transmission actually shifts perfectly.

Anyway, I don't want to risk and find myself with a broken trans in future!

Any advice?

TIA,

Mauro

March 5, 2004

:bookworm:

I think I read that the automatic transmission fluid has to be inspected or replaced if necessary every 30,000 miles or

48,280 kilometers and that you should replace it or pay for it, every 60,000 miles or 96,560 km.

I think that under severe driving conditions, most manufacturers recommend to change the transmission fluid every 30,000 miles. That doesn't mean they have to drain until the last drop of it, but maybe just to replace the one which drains from the fluid drain plug with new fluid until it reaches the ********ll mark again on the fluid oil dipstick.

These has to be done according to a procedure because measuring the transmission fluid has to be done when the engine is hot ,but not too hot ususally in order to obtain a good measure. In my 1993 Nissan Sentra the safest way to measure the level of automatic transmission fluid was after driving on the highway and waiting then 30 minutes after turning the vehicle off.

I had to start the vehicle and move the shift level from Parking to low, then second gear, then drive, the neutral, then reverse, and then parking again.

After this, I was required to remove the fluid dipstick, clean it, and re-insert it fully. The measure you can see at the dipstick when removing it again for the second time is the correct amount of automatic transmission fluid of your vehicle. I am assuming Toyota's vehicle have a similar procedure.

After I did all this, I drained the oil coming from the fluid's drain plug and took the measure regarding hom much oil was drained. In my 1993 Nissan Sentra (or Sunny in other markets and Japan) the car used to drain just a little more than 4 quarts or 3.785 lts of fluid. I simply added the same amount of new Dexron fluid to the transmission and that was enough. It has never fail and that car is still in use within my family and it is close to 170,000 miles or 273,600 km.

The 2004 Toyota Corolla that I have right now has an automatic 4 speed transmission. I suposse the procedure has to be similar,but I haven't read the owner's manual

completely yet. I am just enjoying my new 2004 Toyota Corolla on its first 850 miles or 1,368 km !

Good Luck :thumbsup: