tranny wear - Corolland: the Toyota Corolla Forums

whenever i check my trans fluid (on any car in my household) there are always tiny metal shards, flakes, etc. would it be feasible to place powerful magnets in or around the trans pan to attract these flakes in order to keep them from further wear? any other ideas? thanks

Most automatic transmissions (that I'm aware of) already have magnets on the inside bottom of the oilpan. The Haynes manual for the Corolla even shows a picture of them.

It's possible that the flakes you see aren't magnetic. They may be br**** or aluminum. If they're visible, it may be time for a transmission fluid drain and refill. Personally, I believe that the tranny fluid should be replaced every 30,000 miles even if the owner's manual doesn't specify it. That is, if you plan on keeping your vehicle past 100,000 miles.

Dai_Shan

I have often wondered if after the initial breakin of a car the tran fluid and oiil shouldn't be flushed to remove metal....but i havn't heard anywhere that it is recommended.

So with the magnets....does that metal EVER get removed then?

So with the magnets....does that metal EVER get removed then?

You bet. I've just done it over the weekend and tough time getting those little magnets clean. Looked like there was moss growing in the pan.

Dai_Shan

So did you have to remove the tran/oil pan completely to get at those magents? (was it a biznitch?)

So did you have to remove the tran/oil pan completely to get at those magents? (was it a biznitch?)

Yup. Had to completely remove the transmission pan to get at the magnets. For the oil - my car has a magnetic drain plug that helps out.

Not too bad if you done them before - the trick is to undo the bolt a little at a time and remove the bolts from one corner and work away from it. That way, the oil will tend to drain out of the corner first - but still is a mess to change. Clean off the mating surfaces from the pan and tranny - might have some sealant on there. Clean the pan out with solvent - let air dry, check pan flange for distortion, run a thin bead sealant, stick on new gasket, and pre-thread some bolts onto the gasket (some bolt holes in the gasket are smaller - thread the bolts there to hold it down and help with alignment. Torque them appropriately and refill. Run the tranny through the gears and check the fill level. You're done.

i could be mistaken, but when i looked under my car (2004) i was pretty sure the tranny pan had a drain plug in the middle. again, maybe i saw wrong, but this will certainly make changing the fluid much easier. for older models without drain plugs would it be feasible to drill a hole in the pan and use a tap and die set to add your own drain plug (for all those purists who do this fluid change themselves)?

also, could someone explain the flush process. is it possible to do at home?

thanks

Some model did have drain plugs - I'd just as well remove the pan and have a look see under there. On models without a plug - you could put in a drain plug - but you would have to weld on a bung to have enough threads to hold a plug.

It is possible to do the flush at home - but it is not easy. Many have removed the transmission cooling line and used the transmission to pump the old oil out while simultaneously filling the system with fresh fluid. The dealer and transmission places use a machine to suck or blow the oil fluid out. The "blower" varieties have a bad reputation to cause problems later because they use compressed air to blow the oil fluid out. My folks had this done on their Camry and the oil took on a gray color due to the metal shaving beening agitated by the air. Took three full transmission drains to get those particles out.

Should you flush - all summed up here in a typical advertisement for auto shops:

http://www.asedeals.com/transmission_flusher.html

"RT-15X Automatic Transmission Service Machine ... Although not required for typical services, additional profits can be made by offering full service cleaning instead of just fluid replacement."

Good Luck.

As Fishexpo has just pointed out, automatic transmission "flushes" are a form of service that was invented for one purpose only -- to create a "need" which can then be provided by a service department or garage, at a lucrative profit margin! Instead of a flush, you'd do much better just to do a simple drain and refill operation at fairly short intervals, at least every 30,000 miles. At 100K miles, drop the pan, clean the magnets, replace gasket, put it all back together and refull with the proper type of ATF, as indicated on your AT dipstick. '03-'04 Corollas take Type T-IV.