I just did a simple ATF drain and fill on 2000 Toyota Corolla. Both the transmission fluid dipstick and the manual indicated Dexron III(Dexron II) as the required fluid. My local Autozone only had one type of Dexron III ATF, a generic looking 'Coastal Brand' for $2.09 per quart. So that is what I refilled it with.
My Questions:
Is there a difference between brands of Dexron III ATF or is it all similar?
If there is a difference should I drain my ATF again and refill it with a higher quality fluid?
Thanks
All depends on what you do for regular maintenance and driving conditions. If you change the fluid on a regular basis, every 30K or so - using store branded ATF shoud be fine. Most DexronIII ATFs are similar in make up - only difference you'll see will be in the additive package (some add additives to help condition seals, modify viscosity for better flow at different temps, etc.) and sometimes in the fluid itself (full synthetic ATF vs conventional). On my car - since I do drains and refills every 30K miles - a couple of extra bucks for better additive package, for me, is automatic. That said, I've used bot the store branded and premium branded ones and had no problems with either one. I have one automatic transmission that gets nothing but Redline ATF or Mobil Synthetic ATF - sitting at ~180K miles (30K changes) and no problems at all, lots of towing with that car. Had one that gets a jug variety of Advance Autoparts (Western Auto) ATF "cheap stuff" every 15K, worked fine to the day I sold it ~150K. I did notice that the fluid from store branded ones were significantly thinner than the premium branded ones - shift quality wise, you really an tell the difference between the two. But being safe to use - doesn't really matter which one you pick, as long as you keep up with the maintenance.
Thanks for the reply.
I've had this car for about 25K. I bought it certified used at 40K and it is now 65K. This is the first time I have drained and refilled the ATF. Actually this is the first time I have done this on any car. I would have no problem changing the fluid every 30K or sooner as it was an easy job. Although I understand that changing the transmission fluid AND changing the filter is a bit more work.
I will look for the better quality ATF (+$$) for the next time.
How often do you think the filter should be changed?
when i switched to redline atf i noticed a marked difference in the smoothness and firmness of shifts, especially when it was very hot outside.
Bikeman982
Red Line seems to be a very good brand for ATF.
Thanks for the reply.
I've had this car for about 25K. I bought it certified used at 40K and it is now 65K. This is the first time I have drained and refilled the ATF. Actually this is the first time I have done this on any car. I would have no problem changing the fluid every 30K or sooner as it was an easy job. Although I understand that changing the transmission fluid AND changing the filter is a bit more work.
I will look for the better quality ATF (+$$) for the next time.
How often do you think the filter should be changed?
The filter is one of those metal screen deals - supposed to be reusable - just clean them with your solvent of choice, let it completely dry or blow dry with some compressed air, and reinstall. Not much debris should be in the the filter - but the little magnets in the bottom of the tranny pan can get pretty nasty. Even at 30K drains and refills, I still get a significant amount of very fine metal shavings on them - but I also do some occasional towing or heavy loads over long distances.
Bikeman982
I believe you have to remove the bottom of the transmission to gain access to the filter.
Then you remove the screws and take the filter out.
You should replace the gasket on the transmission pan and tighten the screws in a crossing sequence to get proper seal.
Thanks everyone. This is the type of info I need. I hadn't been able to find much info online discussing the merits of different types of fluid.
I think I will relatively soon put some of that Redline ATF into my car. I will probably skip the transmission fluid filter change and just drain and fill the transmission next time around.
Bikeman982
I am glad we were able to help.
Most of us posting here have some experience with working on cars and gladly share information, if it will help someone.
I've heard the amsoil atf if the best - they say you can go 100k with it (and many BITOG guys reccomend that). A bit rich for my blood - I've just recently grabbed some mobil 1 synth atf, gonna drain and fill with cheap stuff, run it a few hundred miles, and then drain, clean filter/magnets, then refill with the mobil... I haven't changed the atf since i bought the car... 80k ago.. so it's long overdue... maybe in 20k or so i'll try the amsoil
I had a trailer hitch installed and did some heavy towing (likely, more than the weight of the car) through the mountains in colorado, but i put a huge tranny cooler on it (from a ford F600)
BEST Synthetic ATF's in my opinion for Rolla's are:
