[Drews2jzge]

So, the last I ever had any sort of thing done for the trans (drain/fill) was over a year ago. I just wanted to check it today and this is what I pulled

I can definitely get another better picture of it since this one was just sitting for like 5 minutes before making this post, but I can’t tell whether this is semi-dark brown or dark red. the tranny does drive fine, but I wanted to know your opinions! do I do anything about this or should I not stress that hard and just continue keeping an eye on it?

Any input is greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[DemonIs300]

ATF fluid is normally a red color. I can't tell on this picture what it is either. You should put in a clear container and that should help determine the color.

 

[Drews2jzge]

ATF fluid is normally a red color. I can't tell on this picture what it is either. You should put in a clear container and that should help determine the color.

for sure, i figured it wasn’t going to help with that measly photo lol.

 

[Thatblueis]

I'd change it every 20 to 30k. These trans get extra dirty with all the clutch dust from shifting so slow. I change mine every 20k and don't bother flushing. I also use Valvoline multi-purpose full synthetic atf.

 

[TobiasSing]

Can't tell anything from the picture. It just looks like water. But that means it's probably clean and fine. Especially if you just changed it a year ago.

 

[ill_mannered]

I really hate how slow these transmissions shift. Stupid Lexus. I know it’s supposed to be a luxury car but damn, just kill my clutches right away.

 

[Thatblueis]

I really hate how slow these transmissions shift. Stupid Lexus. I know it’s supposed to be a luxury car but damn, just kill my clutches right away.

Shim it. I did mine and it feels great. Because of variable line pressure your shifts will only really feel hard at wot. If your just cruising the shifts still feel soft but crisp. I used thr biggest size shims.

 

[ill_mannered]

Shim it. I did mine and it feels great. Because of variable line pressure your shifts will only really feel hard at wot. If your just cruising the shifts still feel soft but crisp. I used thr biggest size shims.

Oh I plan on it when I boost the car.

 

[persocon]

Shim it. I did mine and it feels great. Because of variable line pressure your shifts will only really feel hard at wot. If your just cruising the shifts still feel soft but crisp. I used thr biggest size shims.

where do you install the shims?

 

[Thatblueis]

where do you install the shims?

On top of the valve body. Remove the valve body pull the accumulator buckets out stuff the shim in and put it back together. It's a little tricky as the spring pressure seemed to be pretty high making it hard to get back in. I had to use a trans jack. you'll also need to crank the line pressure up using the adjustment on the valve body. You'll also need a better trans cooler. I got a cheap one on amazon for $150 with a nice fan. I'd also recommend full synthetic fluid. The only other way to improve shifting is through a trans remap through someone like quantum auto.

 

[DemonIs300]

I really hate how slow these transmissions shift. Stupid Lexus. I know it’s supposed to be a luxury car but damn, just kill my clutches right away.

Get a good clutch and a light weight flywheel like Fidanza .

 

[ill_mannered]

Get a good clutch and a light weight flywheel like Fidanza .

🧐 the wife’s car is automatic. As is the OP of this thread. Clutches in the auto gearbox.

 

[DemonIs300]

🧐 the wife’s car is automatic. As is the OP of this thread. Clutches in the auto gearbox.

what....not manual swap...hehe I thought it was a manual. Get a valvebody upgrade, that should help with shifting .

 

[Hodgdon Extreme]

Personally, I'm wary of "flushing" automatic transmissions. It's only anecdotal, but there's a million stories out there about transmissions crapping out immediately after flushing. I've even had "transmission guys" swear up and down that flushing is bad. I think I can even recall a trans shop refusing to flush my Dad's Bronco II transmission that had 175k miles on the original fluid, which looked like mud and smelled like death.

The only somewhat-reasonable explanation I've seen to explain it is that ATF is highly detergent - and doing a thorough flush with all new fluid will scrub/clean off all the clutch dust caked into all the crevices inside the trans. All that crap circulating inside the trans will overwhelm the filter and hurt stuff.

Don't know if it's true, but I've definitely been inside enough used automatics to know that worn clutch dust definitely DOES get caked into/onto everything inside the trans, particularly the valve body. It is also definitely a fact that ATF is highly detergent.

My approach is to drain/replace however much ATF comes out when I remove the drainplug... I do this every 20-30k miles. For vehicles without a trans drain plug, I use a drill to drain the fluid; remove the pan, clean, weld in a fitting for a drainplug, then reinstall pan.

 

[Thatblueis]

Personally, I'm wary of "flushing" automatic transmissions. It's only anecdotal, but there's a million stories out there about transmissions crapping out immediately after flushing. I've even had "transmission guys" swear up and down that flushing is bad. I think I can even recall a trans shop refusing to flush my Dad's Bronco II transmission that had 175k miles on the original fluid, which looked like mud and smelled like death.

The only somewhat-reasonable explanation I've seen to explain it is that ATF is highly detergent - and doing a thorough flush with all new fluid will scrub/clean off all the clutch dust caked into all the crevices inside the trans. All that crap circulating inside the trans will overwhelm the filter and hurt stuff.

Don't know if it's true, but I've definitely been inside enough used automatics to know that worn clutch dust definitely DOES get caked into/onto everything inside the trans, particularly the valve body. It is also definitely a fact that ATF is highly detergent.

My approach is to drain/replace however much ATF comes out when I remove the drainplug... I do this every 20-30k miles. For vehicles without a trans drain plug, I use a drill to drain the fluid; remove the pan, clean, weld in a fitting for a drainplug, then reinstall pan.

Thew pressure plus new high detergent fluid will remove material packed in the clutch packs and will wipe all the clutch material out causing slippage and ruining the trans. If left that material will circulate and ruin the torque converter and other things. Most filter are just metal screens and will do nothing for fine particles.