tl_badboy96

where is the drain plug located underneath the car

fsttyms1

on the drivers side, towards the front of the tranny on the side of it.

sorry id take a pic but i lent my parents the camera for the weekend

TunedTL

It has a square hole, I use a 3/8 rachet and attach it. Takes a little effort to loosen it for the first time. My tranny fluid after 20K is light brown and little burned smell.

payyourtoll

are you guys FLUSHING the tranny or just changing out the fluid?

JRA2000TL

I talked with our lead Acura tech at my shop and I'm sure you guys already know
this but these cars really just require a drain and fill. There is no filter on there so
to speak but just a screen which is internally into the transmission. The tech
suggested that you just do a drain and fill as frequent as possible to prolong
the tranny life. I spent a whole 8 bucks for 3 quarts of ATF. Its pretty cheap
preventative maintenance on this car.

fsttyms1

i tried that on my last tranny. i changed my fluid (drain and fill) every oil change (about every 8k miles) and i have a tranny cooler too) and that tranny made it the least amount of miles. i honestly dont think it matters how you maintain it. its going to die any way

TunedTL

Since our tranny does not have a filter, does an aftermarket in-line tranny filter (looks like a fuel filter) help?

MarcDavidoff

I think an external filter would be good as well. Just how to go about putting it in??

fsttyms1

i dont think (even if you could get one) it would work, or do any thing. the trannies problems arent due to chunks floating around.

ou sig

yup problems are from the 3rd gear pack from basically getting WAY too hot because it doesnt have enough fluid and it just burns up. That is also why adding a tranny cooler doesnt really help either

TunedTL

I don't think an external filter would hurt. Since Comptech's Tranny kit has 3/8 hose, I bet 3/8 filter is for our car.
FAQ
Installation is easy
Installation

MarcDavidoff

I see B&M makes one too. Pepboys has it for $34. Would'nt hurt anything, but would it really help? By what fsttyms1 has experienced, probably not..

fsttyms1

it wont help. like stated before the probems arent from chunks but lack of coolant to specific parts and overheating of weak parts. a cooler would make the biggest difference and i still had failures with one

TunedTL

Guys, take a look at this A8 after 30k miles.
http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums...owtopic=21415&
With the amount of tranny failures we have, I will try a tranny cooler with external filter.

fsttyms1

our drain plug is a magnet

Shift_it

CHIT!!! I never changed my tranny fluid. Original tranny & fluid in it w/ 124K

fsttyms1

Thats probably why its lasted.

SK2003TypeS

Impressive....I guess that's the fix for the tranny

TunedTL

But it only works for fluid around it, adding another filter on return line from cooler to tranny will filter all the ATF that is circulated in the cooler.

fsttyms1

i would do it before the cooler if i were to Bother installing one (wont solve any thing) you dont want the particles getting stuck or cllogging the cooler

TunedTL

Kris, I wonder how much performance (e.g. how much heat ATF can take before being burnt) Honda Z1 suffers if it is filled with tiny metal particles. Here is tranny filter installation instruction. I plan to switch to Amsoil, so far my 2nd tranny is holding up for 20K.
http://www.emergingent.com/magnefine...ation_page.htm

TunedTL

Here is a picture of what is inside the tranny filter. Note there is a secondary paper filter to filter anything other than metal particles.

ou sig

then I wouldnt touch it. You run a better chance with just leaving it in, once you hav gone that far - just add some if you are low.

It could cause a problem similar to if you have very high miles on your engine with old school dyno oil and you switch to synthetic. You could break up some deposits and send them on their way to f' up your tranny. (now that really isnt a problem with our engines, but with some older engines, that can be the case). So I would just leave it - my father in law has gone 220,000 miles + with his truck, and he never changed the tranny fluid - only added some like 1 or 2 times.

subtledreamer

with some pictures from my last tranny fluid d&f

the ATF bolt (sonabitch to loosen first time)



drain plug



metal shavings stuck to bolt

fsttyms1

is that on your car? that filter looks in rough shape

TunedTL

No, it is SKperformance from the Lexus forum. He cut it open. Basically it is a magnet in a can. I have not installed mine yet. Another picture of the filter, it is not Magnefine brand.

Shift_it

Yea. Since my is the "99" model it was not the same tranny as in the 2000-2003 TL's.
So I lucked out.

I was always told never to mess with tranny or radiator fluid.

The tip on radiator fluid is if it does get changed more then likely in the near future your water pump will go out and that can be a bitch to replace or can be costly repairs.

**oh I replace my radiator fluid only one time, but that was because my radiator had a leak and need to be replaced. But after I replaced it, I sold it. This was my old Saturn car.

kelhasna

My 99TL has 105K miles and never changed the transmission oil.... i guess from what i read i will just leave it alone....i was going to change the oil this weekend!!!! changed my mind...

fla-tls

I'd never heard that about the coolant. Changing your coolant shouldn't normally be done until the 105k tune-up (which is when you also change the water pump).

As a car nerd, I change mine every 50k with Honda type 2 fluid. I used to do every 30k on my former cars (regular Prestone). I've never had a water pump go bad.

Soo ICeY

how many tranny fluid QTz do i need to put in after i flush out my 2003 tl type s????HelP!!!

fsttyms1

depends on how many drain fills you do. Only 3 qts will come out at a time. (tranny holds something like 7.6) the recomended is drain fill X3 so 9qts