I've been trying to do a transmission oil change on my 2011 Toyota Camry over a period of weeks. The first transmission oil change was slightly botched because the drain straw was not taken out. I was only able to drain 1 quart, but accidentally put in 3 quarts. This meant possibly overfill of 2 quarts. For the second transmission oil change, I also removed the drain straw, and I was able to drain out 3 quarts. To make up for the possible overfill, I put in only 1 quart (3 quarts drained minus the 2 quarts from the prior overfill). The third transmission oil change, I was only able to drain out 1 quart. What gives? It should drain 3 quarts. I bought the car used, so I can't say for certain it was not low on transmission oil hence the little 1 quart drain even though I took out the drain straw. This time, I put in 2 quarts just to be safe, and I figure I will probably have to get a proper measure of the transmission oil level. Any thoughts? Thank you.
@camry2011
Oh, boy! Houston, we do have a problem, …
Question: And your transmission is still in “ducky" condition? [ ducky = good ]
I hate to mention it here, … but, just perhaps, it’s a time to contract this service out?
F.S., … just musing out loud!
I agree with the previous response since you had no idea what the fluid level was at cuz you bought it used go to a Toyota dealer and have them do it correctly using their computers and tools to drain out whatever they can and then fill it to the correct level and not just guess
@scottykilmer
Can't I do that myself? Doesn't it just involve measuring the temperature of the transmission fluid either by scan gauge or with a temperature gun pointed at the pan, and then removing the drain plug to let the excess fluid drain till it trickles. I've seen the youtube videos, and it doesn't look that complicated. My real question is mechanically, why would only 1 quart come out when I do a transmission oil drain. The previous time, 3 quarts came out. Again, measuring the temperature and draining the excess oil I can probably just take to any mechanic if not just do it myself. Why pay crazy dealership prices for that?
I would recommend you have a professional take a look at it. Transmission fluid is not something that can or should be "close enough." A serious overfill situation can cause premature wear on the pump, a low fluid situation causes premature wear of various gears in the transmission. This is a service that even I, having 15-years of automotive experience, have a shop take care of for me. I do this because then all I have to do is check the fluid and make sure its at the perfect levels and if it is not I can bring it back to them rather than messing around with it multiple times myself. The cost of multiple attempts is built into the price of a transmission fluid change.
I forgot to mention. I already took it to a Toyota dealership. I waited for hours for the transmission fluid to cool because they wanted to check the levels. I got the all ok. But who knows what they really did. So far, I've been draining out and replacing an equal amount of quarts e.g. 2 quarts drain, 2 quarts fill. After the overfill of 2 quarts in the first drain, I replaced only 1 quart, in the second drain, to account for the 2 quarts overfill from the first drain. 3 quarts came out after the second drain which is what should happen. After the third drain, only 1 quart came out. That is what's confusing.
The trick is measuring the temp when checking the level via the straw
fluid expands as it heats.... the dealer is the safe bet....
some measure the temp with a laser on the pan, others use the scan gauge ... I don’t know which is better
In his youtube videos, Scotty has said we can do a transmission oil drain and fill via the drain plug without taking the car to dealership if we replace the liquid that comes out with the same amount. This is different from doing a pan drain and fill, where you take off the pan and perhaps change the filter or even a fluid exchange using the transmission oil return lines. Besides, the transmission oil expands when its hot, so therefore, I should have drained out more fluid if the temp was too hot, not less. If you try to check the level at the wrong temperature (e.g too hot) you just end up draining the pan. You lose more fluid not less. I am simply taking out 1 to 3 quarts and putting the same 1 to 3 quarts back. Plus, I usually do the fluid change on a cool transmission except the last time where I drove the car 4 to 5 hours earlier.
Update:
So, I can tell it's overfilled from my prior experience. I can actually feel the pressure in the pedals (likely from the pump) as I try to accelerate, something I felt after the prior overfill. I'll just do another drain and fill, but this time on a completely cold transmission. If I get 3 quarts out, I'll put in 2 quarts. If I only get 1 quart, then, I'll just not add any transmission fluid. It seems the Toyota dealership I took it to did a solid job, and the transmission fluid was at the right level.