The pan has to be dropped to clean it out. (There's always some wear and stuff winds up in the bottom of the pan.) Of course you also do need to change the filter for maximum transmission life.
I am still young not wanting to drop a lot of cash on a jack and jack stands.
You can use the jack that came with the vehicle.
Spend the $9. It's a lot cheaper than paying a mechanic $200
better yet, use ramps
I was wondering if I could use a vacuum pump
well that's like $250, and it doesn't remove the sludge or change your filter.
Transmissions are about $6,000
Is changing the filter and cleaning the bottom of the pan something that is important for long life?
do you change your engine oil filter?
It is the proper and complete way to change the transmission filter and fluid at the same time. But, changing only the fluid is acceptable in my opinion. I have been doing only the fluid changes on my Toyotas and it has been fine. I only do the fluid drain and fill because it is easier and less human error since i'm not dropping the pan, etc. I'm sure I will take some heat for this, sorry, but doing a drain and fill is OK for a Toyota.
I'm sure I will take some heat for this, sorry, but doing a drain and fill is OK for a Toyota.
Some Toyota model's, Camrys for example, have a metal screen filter instead of a replaceable cardboard type filter.
changing only the fluid is acceptable
changing a $30 filter is a lot cheaper than changing a $6,000 transmission because the filter clogged up and starved the transmission.
less human error
what human error? You just bolt the pan and gasket back on. If you can change a spare tire, you can change a transmission filter.
Don't let a good Toyota go to waste for the sake of laziness.