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Transmission clarity please
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safyay
New User
Jun 30, 2022, 9:56 PM
Post #1 of 5
(690 views)
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Transmission clarity please
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Greetings
I own a 2011 toyota scion tc. It's on about 65k miles and I've had it for about 4 years. I am pretty good with the service maintenance, and lately I 've come across something I've never checked: transmission fluid. Ever since I saw that this is supposed to also get checked/changed, I've been paranoid about my car just blowing up in the middle of the road because of a lack of maintenance. I get super nervous at the smell of smoke when driving and prepare myself for possible pulling over. It's really stressful.
I go into my local service center and make an appointment. My car must be serviced from underneath, that's the only route to mingle with the transmission mechanisms.
They are charging me to just check it.
Are there any signs that come up on the dash when this is in need of a change or does it show up when damage has already been done? I checked the vehicle's service history from previous owners and I have no data of a transmission fluid check. I want to assume it's been done at some point considering the mileage but I don't know if I can truly rely on that. How often should it get done on my vehicle? How does a fluid change differ from a top-off and how do I know which I need?
Thank you kindly
(This post was edited by safyay on Jun 30, 2022, 10:03 PM)
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jul 1, 2022, 3:57 AM
Post #2 of 5
(677 views)
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Re: Transmission clarity please
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No reason to get nervous. All the maintenance schedule wants you to do is check for leaks and fluid level at certain intervals. You will pretty much know if there are any leaks as you will see them hitting the ground.
As long as the bottom of the car remains pretty dry, you really don't have anything to be concerned about. The factory doesn't really have a recommendation on changing the fluid although I don't know if I agree with that but leaks are your main concern.
ATF doesn't evaporate so if there are no leaks you can pretty much assume the system is full.
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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safyay
New User
Jul 7, 2022, 11:43 AM
Post #3 of 5
(614 views)
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Re: Transmission clarity please
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Thanks for your reply.
How often do you change yours?
My confusion during all this is whether ATF is something that gets used up as you drive (thus my anxiety due to "running out") or if there is, like you mentioned, only "leaks" that can happen under certain circumstances. But at this point I'm getting the understanding that it only gets changed due to its negatively impacted efficacy and thus doing harm on the engine. Correct me if I am wrong.
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jul 7, 2022, 11:52 AM
Post #4 of 5
(608 views)
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Re: Transmission clarity please
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It can eventually get contaminated with material from worn clutches and the detergent built into the fluid can deteriorate.
Every manufacturer has different requirements for replacing the fluid. Yours has none on this model.
You can examine the fluid and determine it's condition. If it is a nice transparent pink, it's still in good shape and shouldn't need anything. If it gets dark and starts to turn brown, it's time to replace it.
I wouldn't worry about anything before 100K miles.
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jul 7, 2022, 4:10 PM
Post #5 of 5
(594 views)
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Re: Transmission clarity please
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Up top you said you smelled something? Are you just worried or do you smell something?
ATF is an oil would make an odor so would other fluids. Check all of them and plain look at exhaust items see if evidence is there.
As Hammer said it really doesn't use any normally but I'd check for anything leaking oils can make an odor like an exhaust smell if burned on hot parts would be worth checking carefully anyway if in fact you notice something,
T
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