Draining Transmission Fluid?
 

So, I've never cleared out my automatic transmission myself, I usually have the shop do it. But since I got this old Supra, I don't want them to clear it all out because it's so old...it'll probably explode. So...I just want to drain it myself and put some new fluid in. So now the question: where the hell do I drain it?? I'm a noob sometimes, forgive me, but I don't know where the cap/valve/bolt is that keeps all the fluid in!

You are in luck. The tranny pan uses a 14mm bolt for a drain plug.

If you just drain, you'll need to replace about 3 qts of Dextron 3.

I did mine every few days for 4 changes.

Got most changed out anyways.

well i got a 5spd,
hopefully this helps u

do underneath the car, its on the passenger side of the trans
there will be a nut by the middle
be sure to use the box-end of the wrench
cuz you will be kicking yourself in the nuts if u strip it

theres a proper way of filling it up too
but i do it up top in the shifter

look in the tsrm... here ya go, write it down, copy it, add to favorites, staple to your forehead
http://www.cygnusx1.net/Supra/Library/TSRM/MK3/

now to drain an auto tranny, hmm not in auto tranny section, lets look in maintenance... oh there it is...

http://www.cygnusx1.net/Supra/Librar...ion=MA&Page=12
happy draining
:bigthumb:

Yep there is a drain plug in the pan, I think its near the rear of the pan in the middle.

I would recommend you changing the filter too, but that is inside the trans pan, and requires some general knowledge and a torque wrench.

As far as draining and refilling a 5spd through the shifter, yeah you'll be kicking yourself in the nuts when you blow the front and rear seals on the tranny when you overfill it. Thats why a 5spd has a drain AND fill plug, so you can fill it until it starts to pour out the fill plug hole. Thats when you know you have enough and there is no way of overfilling. You have no way of knowing how much to add when you fill through the shifter. Thats some hack shit......

for the auto trans i just used a funnel with a hose on the end and filled it through the dip stick hole

Heh, thanks for all the responses! I want to go out jack up my car and do this right now, but maybe I'll wait so I can pickup a new filter.

yes it is sum hack stuff, but i have sumbody looking at the plug so when it fills up it spills to the side, and i know i have enuff

I've got the A340E Auto trans in my 88 turbo. The filter is a mesh screen. My Toyota dealer doesn't carry one, but can order one. I just cleaned mine out with some brake parts cleaner to get the grit out.

well hopefully you havent changed the fluid yet because if you said that the transmission fluid has never been changed it would be horrible for the tranny to put new fluid in if it is extremely old, the best thing to do if it is that old would be to have the trans live out its life with the same fluid in it.. do not change it

not disagreeing with you but with a post like that you may want to explain why so people will understand it better... im also curious as to why you wouldnt want to do change it

More info here.

http://www.cygnusx1.net/Supra/TechTips/transmission_filter.aspx

well the reason its a bad idea to change old fluid if its never been changed is because the fluid gets all the dirt and junk built up and the hoses and lines expand and since automatic transmissions run by fluid pressure, the old fluid expands with the gunk build up and expands the hoses. So what happens when you replace that old gunked up expanded fluid with fresh new fluid? the transmission can build up the proper pressure to function. This is a very vague and general explanation and is probably partially incorrect, anyone else who knows more please expand on this.

All I can say Is I have always been told that if you haven't ever changed it...., Don't. Pretty much for the same reason as stated above.

Halp!
 

Hello I know this isn't in direct correlation with OP problem, but I have a prolem w/ my Transmission fluid leaking. I am a noob and just recently purchased the Supra. According to the guy who sold it to me his mechanic overfilled the Tranny with 2.5qts when in fact it should be 1.7. He told me to replace the fluid, drain the old and replace w/new. Every time I use it it creates two little puddles, the more i use the car the bigger the puddles. The leak seems to be coming from somewhere by the tranny pan but I'm not too sure. The puddles are not extremely dense and at most are the span of my extended hand, but they still worry me. So if you guys could be of some help i would greatly appreciate it!

Check the tranny oil pan gasket.

i checked the pan basket but there doesnt seem to be a problem there, but whatever is right behind (please excuse my lack of an adequate technical term) it seems to be the source of the leak since i can see some tranny fluid build up there. So I dunno :dunno:

you said that the leak looks like its coming from whatevers behind it.. with leaks its sometimes hard to pinpoint exactly where its coming from. You should purchase a couple cans of brake cleaner and clean the entire underside of the transmission very well.. drive it for a couple days then take another look and try to identify where its coming from and if it is coming from the back of the transmission, that's where the transmission connects to the driveshaft and it could be leaking from the seal.

Edit:

Any estimate on how much that would cost to repair? Supposing it was leaking from the seal?

Well, I don't know if the previous owner ever changed it, but I assumed he did since it was a nicely maintained car. I can tell he did, or tried, because I went down there and the bolt was all rounded off...so I didn't even try to get it off.
The reason I wasnted to change the tranny fluid in the first place was because whenever my car hasn't been driven for a while before going onto the highway, you have to push hard on the gas to make it shift into the next gear. The whole car "whumps." It didn't used to do this, until it sat for a year in a garage. So...I shouldn't change it? Just adding new fluid is good enough? If I'm still going to change it, I wanted to replace the drain plug, too...but I don't know where to get one that fits. This is the closest thing I could find, but it doesn't mention what size it is at all.

I would say it would have to be very old for you to not bother servicing it.