Good video - thanks. A couple of notes for newbies - at 16:20, he mentions that your car should be "pretty flat" [level] when checking your fluid level. That could be kind of tricky if you have it on jack stands or wheel ramps only at the front. With jackstands, you could first lower the car down to the garage surface, but then if you notice a leak from the pan after filling it up, you'll have to jack the car back up to get to work on the pan. If you have the front of the car on the wheel ramps, I don't think you would want to drive it down off the ramps with no fluid in the transmission, so in that case you should fill it up with a good estimate of what the final amount should be before driving it off the ramps to finish checking the fluid level for the final top-off. (When at 17:33 when he says it's at the "Full mark for Hot" after just filling up a cold transmission, it sounds kind of counter-intuitive at first but then it makes sense because you have to turn the car on and run through the gears with the brake on so that the fluid will get distributed throughout the transmission. That's why the level ended at "Cold-Full" after he did that.)
I just changed the fluid. Better something than nothing, I can't do the filter now. But jacking the car up and just popping the bolt got a lot of the fluid, works MUCH better now. Thanks for the video.
@@adamgutierrez6408 No, but the fluid was black, and it was about 20-30k over the change interval. There also was apparent hard shifting and slow shifting, no slip though. I just swapped out one jug for the moment with some good synthetic (make sure the transmission oil meets the specs listed, as there are different grades). I also found that the Lucas transmission conditioners work well, even in my Saab 9-3 2001.
@@adamgutierrez6408 Lucas oil also sells stop slip, which I used in a truck transmission which was slipping, and it does improve drive-ability. However once the transmission starts slipping, there's no long term fix outside of removing the transaxle, and changing the clutch packs, or getting a rebuilt one. I'm not a Lucas fanboy. But I have used their products and they seem to work fairly well. At least to justify the small pricetag.
Your Valvoline MaxLife ATF is in a 1 GALLON container. 1 GALLON = 4 QUARTS. When you marked the container at 1.5 quarts, you will end up putting only 2.5 quarts and not the 3.5 quarts you measured with your graduated bucket. I hope you have figured this out later and corrected it. The ATF jugs are 1 gal in volume and engine oil jugs are 5 quarts (1.25gal) - it is common for people to assume they are the same although even visually, they are not.
@@AM-vn3fq make sure to measure the fluid that comes out and replace with the same amount for starters. You can top off as needed after that. Oh and take your time and follow the steps.
Goodnight friend. I like your video. My name is Richardson and I live in the city of Americana SP Brazil. I bought a 1998 Lexus Es300 and it has 99,000 miles or 163,000 km and the automatic transmission fluid has never been changed. The fluid is not too red or too dark and the smell of the fluid is a little strong. Gear shifting is smooth and jerk-free. I would like some advice on whether to change the fluid or leave it as is. Only partially change the fluid along with changing the filter or only the fluid. I hear so many things that I'm afraid to change. The mechanic here in my city said to change all the oil and not change the filter and another mechanic said to do the total change with the filter change and another said to change it partially, i.e. change half and not change the filter. Can changing all the fluid cause any problems? Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you.
I would change it like I did in the video, I'm not a fan of replacing all of the fluid. The only time to flush a system completely would be if the fluid is very dark and you are having issues with shifting.
Pan is back on, I overfilled it. I went through the gears it sounded sketchy, checked it while it was hot and it was at Cool level. I drained it again, it’s sitting out there ready to be refilled once more, and then once again with Lucas. So nervous after running it through the gears and checking it to find the fluid so low. I should have checked the fluid and verified. 🤞
@@nicklldoit thanks for the knowledge. ill be sure to let the fluid settle down the dipstick for a lot longer before taking a look at the fluid level. it does have a differential, idk if that makes a difference.
Your engine bay is so clean! I have a ‘97 es300 with 404k miles. My transmission is starting to shift hard and it’s coming up on its next transmission service. The transmission is stock and fluid has been changed every 30k-40k miles. What do you recommend?
First of congrats on making to 404k miles, your car is one of the ones that survived the high mileage goals. Now your transmission, I would check your fluid color and smell first. Is it still red? A darker reddish brown color is not good and if it smells burnt. Otherwise, if it looks fairly normal. Your transmission has given you it's life span and will need a rebuild soon. You can try a fluid replacement and adding some Lucas transmission fix. 🤞
Goodnight friend. I live in Americana SP Brazil. I have a 1998 Lexus ES300 with 100,000 miles. In the manual it says that the fluid is DEXRON lll and you used a different Dexron.
I didn’t show the differential in my videos unfortunately, yes it has a drain and fill plug. It takes the same transmission fluid, about a quart. I drained mine and pumped new Fluid in until it dripped out.
I have a Lexus 2014, model Es250. Unfortunately, I haven't changed the transmission oil, since I bought the car. The car is a single owner, and it currently has 180, 000 km.. The agency says that if they change the oil, they won't guarantee the transmission or the repairs. Some mechanics say that I can change the oil with no problems to the transmission, others say that it is a high risk. What can you recommend? Thanks!
you can drain and refill that transmission, I would not do a power flush. Nobody will guarantee transmission function with a fluid change, just leaks from the service. If you have rough shifting the fluid change may help, it all depends how harsh you shifts are.
@@nicklldoit The shifting in the car is fine and I do not have any rough shifting. My friend advised me to remove half of the transmission fluid and refill with new then drive for 600 km then do the same thing. after doing this twice to drain all the fluid and add new fluid with a new filter. Do you think this is good idea? Have you done this in the past with good results
@@zaidalmymoni6902 I've done that only if the fluid is extremely dirty/burnt looking. Otherwise if it still looks reddish I would leave it alone. The idea is to mix new with old, it's a safer way to sorta flush your system. Power flushing in my opinion can damage your torque converter. Transmission fluid by itself is a fantastic cleaner of metal parts already.
Preparing to change this out on my 1995 ES300 (dark color currently and the transmission disengages briefly when the engine is cold). Can you explain why you dump the radiator hoses? I didn't understand that part.
The 2 small hoses have transmission fluid in them, they go thru the radiator to cool the fluid. If you want to drain all fluid then release those from the radiator. It's not completely necessary since there's not must fluid in them.
@@nicklldoit I may as well do it right and drain them because I doubt the fluid has ever been changed in this car. If you had to guess, do you think the change might fix the issue I described?
@@dstewart7470 transmissions can be tricky, it may also depend on the current mileage as well. It's worth a try, it's the cheapest option to try and fix the issues. I couldn't tell you for sure if it will correct it. Best wishes.
You don't need to drain the coolant, I drained the transmission fluid from the lines that connect to the radiator. It's a small amount and not necessary unless your fluid is really dark.
Oh no, if you have a impact gun I would try that in short bursts tighten then loosen multiple times. If you don't have one, a longer wrench or breaker bar. Please remember you are at risk of stripping the bolt out. If that happens, you would have to replace the oil pan.
@@nicklldoit definitely do not want to replace the drain pan. I was using a 10 mm wrench but I think I'll go by a 10 mm socket for my impact and do what you suggested. Thank you, I'll report back if it doesn't slip my mind
I was closer to 4 qts, not sure if the 98 had the diff drain and fill plugs. I've been trying to figure out when they changed it. Best way of knowing is to see if there is a drain plug for it, it's facing the fire wall. Now the torque specs for the bolts will be in inch pounds, I don't know it on top of my head. (60 to 70 inch lbs) I typically use a 1/4" ratchet to tighten them, almost impossible to over tighten them with that. With a small ratchet I can feel it better, I've used a torque spec in the past and results vary. Especially if service has been performed before.
When im driving my car and i let go of the gas pedal and hit it again it feels like its hesitating to get speed. And some times i hit it again and it rev up like a manual car when you press the clutch. Do you think is because it needs a fluid change? And it also sometime be going to 4 rpm. Like sometimes it takes long to shift so i let go of the gas and it get to it.?
It will depends, does you fluid look brown? or Red? If brown, then change the fluid. Otherwise it sounds like a torque converter or clutches slipping issue. Electronic controlled Transmissions are beyond tricky. I would first check the condition and level of the fluid for sure.
@@adamgutierrez6408 hey bro to be honest i just did the transmission fluid change but it still doing that.So idk. But is not skipping and nothin is just that that shit gets me mad. But tbh idk.
Hopefully I can get so advice. I was told that you should never change the transmission fluid, and that you should only change it when it's time to replace the transmission. Is this accurate? Do you change the fluid, filter and gasket like you do oil?
@@nicklldoit Thanks! Do I need to drain the coolant lines for the transmission when i'm doing a transmission fluid change or was that particular to your case?
I mentioned in the video, not to pressure flush the system. A simple drain and refill is the way to go, pressure flushing can destroy your transmission. If you transmission is shifting beyond bad, then you have nothing to lose then you can do a complete transmission flush. Expect gallons of fluid to be used, chances are your transmission just needs to be rebuilt.
@@nicklldoit My transmission is working just fine. The issue is that someone overfilled it by about 1 and a half quarts of fluid. This happened before I got the car. I have since removed the excess fluid and got it back down to the correct level. I'm just wondering if I should do anything to the transmission because it was run for some unknown period of time while it was overfilled. The fluid doesn't appear to be excessively dirty or burnt.
Good video - thanks. A couple of notes for newbies - at 16:20, he mentions that your car should be "pretty flat" [level] when checking your fluid level. That could be kind of tricky if you have it on jack stands or wheel ramps only at the front. With jackstands, you could first lower the car down to the garage surface, but then if you notice a leak from the pan after filling it up, you'll have to jack the car back up to get to work on the pan.
If you have the front of the car on the wheel ramps, I don't think you would want to drive it down off the ramps with no fluid in the transmission, so in that case you should fill it up with a good estimate of what the final amount should be before driving it off the ramps to finish checking the fluid level for the final top-off.
(When at 17:33 when he says it's at the "Full mark for Hot" after just filling up a cold transmission, it sounds kind of counter-intuitive at first but then it makes sense because you have to turn the car on and run through the gears with the brake on so that the fluid will get distributed throughout the transmission. That's why the level ended at "Cold-Full" after he did that.)
I just changed the fluid. Better something than nothing, I can't do the filter now. But jacking the car up and just popping the bolt got a lot of the fluid, works MUCH better now. Thanks for the video.
Was your car slipping before the flush?
@@adamgutierrez6408 No, but the fluid was black, and it was about 20-30k over the change interval. There also was apparent hard shifting and slow shifting, no slip though. I just swapped out one jug for the moment with some good synthetic (make sure the transmission oil meets the specs listed, as there are different grades). I also found that the Lucas transmission conditioners work well, even in my Saab 9-3 2001.
@@adamgutierrez6408 Lucas oil also sells stop slip, which I used in a truck transmission which was slipping, and it does improve drive-ability. However once the transmission starts slipping, there's no long term fix outside of removing the transaxle, and changing the clutch packs, or getting a rebuilt one. I'm not a Lucas fanboy. But I have used their products and they seem to work fairly well. At least to justify the small pricetag.
Your Valvoline MaxLife ATF is in a 1 GALLON container. 1 GALLON = 4 QUARTS. When you marked the container at 1.5 quarts, you will end up putting only 2.5 quarts and not the 3.5 quarts you measured with your graduated bucket. I hope you have figured this out later and corrected it. The ATF jugs are 1 gal in volume and engine oil jugs are 5 quarts (1.25gal) - it is common for people to assume they are the same although even visually, they are not.
No worries, once the car was at operating temperature. The fluid was rechecked, 👍
Thanks for the information…help me a lot on my Lexus 1997…!!!!🙏🏽
watching your dipstick slide in and out is quite a different process on mine x_X
Hey man about to do my own change to my 2000 es300. Checked the fluid a few days ago and its dark so need to get it done ASAP.
@@AM-vn3fq make sure to measure the fluid that comes out and replace with the same amount for starters. You can top off as needed after that. Oh and take your time and follow the steps.
Goodnight friend. I like your video. My name is Richardson and I live in the city of Americana SP Brazil. I bought a 1998 Lexus Es300 and it has 99,000 miles or 163,000 km and the automatic transmission fluid has never been changed. The fluid is not too red or too dark and the smell of the fluid is a little strong. Gear shifting is smooth and jerk-free. I would like some advice on whether to change the fluid or leave it as is. Only partially change the fluid along with changing the filter or only the fluid. I hear so many things that I'm afraid to change. The mechanic here in my city said to change all the oil and not change the filter and another mechanic said to do the total change with the filter change and another said to change it partially, i.e. change half and not change the filter. Can changing all the fluid cause any problems? Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you.
I would change it like I did in the video, I'm not a fan of replacing all of the fluid. The only time to flush a system completely would be if the fluid is very dark and you are having issues with shifting.
Absolutely great video
I hope it helps you out
I want to thank u for ur video, it help me out a lot. Lol my project car my dad give me I have a 1999.
Glad to help, I have many videos that cover this vehicle.
Pan is back on, I overfilled it. I went through the gears it sounded sketchy, checked it while it was hot and it was at Cool level. I drained it again, it’s sitting out there ready to be refilled once more, and then once again with Lucas. So nervous after running it through the gears and checking it to find the fluid so low. I should have checked the fluid and verified. 🤞
If you ran it thru gears while stopped you shouldn't have a problem.
@@nicklldoit i had it jacked up, wasnt stopped. i ran it through the gears first, then went back up to drive and was accelerating through the gears.
@@tootai okay so you didn't have actual load on the power train. That's should be okay.
@@nicklldoit thanks for the knowledge. ill be sure to let the fluid settle down the dipstick for a lot longer before taking a look at the fluid level. it does have a differential, idk if that makes a difference.
@@tootai doesn't make a difference
Your engine bay is so clean! I have a ‘97 es300 with 404k miles. My transmission is starting to shift hard and it’s coming up on its next transmission service. The transmission is stock and fluid has been changed every 30k-40k miles. What do you recommend?
First of congrats on making to 404k miles, your car is one of the ones that survived the high mileage goals. Now your transmission, I would check your fluid color and smell first. Is it still red? A darker reddish brown color is not good and if it smells burnt. Otherwise, if it looks fairly normal. Your transmission has given you it's life span and will need a rebuild soon. You can try a fluid replacement and adding some Lucas transmission fix. 🤞
Goodnight friend. I live in Americana SP Brazil. I have a 1998 Lexus ES300 with 100,000 miles. In the manual it says that the fluid is DEXRON lll and you used a different Dexron.
Use what your manual says
About to tack my gasket back on the pan and put it back on now.
Awesome 👍
Thanks! I will be doing this on my 98 ES300 next week. BTW Where is the differential drain plug?
I didn’t show the differential in my videos unfortunately, yes it has a drain and fill plug. It takes the same transmission fluid, about a quart. I drained mine and pumped new Fluid in until it dripped out.
It’s behind the transmission facing the driver seat.
Diffential. 🤔
@@vag4lvevo22 the 1997 model has a diff. On the back side of the transmission, that one is a drain and fill 1 quart of the same fluid.
Nick'll Do IT i have a 2001. You think it have it?
hey im wondering if 2000 es300 has 17 bolt pan or 18 bolt pan?
I have an 01 and it's 18 bolt but I could just go under and count
I have a 2001 es300 Lexus
My car is shaking/ vibrating when going in reverse I crank it
It has a unusual sound and my check engine light is flashing
@@honiisweet2173 only In reverse? If so you have something very wrong in your transmission. I hate to say it, something has completely worn down.
I have a Lexus 2014, model Es250. Unfortunately, I haven't changed the transmission oil, since I bought the car. The car is a single owner, and it currently has 180, 000 km.. The agency says that if they change the oil, they won't guarantee the transmission or the repairs. Some mechanics say that I can change the oil with no problems to the transmission, others say that it is a high risk. What can you recommend? Thanks!
you can drain and refill that transmission, I would not do a power flush. Nobody will guarantee transmission function with a fluid change, just leaks from the service. If you have rough shifting the fluid change may help, it all depends how harsh you shifts are.
@@nicklldoit The shifting in the car is fine and I do not have any rough shifting. My friend advised me to remove half of the transmission fluid and refill with new then drive for 600 km then do the same thing. after doing this twice to drain all the fluid and add new fluid with a new filter. Do you think this is good idea? Have you done this in the past with good results
@@zaidalmymoni6902 I've done that only if the fluid is extremely dirty/burnt looking. Otherwise if it still looks reddish I would leave it alone. The idea is to mix new with old, it's a safer way to sorta flush your system. Power flushing in my opinion can damage your torque converter. Transmission fluid by itself is a fantastic cleaner of metal parts already.
Preparing to change this out on my 1995 ES300 (dark color currently and the transmission disengages briefly when the engine is cold). Can you explain why you dump the radiator hoses? I didn't understand that part.
The 2 small hoses have transmission fluid in them, they go thru the radiator to cool the fluid. If you want to drain all fluid then release those from the radiator. It's not completely necessary since there's not must fluid in them.
@@nicklldoit I may as well do it right and drain them because I doubt the fluid has ever been changed in this car. If you had to guess, do you think the change might fix the issue I described?
@@dstewart7470 transmissions can be tricky, it may also depend on the current mileage as well. It's worth a try, it's the cheapest option to try and fix the issues. I couldn't tell you for sure if it will correct it. Best wishes.
@@nicklldoit It has 207k...we'll see, thank you
@@dstewart7470 how did that go? Does if shift more smoothly?
Why do you have to drain the radiator to do the transmission fluid?
You don't need to drain the coolant, I drained the transmission fluid from the lines that connect to the radiator. It's a small amount and not necessary unless your fluid is really dark.
@@nicklldoit Thanks!
The drain bolt on my 95 es300 is completely stuck. What do you recommend if the penetrating fluid doesn't work?
Oh no, if you have a impact gun I would try that in short bursts tighten then loosen multiple times. If you don't have one, a longer wrench or breaker bar. Please remember you are at risk of stripping the bolt out. If that happens, you would have to replace the oil pan.
@@nicklldoit definitely do not want to replace the drain pan. I was using a 10 mm wrench but I think I'll go by a 10 mm socket for my impact and do what you suggested. Thank you, I'll report back if it doesn't slip my mind
Did you put in 3.5qt? Also do you know if the 98 ES300 has a differential? How much do you torque the pan bolts to?
I was closer to 4 qts, not sure if the 98 had the diff drain and fill plugs. I've been trying to figure out when they changed it. Best way of knowing is to see if there is a drain plug for it, it's facing the fire wall. Now the torque specs for the bolts will be in inch pounds, I don't know it on top of my head. (60 to 70 inch lbs) I typically use a 1/4" ratchet to tighten them, almost impossible to over tighten them with that. With a small ratchet I can feel it better, I've used a torque spec in the past and results vary. Especially if service has been performed before.
@@nicklldoit Great thanks for the reply! Got a 98 but the transmission is slipping hopefully some new fluid and Lucas does some magic.
@@djcoolhd9760did it work?
Requires vehicle to be on a flat surface. Well shit. There goes my hope of doing it at home.
A garage is flat enough, or jack up the car as needed.
When im driving my car and i let go of the gas pedal and hit it again it feels like its hesitating to get speed. And some times i hit it again and it rev up like a manual car when you press the clutch. Do you think is because it needs a fluid change? And it also sometime be going to 4 rpm. Like sometimes it takes long to shift so i let go of the gas and it get to it.?
It will depends, does you fluid look brown? or Red?
If brown, then change the fluid. Otherwise it sounds like a torque converter or clutches slipping issue. Electronic controlled Transmissions are beyond tricky. I would first check the condition and level of the fluid for sure.
Nick'll Do IT thanks 🙏. And should i check the fluid when the car is hot or cold?
Let it warm up and check it, keep the car running while you check.
I know I'm late but I have the same issue. What fixed it
@@adamgutierrez6408 hey bro to be honest i just did the transmission fluid change but it still doing that.So idk. But is not skipping and nothin is just that that shit gets me mad. But tbh idk.
Hopefully I can get so advice. I was told that you should never change the transmission fluid, and that you should only change it when it's time to replace the transmission. Is this accurate? Do you change the fluid, filter and gasket like you do oil?
Transmission fluid should be changed every 80 to 100k miles, along with the filter.
where did you find specs that told you to oil pan to 90 inch-pound?
Toyota service manual
Where is the transmission pan located?
Driver side of the car
Does the filter come with a pan gasket?
@@user-rc9jf8ng2k in most cases they come with the filter
@@nicklldoit Thanks! Do I need to drain the coolant lines for the transmission when i'm doing a transmission fluid change or was that particular to your case?
What fluid did you use
Valvoline Max life, I don't recall which one. Make it is labeled with the correct type for your car.
Watch the full video. He shows the fluid.
Hi. What years ES 300's does this video cover?
Work was performed on model years 96-99. It's basically the same for years 99-01 the intro to the VVTi engines.
I mentioned in the video, not to pressure flush the system. A simple drain and refill is the way to go, pressure flushing can destroy your transmission. If you transmission is shifting beyond bad, then you have nothing to lose then you can do a complete transmission flush. Expect gallons of fluid to be used, chances are your transmission just needs to be rebuilt.
@@nicklldoit My transmission is working just fine. The issue is that someone overfilled it by about 1 and a half quarts of fluid. This happened before I got the car. I have since removed the excess fluid and got it back down to the correct level. I'm just wondering if I should do anything to the transmission because it was run for some unknown period of time while it was overfilled. The fluid doesn't appear to be excessively dirty or burnt.
Overfilling won’t hurt it, there is a vent cap on top of the transmission. Also it would boil over out of the dip stick tube and create a mess.