ATF question

[Surf01]

How do you know when to change the ATF? I have 1996 3.0 3rd gen vehicle and it is used mainly for towing the caravan. Coming home today it smelt hot almost like oil over heating, but temp normal. Oil was changed 4 months or about 3000 miles ago when I purchased the vehicle. .
Seems to change gear okay except for one occasion about 2 months ago when going up Fish Hill in Cotswolds towing a 1600kg caravan. It would not change down to a more suitable gear resulting in us crawling up the hill. Never did the same again.

[MWS]

How do you know when to change the ATF? I have 1996 3.0 3rd gen vehicle and it is used mainly for towing the caravan. Coming home today it smelt hot almost like oil over heating, but temp normal. Oil was changed 4 months or about 3000 miles ago when I purchased the vehicle. .
Seems to change gear okay except for one occasion about 2 months ago when going up Fish Hill in Cotswolds towing a 1600kg caravan. It would not change down to a more suitable gear resulting in us crawling up the hill. Never did the same again.

Hello Ian. At 3000 miles your atf should be fine, clean and red. If it's black, then your trans has been overheating quite badly. A one off failed gearchange may just have been down a sticking valve, or ball in the valve block (contamination in the oil?). When you say it wouldn't change down, was the kickdown not changing down for you? When the atf was changed, was the internal mesh filter cleaned out?. If you tow regularly, it might be prudent to fit an auxiliary trans cooler. Check the search facility for other threads on the topic.........Cheers....Mick.

[Surf01]

Hello Ian. At 3000 miles your atf should be fine, clean and red. If it's black, then your trans has been overheating quite badly. A one off failed gearchange may just have been down a sticking valve, or ball in the valve block (contamination in the oil?). When you say it wouldn't change down, was the kickdown not changing down for you? When the atf was changed, was the internal mesh filter cleaned out?. If you tow regularly, it might be prudent to fit an auxiliary trans cooler. Check the search facility for other threads on the topic.........Cheers....Mick.

Just to clarify, it was the engine oil that was changed not the ATF. No idea when ATF was changed but will check colour.

[MWS]

Just to clarify, it was the engine oil that was hanged not the ATF. No idea when ATF was changed but will check colour.

.

[tamrat]

Just to clarify, it was the engine oil that was hanged not the ATF. No idea when ATF was changed but will check colour.

just the check the ATF. See the color, it must be quite thin and red. If its turnin black (or greyish) that means its burnt, so you have to change it.

[Surf01]

Checked and the ATF is a dark reddish colour.

[flounderbout]

Just to clarify, it was the engine oil that was hanged not the ATF. No idea when ATF was changed but will check colour.

[POPEYE]

Checked and the ATF is a dark reddish colour.

If it's dark red verging on brown it's time to change it, any doubt i'd change it anyway as ya dont know when it was last done

[POPEYE]

just the check the ATF. See the color, it must be quite thin and red. If its turnin black (or greyish) that means its burnt, so you have to change it.

This ring a bell tamrat? mate if your gonna ask a question and you get a reply (especially a somewhat "indepth" answer and even more especially from me) at least drop a post just to say cheers or even a thumbs up giff, it dont have to be the gettysburg address, just old school manners
http://www.hiluxsurf.co.uk/showthread.php?t=72868

[tamrat]

This ring a bell tamrat? mate if your gonna ask a question and you get a reply (especially a somewhat "indepth" answer and even more especially from me) at least drop a post just to say cheers or even a thumbs up giff, it dont have to be the gettysburg address, just old school manners
http://www.hiluxsurf.co.uk/showthread.php?t=72868

Sorry...
cheers mate...
forgot to post back cuz we were doing many stuff on it. Got most of the fluid removed, and added a new one. Didn't bother flushing it. Thanks!

[POPEYE]

Sorry...
cheers mate...

your welcome! hope you got the atf changed ok

[tamrat]

your welcome! hope you got the atf changed ok

yap

[Surf01]

Thanks I will try and get it changed at the garage this week sometime. The vehicle has about 72,000 miles.