Low Mileage Avalon Automatic Tranny Fluid Dark

Some discoloration is normal, and without seeing the fluid firsthand, it is difficult to say whether the discoloration in your car is normal or not. Fluid will discolor more quickly if the vehicle is driven a lot in stop-and-go traffic, in hilly or mountainous terrain, is used to tow a boat, if the driver brakes with the left foot or rides the brake pedal, often manually downshifts the transmission, or shifts from forward to reverse and vice versa without bringing the vehicle to a complete stop.

If you had it 'flushed', why screw with it?!

Just do normal maintenance, and you should be OK.

I plan on draining a filling the pan a few times just because the flush did not get it as clear as I would like it.

Remaining on topic - When I flushed the transmission in my 03 Avalon, the owner of the transmission business I patronized told me that the transmission was also used in the Lexus models. (I can't verify this, one way or the other. Perhaps Ray O can.)

The 'dirty' fluid is coming from the torque converter. There is a LOT of fluid in the TC. It may take quite a while to get it all out.

Since you flushed it, and say the trans is shifting smooth, I'd just leave it.

If you saw the condition of the fluid in my Supra, you'd be out there every day! Two complete drains and fills (one because the pan didn't seat properly and had to be dropped again) and the car runs fine. I'll do it again next year, maybe, 10,000 miles from now.

If I don't put a 5-speed in first! ;)

(BTW, if this is any comfort: there was a lot of 'sludge' clinging to the magnets in the pan, and there were a couple of 'shavings' too! The tranny has 200,000+ miles on it and when I step on the gas, the car MOOOOVES!!!!)

Welcome to the real world, Toyotas are just like the vehicles of all other manufactures, they have problems on occasion. Especially when one buys the vehicle used. One can never know for sure how a used car was used or abused, or if it was serviced properly or not. One must always wonder why the previous owner no longer wanted the vehicle, as well ;)

mike

I certainly hope your 'tranny shop' used the correct fluid....

If both transmissions have the same number of gears, then they are the same basic transmission.

Why stop at the congressional level? There's a couple at the top just aching for it.

Doug

They did. Dexron III. It's a small shop with about 4 guys there. The first thing the owner said was he would have to check and see if he could do it. The dipstick in my tranny says to use Dexron II or Dexron III. The original 2002 Avalon owners manual I have with the car says to use Dexron III. The transmission service reference at the lube place for this model and year listed Dexron III. The owner and I reviewed it together.

I went to the library and looked at a Chilton's Camry 2002-2005 manual which is supposed to cover the Camry, Avalon, Solara and Lexus ES

300/330s. That book says to use Toyota ATF Type T-IV, but there is a caveat in the book that says it was correct at the time the book was written but may have changed as manufacturers upgrade their fluid standards so check with your auto parts store. So much for Chiltons! Too many different cars in one manual anyway.

I'll go with the dipstick, OEM owners manual and the professional reference specific to this car at the shop. They all say Dexron III.

I also read in a few posts that Toyota used a darker fluid than most red ones. When I look at the power steering reservoir, it also calls for Dexron III on the cap, but when you look at what is in there now from the factory, it is very brown but like new.