Re: I changed the Camry's ATF today (added Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF)

Check it hot and idling, Yes 1/2 qt is to much and will make a big difference, lower it , it will put less pressure on seals and shift better and maybe better mpg- less oil, less parts submerged. dont forget the differential.

***************** The transmission fluid pan is only a reservoir and is not pressurized, so the additional pressure on the transmission pan gasket is only from any additional oil, which in the case of 1/4 quart would be negligible. The parts of an automatic transmission that are "submerged" need ATF to lubricate, develop line pressure, or otherwise function and get their ATF because the transmission pump picks up the needed amount of fluid from the reservoir and circulates it throughout the transmission.

The reason I think I may have partially stripped the threads of the transmission pan when I tightened the drain plug bolt with an unmeasured Allen wrench is the ease with which the wrench turned during my third and final tug on it.

I actually stopped tightening after the first tug, but the drain plug was leaking 15 minutes later when I checked it. So then I may have overdone it with a third tug or twist of the Allen wrench.

It seemed like that third and last tightening was a bit too easy compared to the first two. That's why I think I may have partially stripped the threads.

No leaking is happening 2 days later, but what course of action should I take now if, indeed, the threads are partially stripped?

For example, to save the threads, should I completely untighten the drain plug bolt as soon as possible, and re-tighten? If so, I'll just commit to doing another drain and fill to bring the Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF to 75 percent of total fill (right now the fill is a 50/50 mix of Mobil 1 and T-IV ATF). Or should I just leave well enough alone, and not untighten the bolt? Will the threads survive for years if they're partially stripped?

Also, is it possible that the easy turning effect I felt during the third twist of the Allen wrench may not have been caused by a partial stripping of the threads, but instead by a slight compression of the new metal gasket (or crush washer) that I inserted between the drain plug bolt and the trans pan?

In this case, if it was the metal gasket/crush washer that caused the easy turning of the wrench during the third final turn, can I be reasonably safe in thinking that the pan's threads are not stripped after all? And call it a day? Thanks :-)

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Thank you Toyota MDT :-) It's good to know that I probably didn't strip any threads. I got the metal gasket / crush washer from the Toyota dealership for $2.24 before tax. For some reason, their invoice/receipt shows a different part number, though: 90430-18008.

Since you think the threads are okay, I'll probably wait a while before doing another drain and refill--maybe wait until 50,000 miles. Thursday's drain and fill was done at 25,000 miles and 3.5 years. I will keep an eye on the ATF dipstick to guard against any leaks (so far so good). Just curious: if a leak does eventually happen and I don't detect it in time, will a dashboard warning light come on? If so, which one? (Those ATF dipsticks are notoriously hard to read, aren't they.)

Would anyone know if the ATF pan, painted black, is made of aluminum like the metal gasket / crush washer is made of aluminum?

Also, in 3.5 years when I do a second ATF drain and refill, would my Sears Craftsman 1/2-inch torque wrench work well enough to torque the ATF drain plug to 36 foot-pounds (I guess I can get a 1/2" to 3/8" adapter if the hex/Allen socket is fitted for a 3/8" wrench instead of a 1/2" wrench).

And wouldn't the proper torque of 36 foot-pounds safely fall outside the

10 or 20 percent range of the wrench's capacity of 150 foot-pounds for plus or minus 4 percent clockwise torquing accuracy.

On the other hand, the wrench's instruction guide does say that at low foot-pound numbers, the wrench is barely audible when it clicks, and may even not click at low numbers, in which case I might be better off using a beam type torque wrench.