Good deal on Type IV ATF?

[Stupot]

With some trepidation, I've just purchased this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4L-OEM-Type-T-IV-Automatic-Special-TOYOTA-LEXUS-ATF-Type-T-IV-SYNTHETIC-4-litre/252237496122 as it seems to be a very good price. I will be interested to see how gen it looks when it turns up. Anyone else bought some from this trader?

Just 4L for now, with the intention of a partial drain/refill ATF refresh. I'll get some more if it seems OK.

[Herbie]

Well it seems to be OK in the sense that the guy has done 41,938 transactions and has 100% feedback, so I would have no qualms whatsoever in buying from him - lets just hope that his supplier is as genuine as he seems to be.

I got 10L from my local Toyota main dealer for £73.50.

[ambermarine]

The service schedule for the Ls 400 Mark 4 says change transmission fluid at 33k ,I assume this is draining out 2litres at the  plug in the sump which is all it holds, the rest of the near 10 liters within the system and torque converter can only be changed with the take some out put some in method which leaves the system with a percentage of used fluid .

I can only assume from that  this is the way Lexus see the gradual renewal over time as the best way to service the gearbox, so intervals of 33k would give the fluid a very long life.

I took out the fluid with the put some in take some out method in my Mark 1 after 160k as it was going a bit brown prior to that it had never been touched and the transmission was fine.

 

[Herbie]

5 hours ago, ambermarine said:

I assume this is draining out 2litres at the  plug in the sump which is all it holds, the rest of the near 10 liters within the system and torque converter can only be changed with the take some out put some in method which leaves the system with a percentage of used fluid .

Not quite correct Phil. There are many Youtube videos and text descriptions of how to DIY a complete fluid flush, this being just one of them.

[ambermarine]

Herbs

The service schedule relates to a fluid change which is not the same as a flush it also shows the amount of fluid the transmission sump holds and to all intents and purposes is the quantity drained and replaced,My Mark 4 as 40k on it and the fluid is very much a pink red colour and does smell as new so I doubt the changing of all the fluid would be required at this mileage.

[Herbie]

Sorry Phil, I misunderstood the posting.

I was thinking about when I buy a secondhand car, I always change all fluids and filters as a matter of course and that includes the whole of the transmission fluid. It may be unnecessary overkill but at least I know where I'm starting ownership from.

[Daveyboy20]

Is it easy to do a gearbox fluid change on a 98 ls400? Had an 03 Jaguar xj8 and it was a nightmare job to do at home!

[Newbie1]

Aisin Type IV is another option. Gearbox manufacturer and approved by Toyota.

[Stupot]

ATF arrived, looks genuine, made by Fanfaro (stamped on the side) in Germany who I have not heard of, but otherwise it's all Toyota livery as per the picture in the eBay link.

Last transmission oil change was 2010 at approx 85K. Now 157k...so needed doing (although transmission is still totally smooth)

Today, instead of draining from the sump pan,  I used an oil extractor suction pump with the tube down the ATF dipstick. The pump removed almost 2.5 litres of fluid, more than is suggested you can achieve on the tutorial at http://www.lexls.com for the MK3... maybe it's that 5th gear on the Mk4 😄. Colour of the ATF was a bit brown, but I inspected it closely, no particles.

In went just over 2 litres of the new fluid. Took it for a good run and all was well, checked level and it was within the bottom of the hot range. I will repeat after a few days driving and I'll get some more fluid. The suction pump made life easy, I measured the length of pump hose against the dipstick to make sure it went in far enough, but not too far to disturb the magnets.

[ambermarine]

 

Stu

The mention of the magnets put me in mind of a trick I did on my Jiffy classic mini engine sump ,bearing in mind  the sump contains the oil that lubricates both engine and gearbox.

I took apart a magnatron from a defunct microwave oven and this as two very powerful magnets on the gun I just let one go onto the base of the sump and there was no way it was coming off .

It was powerful enough to magnetize the whole area around it attracting  anything metallic that was within the engine,it worked a treat because when we stripped the engine during a rebuild the bottom of the sump had metal filings from the geardrives all over it and the metal sump had become magnetized were the magnet had been located.

[Newbie1]

Iv'e got an electric suction pump in the cupboard bought for engine oil use. Never used it, but this sounds like a good idea as I really don't like jacking up my LS400!

[ambermarine]

I use this method with a 12 volt electric oil pump I was the European agent for twenty years ago .

It was branded the Qwik -drain and was specifically designed for marine diesel engines around 50hp-80hp which did not have a sump plug and were installed in yachts  ,prior to this product being thought up by a guy in Idaho the only way to extract used oil was with a hand pump.

I know from my own boats this was a laborious and messy task.

Unfortunately chandlers are notoriously greedy people and they marked up the product by too great a margin for it to attract enough sales to justify importing and distributing the product .

It survived for a while in the states but succumbed when the producers gave the products exclusive sales rights to a national chandler who subsequently went topsy.

Lessons to be learned , there are a multitude of producers in the market now.

[Stupot]

4 hours ago, ambermarine said:

I took apart a magnatron from a defunct microwave oven and this as two very powerful magnets on the gun I just let one go onto the base of the sump and there was no way it was coming off .

I'm googling a 'maganatron'... sounds like an ingenious idea!

[Malc]

is it not already magnetised at the filter end from factory to attract all the crap .................... without outside interference ?

Malc

[ambermarine]

30 minutes ago, Malc said:

is it not already magnetised at the filter end from factory to attract all the crap .................... without outside interference ?

Malc

Malc

I was referring to my Classic mini engine, I have not applied this trick to my LS but I cannot see what harm it would do as the magnets on the transmission are located at the base of the sump, it would create a wider field for the crap to form on .

[ambermarine]

40 minutes ago, Stupot said:

I'm googling a 'maganatron'... sounds like an ingenious idea!

Stu 

The term is magnatron and there is a safety rider attached to this project.There are very high voltages feeding the magnatron even when the Microwave is disconnected from the mains supply.

Up to 5000 volts can be around due to the machines use of capacitors and these capacitors can kill you should you touch the circuits on the voltage control board.

If you mess around with the interior of a microwave oven check out all the safety videos that are on the web before opening it up,and do so at your own risk.

[Stupot]

42 minutes ago, Malc said:

is it not already magnetised at the filter end from factory to attract all the crap .................... without outside interference ?

Malc

Was not going to put one on my LS ... but I was impressed by the idea 😊

[Stupot]

1 minute ago, ambermarine said:

Stu 

The term is magnatron and there is a safety rider attached to this project.There are very high voltages feeding the magnatron even when the Microwave is disconnected from the mains supply.

Up to 5000 volts can be around due to the machines use of capacitors and these capacitors can kill you should you touch the circuits on the voltage control board.

If you mess around with the interior of a microwave oven check out all the safety videos that are on the web before opening it up,and do so at your own risk.

I did not know that... I did dismantle a microwave a few years ago, just to have a nosy and see if there were any useful bits I could salvage. I now count myself lucky to walk away alive!!!