'03 4Runner Limited V8, I need clarity please

After reading here and other places I am still uncertain here.

My manual states " TOYOTA Genuine ATF Type T-IV" in the transmission.

I've seen it discussed between this and WS, of course depending on model year etc.

Some say one is better when cold, some argue against that too.

SO, IS there ANY reason that I should not use the recommended fluid? It currently has 198,359
and I don't have any way of knowing it's last service. After pulling the dipstick it had been serviced for sure at some point in it's life. Now I want to do a flush and refill. Shifts good, works as expected so far.

SO, cam someone please clear this up for me?

TIA

 

Anyone?

I cannot think of a better place than here to ask.

There are a lot of opinions on this for sure. I think the T-4 would be just fine, but if there's a reason to skip it I would love to hear it. Pretty expensive fluid and quite the process to find out later I was wrong.

 

So the A750E/F transmissions we all have dont have dip sticks to check the trans oil level, Toyota removed them on the 4th gen. So what was it you pulled and checked...?

As for fluid the difference between the two is mostly that Type IV is not fully synthetic and WS is full synthetic, and additives right. Toyota naturally will say only their fluid is best for their vehicles, and to follow the manual. Thats fine, but we customers like more variety. Online says you should be fine to upgrade to the WS fluid if you want.

And just for variety, my '05 manual says use WS, but I have been and currently run Valvoline MaxLife ATF with good resultant feeling in shift points.

 

I pulled the tranny dipstick. The red one. Apparently they produced at least one with a dipstick.

 

I wonder if mine was an early 03 re: late 02 model because it clearly has a stick. I actually thought they all did since Monday mine is the only one I've checked out lol.

Thanks for the info, I think I'll stick with t-4 considering it's mileage.

 

I think 03 was the last year for the dipstick. T4 is what you need or you can switch to Valvoline Maxlife synthetic.

 

It's really silly when these automakers remove something as simple, proven and useful. Like some remove the spare tire and instead supply a repair kit. . I won't buy anything without an actual spare tire.

Thanks for the help.

 

WTH damn... LUCKYYYY
My mistake then. Having to crawl under and get the tranny to temp then open the overflow is a tacky ass way to check the level. Toyota definitely went backwards on this one.

Anyway with the fluid yea, your choice.

 

I know, I crapped my pants seeing that too.

The "Sealed" transmission thing has been a joke, not just with Toyota but all vehicles. All oils break down, all lose their peak performance, and all tranny's end up with metal shavings over time. Its just another gimmick to keep you going to the dealer for a service.

What cracks me up is the wide gap in cost from one dealer to the next. Even worse, the difference in lies from one service rep to another...... "you can do the service - you cannot its sealed - we can do a flush - no we cant do a flush only a half drain and fill".

 

Or even better dealers will come back with the utter nonsense perspective of "Oh its Toyota WS lifetime fluid, you never have to change it!"
Its like how much did you smoke today to even say that with a serious face

 

When we bought our 18 TRD 4runner the salesperson told me to be sure and bring it in for a free 10k oil change. It was a brand new vehicle btw. I laughed out loud at the idea that any new engine should be ran 10k on a break in. I've built plenty of engines in my life, every one of them will produce shavings when breaking in.

Oil changes are cheap. I'll base my changes on real life experience and not a salesperson's concept of reality.

 

Agreed, silly as hell to delete them. Like I said earlier, I thought all 4th gens had them as my exposure is 1 of 1 lol.

 

What is the "recommended" service interval for the trans with the 4.7? Not wanting to do a flush per say, but is it possible to just replaced a few quarts, or what's the best idea? Nervous about replacing all fluid with a high mileage trans

 

That's where I am now.

A really worn transmission can start to slip with fluid that's too slippery/ clean.

Every vehicle is different. So, it's really a gamble to flush it when it's a high mileage unit.

I'm fortunate that we have a real transmission guy in my area. I'll let him make that call as it's probably truly 50/50 .

If I knew it's service schedule from new it would be pretty helpful.

 

You guys should see the timing belt.

I have it sitting in the garage now, but it lasted 194,359 miles.... without breaking.

I drove it straight to my house and didn't start the engine again until the morning I was pulling into the garage to replace everything from the cam seals out

And no, it wasn't replaced, I know the previous owner. He never knew it was a thing.

 

60,000 miles.

 

That's a pretty reasonable number in my mind.

On anther note, I am curious if anyone has changed or replaced their diff vents?

I have been accumulating parts for months for this build and when the weather improves I'm going neck deep in this machine.

Vents are something probably overlooked and I'm curious about the folks here.

 

Diff vents as in breathers? Dont think anyone really 'replaces' them with the same. Every person here will either never touch them in their life or remove it to instead install a remote diff breather system, with the vent somewhere high like the engine bay or something.

 

Yes vent, breather, potato, potatoe whatever. Specifically was wanting to see if someone advocates something like the ARB for example without naming it.

No leaking at the seals on axles or anything I'm curious if anyone other than mall crawlers changes them because of off road experience problems.

If there's not a reason I plan to check them out them raise them.

My old land rover has one way valves on it from the factory, pretty good for a '73 model design.

 

I mean this is me but if you dont expect to hit water crossings with high consistency, its not needed. That said, if you want to do it for peace of mind in the event you do need to go that deep, by all means.

ARB is probably the single most popular kit. LowRange makes a more rudimentary kit i think. Yotatech might offer another simple version.

 

Spot-On. I mean unless you live in Houston and New Orleans where flash floods are a part of life, you will absolutely never need a diff breather.

I no longer live in either of those malaria-stricken lands, but I do water crossings in Arkansas all the time as part of the OOAT and High Water Mark. They are mandatory in those conditions.

(BTW jk, I miss Nola and H-town!!)

 

Good information, I am considering the ARB kit. Have no idea what I'll run in to out there tbh, still accumulating parts and thinking through the build. Gonna look around at the other kits you guys mentioned and compare.

Building it properly will save some heartburn later IMHO.

Thanks for the help guys.

 

Toyota Factory Service Manual says
2003 trans takes ATF T-IV
ATF WS was introduced in 2004

 

My 03 was built in 02 and has the tranny dipstick as well

Before we purchased I was doing research and it said it didn't have it... I looked and pulled it to see that lovely red fluid...

 

03's were the first year of 4th Gen 4Runners and the last ones to still have a transmission dipstick and call for ATF Type T-IV fluid.

Every 4Runner after that, starting in 2004, has a sealed trans and calls for type WS.

Not having a dipstick makes fluid changes and checking and adjusting to the proper level much more tricky. You have to be able to monitor the transmission temperature precisely to be able to open the overflow plug within a specified range and even most DIY-level scan tools don't do that.

How To Monitor Trans Temps: Torque Pro App (Android) & OBD Jumper Method
https://www.4runners.com/threads/monitor-trans-temps-torque-pro-app-android-obd-jumper-method.25302/

 

Had my '07 serviced recently. Since mine is higher mileage, they pulled 2 quarts out and put 2 quarts back in and added a little lube-guard

 

I'm following your logic here. Most folks I know that actually take their rigs into the wild say that water actually enters the diffs from the axle seals anyways. But yet they tend to do the remote vent/breather mod. I dunno, I'm 99% done finally and haven't ordered one yet.

I will be taking it to Daniel Boone for example, there are several fairly deep water crossings there, rain and season dependent/severity, and I'm still debating it, lol

 

Well if it adds any fuel to the fire here a year and a half after that post... Ive moved to southern FL for work and just installed a breather myself lol. If these hurricanes keep up I need to keep moving! A snorkel is next...

 

Axle seals will keep the majority of water out of the axle housing, even when crossing deep water. The breather is an open hole on the axle and WILL allow water into the housing. The factory breather is not there to prevent water from entering. Hence the need for an extended breather, to move that open hole to a higher point in the vehicle. Front axles, from the factory, already have an extended breather going into the engine compartment, on the driver side, near the battery.