Driving with low transmission fluid

[Seniorbarry Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Seniorbarry]

Hi folks,

I have a question regarding low transmission fluid.

I bought a 2003 v6 prado duel fuel just under a year ago.

After buying it and sening it to a recommended mechanical to check over all fluids and service the LPG system. Was told all is good.

Now fast forward 10 months into the future, and 20k kms later and after a second trip for a service, also all good, I find that my transmission fluid has been low by about 1.5lts give or take.

My questions are:

1) is the missing 1.5lt enough to do serious damage?

2) What would some symptoms to be aware of, as I have not noticed any serious changes since owning.

Any advice would be much appreciated

Barry

[Denton Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Denton]

Hi Barry,

I noticed that you didn't get a reply and I've had some recent transmission dramas so I thought I'd provide my 2 cents.

I've learned there is a very specific way to service/check the transmission fluid level. I believe that the temperature has to be accurate and it's difficult to top up without a hoist and other gear that a mechanic would have. So hopefully you found someone to top it up accurately.

Regarding 1): I would say it's possible to do some damage if you did some heavy towing. Also, since you didn't get any faults I would assume that the ATF was running through the cooler or at least circulating through the torque converter and gear box (not sure if your year has a ATF cooler but I know mine, 2009 is supposed to have one stock). From my limited understanding, I believe that the minimisation of wear is accomplished by lubrication, which should've occurred. If you were towing then you would need the added benefit of an ATF cooler.

Regarding 2): Symptoms would be excessive heat from the transmission (probably get a fault though) and you may experience other issues (slipping or not going into gears).

Assuming that you had the ATF fluid topped up, if your mechanic drained the old ATF then he could've looked for metal in the oil. The colour would tell you something too - should be red. Since I just burned up my transmission, I know that the oil would have a burnt smell if there was an issue.

The fact that you don't notice any changes, is really good.

Best of luck Barry

[Brett1979 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Brett1979]

If the fluid is too low it’ll not shift up from 4th when stopping at a red light, then when you go to accelerate when the light is green the transmission will then shift into first (after you’ve gone to accelerate with no effect). Also if you go to reverse up a slope like a steep driveway, it’ll pop out of reverse into neutral by itself and roll back down.