How do you change the automatic transmission fluid on a 2000 Toyota Echo Manual is useless Is there anything to change?

Answer 1

One of the nice features of the Echo is that it has a Transmission Fluid filter. This means you may never need to change the transmission fluid (it is not listed at all in the owner's manual scheduled maintenance). If you feel that it really does need it because you have not driven under normal conditions, you can find details on how to do it, here: http://groups.msn.com/Sorensonbrian/atfchange.msnw

You can drain the fluid from transmission pan, but you won't be able to all of the fluid (as there's quite a bit still in the torque converter you won't be able to get from pulling the plug in the pan). Perhaps the best reason to have a shop purge the fluid is that the pan will expand and contract (the transmission oil does get hot). This may cause the pan to not seat properly, and allow for potential leaks along the gasket seal (it's entirely possible, but not likely...). Furthermore, I'd rather pay the mechanic $100 to get oily and messy, and have the burden of having the workmanship be done correctly on their shoulders.

You should have the automatic transmission fluid purged and replaced every 60,000 miles or 97,000 Kilometers (depending on your driving habits). You can check the color of the transmission fluid, and if it's becoming a very dark red hue (almost black in color) you should seriously consider getting the fluid changed very soon. It might cost $100 US Dollars to do the job, but that's far less than having to replace the transmission for not performing routine preventive care.