For those of us with auto trannys they are often neglected. I had shifting problems one day that when I stepped on it third gear just wouldn't engage. It would shift out of second into neutral then it was just stuck there. It would work again when it was cold so I didn't go through a gear and there were no error codes. Some people said bands but I wanted to get a fluid flush to replace the fluid to see if that would fix it. I took it to Toyota and had them put in the fancy Toyota ATF Type T-IV stuff and keep a sample of my old stuff. The old stuff was very dark brown and after the flush my problem went away. So from now on I will be doing a drain and refill of the transmission every oil change and a flush every 15000 miles. But I found Toyota overfilled it so I took it back for them to fix and when I got it back it was still over filled. So I was annoyed and decided to do it right myself. When I pulled the drain plug it was stripped! Which mean I needed a new pan so I decided to change the filter at the same time 'while I was there'. I found that the filter kit, with a gasket :), was like $25 at Pepboys. The Toyota version is $50 and you have to use the gasket goo which is a pain especially when taking it off. It should take about 2 hours and is mostly filled with the tedious removal and replacement of the 19 low torque bolts.

Tools: 10mm Socket
    14mm Socket
    6 inch-ish extension
    Torque Wrench
    Transmission Fluid Funnel
    Screw Driver
     
Materials:   Transmission Filter Purolator P1204
    Transmission Plug Crush Washer (35178-30010)
    3-4 quarts of Toyota ATF Type T-IV
    Lots of News Paper
    FIPC if you are using the Toyota filter


Disassembly:(TSRM Instructions)
1.   Place catch bucket under the transmission pan and remove the 14mm drain plug to let all the fluid drain out and then loosely replace plug so it doesn't pour out later and make a mess. Remove the catch bucket.
2. Now place news papers all under the catch pan area to keep the fluid from dripping all over the ground and remove the transmission dip stick.
3. Remove the 19 10mm bolts holding the pan. They aren't on there very tight so if you loosen them with your ratchet you can then attach the 10mm socket to about a 6 inch extension and remove them by hand.
4. Now if your current gasket is the 'gasket' type use a wide flat blade screwdriver between the pan and the gasket near the back corner of the pan to carefully pry them apart. My gasket was pretty sticky all around. it is also attached at the dip stick tube. If you have the goo you have to cut it first like in the TSRM description.
5. Once the pan is loose remove it by pulling back and down to separate the dip stick tube on the pan from the upper section which is bolted to the car. Be carefully as the pan will still contain some fluid. Now replace the dipstick.
6. Remove the wire from the clip in the filter then remove the 3 10mm bolts holding it to the valve body. You will want to use the catch bucket again as when the filter tips more fluid will pour out.
7. You should check the color of your fluid. It should be happy pink color if it is dark you need a flush. Of course a flush could make your transmission die in 6 months so its very iffy. The best advice is not to let it get bad. Mine was dark dark brown but since I had lost the ability to shift into 3rd I figure this couldn't hurt. Your results may very. But after this everything worked great again so far...


Cleaning:
1.   Remove the magnets from the pan and clean the particles and goo off them.
2. Clean the bolts and the pan including the dipstick tube well and make sure the gasket area is squeaky clean for a good seal. Rinse well to make sure there is no cleaners/solvents let in the pan.
3. If the FPIC was previously used then make sure the to scrape off all the old material from the transmission case as well. If it was a gasket your job is much easier, just make sure it is clean and free from oil.


Reassembly: (TSRM Instructions)
1.   Replace the four magnets in the pan in the little rectangular recesses.
2. Turn the pan over and place on a table so the dip stick tube is hanging over. Make sure you cleaned it so fluid doesn't run out on to the ground.
3. Place the crush washer on the bolt and screw the bolt into the drain plug hold until finger tight. Now use the torque wrench with a 14mm socket and tighten it to 15 ft/lb. It will take a while as the washer 'crushes'. Do not over tighten!
4. Now turn the pan back over. If you are using the gasket type, which I highly recommend, then notice that four holes seem to be smaller than the rest. This is to hold the gasket in place. Take four bolts and put them in the pan, from the bottom of course, and slip the gasket over them. This will hold the gasket 'good enough' while you are putting the pan on.
5. Ok time to get dirty again. Take the filter and get under the car. Align the filter so the two gaskets are up and the side with two bolt holes is forward. Lightly screw in the 3 screws to hold it in place then use the extension with the 10mm socket to make them hand tight. After they are hand tight then torque to 5.4 ft/lb. This isn't very tight so just give it a light snuging.
6. Now take the pan and put it underneath the car. Move it up so the dip stick slides into the dipstick pipe in the pan and move it up until you can start screwing in those 4 bolts. Once they are loosely in now loosely put in the other 15. Then check that the gasket is still seated well and didn't get pushed inside the pan.
7. Take your extension with the 10mm socket and slowly go around and tighten the bolts. First tighten them until they are lightly holding the pad against the transmission then go around and tighten them until they are snug. The gasket will compress so you might have to make a couple of rounds. I didn't tighten in any particular order because these aren't picky like head bolts.
8. Once they are all hand tight tighten them to 5 ft/lb. The gasket will compress so this will also take a couple of circles but do not over tighten them!
9. Now add in transmission fluid until it is at the proper level. This is hard because you really need the car warm and haven been driven around to be sure. Overfilling is bad because it will foam up. You could always add in the same amount you too out if it was at the proper level before. One note on the type of fluid. I used the good stuff, Toyota ATF Type T-IV, instead of the original Type II. In 1998 there was a TSB that said Type II was discontinued and replaced with the Type IV. It also said not to mix them so I had a flush done right before I did this.
10. Start the car and shift through the gears and after 1 minute look for leaks. Then drive around to warm it up and check the level. I had let it drain over night and I needed 3.50 quarts to fill it back up to the middle of the hot range. Your results will very of course just make sure you put it in that range. If you overfill it, like I did at first, use 1/4 inch outer diameter tube and put it into the dip stick hole. I then used a hand vacuum pump to suck out the fluid until it measured correctly.