Just yesterday, I did the transmission fluid change in my 2014 Scion iQ. After removing the drain plug and the plastic inner tube, there is still a considerable amount of fluid remaining in the pan, but if you are careful there is no reason to splash it around, one can pour it all in the container being already in place for collecting the fluid. I also changed the transmission filter. Removing the filter also removes even more fluid from the transmission. Taking down the pan and the filter, I removed in total about 4.3 Liters, there is always a little bit that continues dropping from the transmission. The transmission is supposed to carry 6.2 L (according to my owner's manual), so this ensures that about 2/3 of the fluid will be new. My car was leveled with jacks, I leveled it with a level resting at the door sill. I followed the procedure explained in the video to fill the transmission and make sure the level was right. Following this procedure, I ended up using about 4.5 liters of new fluid, which is very much the same amount that came out. Over all it was a worthy job and no that bad at all, if I had to do it again it would be a matter of 3 hours, including cleaning everything. Some take aways: I bought the filter from rockauto as suggested by Aaron (about $50). This filter came with a transmission pan gasket, which I did not use because I had already bought a new one from my Toyota dealer. The filter from rockauto is an identically looking part. I also bought from rockauto a quart of Aisin CVT FE fluid, because I was suspecting (and was right) that the 4 L jug of original Toyota CVT FE fluid ($78) was not going to be enough. The Aisin fluid smells just like the Toyota fluid, same color and everything. Because the pan gasket is some rubber/cork material, I think it is imperative to use a torque wrench, I tightened mine at 62 in/lb (as per Aaron's recommendation), and that seemed quite right. I filled/fed the transmission by gravity using a 1/2 inch clear flexible tubing from HomeDepot, with a funnel attached to one of its ends, the other end inserted through the side fill port. The fluid went in without hesitation. The procedure to measure the transmission temperature that Aaron describes is a breeze and should be considered the default procedure. Warning: you have to work fast because the transmission temperature increases quickly, I started with an ambient temp of about 85 F and only had about 5 minutes before it went passed 113 F (the correct range is 95-113 F, I think). Many heart felt thanks to Aaron for such a great service.
I did just the fluid at 25K then at 30K I dropped the pan and replaced it with new magnets, bolts, plug and the level tube. I carefully measured how much fluid drained out then added 1/2 quart extra. 43K now. Refilled with the top hole but had to screw in a foot long piece of soft hose with a tall slender funnel.The top hole will burp air out as you pour in the fluid. Thanks for the useful info!! not to many IQ repair videos out there.
I forgot to come back here and thank you, Aaron. THANK YOU! My car had that now-familiar whine. I thought it was something in the radio, but finally found the real reason. Your videos helped a lot. I bought a bulb pump with a hose that fit into the side fill hole and avoided most of the mess. I had to wipe down the side of the transmission case then douse it in Simple Green, but that was basic cleanup. No more whine!
This video is just for entertainment purposes or for enthusiasts. No F'ing way should the average joe/jane change the trans fluid on an IQ. Most fluid places charge under $300 bucks for this job.
I drained the fluid, dropped the pan and removed the transmission filter that's attached to the valve body with 3 bolts. The filter has a fiber type mesh and isn't available from the dealer because Toyota doesn't want these transmissions to last very long. I couldn't find any filter for sale online that looked identical to it so I rinsed the inside of it with solvent and blew it out with compressed air. I measured the total amount of fluid that drained out and will refill it with the same amount. It's ridiculous how some manufacturers no longer have a dipstick and fill tube in their automatic transmissions. If Toyota would have sold the 6 speed manual version of the IQ in the states I wouldn't be forced to deal with an expendable transmission.
Hi there Aaron san! Very nice DIY video. Simple and cheap tools that get the job done and good information about the procedure. Thumbs up for you Aaron.
Do you have a part number or source for the filter you can share? I spent a great deal of time looking for a source for it, and I never could find one. Also, I'd argue that the filter doesn't necessarily need to be changed like the one in a regular automatic does, since this transmission only has one or two clutch packs, that don't engage and release while the car is moving. You'll notice in the video that the fluid that came out of my car was still bright red, with very little worn off friction material in it.
@@AaronAverett www.ibs-filtran.com/ is the producer of these strainers. I got mine for FREE and they shipped it to europe which is awsome! superb kind.
Dude, you're my hero. Toyota (Scion) is woefully inept on this....CVT oils DO have to be changed periodically. My 2013 iQ hit 60,000 and I could find hardly any guidance so got a can of the red CVT oil from my dealership and MAN what a mess. I ended up just putting as much as I could back in the car and bringing it down to Christian Brothers (about a mile away) who fixed me up. So, for my NEXT change (at another 60,000) miles, would it be okay to measure exactly how much I drained out on the bottom and just refill with that exact amount on that side fill place? (Which I didn't even know about until I watched this!)
You could probably get in the ballpark that way, but if you might as well do it the correct way. I admit, I wasn't very clear about this. I should probably redo this so it's easier to follow. 1. Drain fluid out by removing drain plug and level tube 2. Reinstall level tube 3. Fill until fluid overflows through level tube 4. Put drain plug back in, add another 400ml 5. Start engine, warm fluid to temperature 6. Remove drain plug only - look for trickle of fluid 7. If no trickle, add more until it overflows. 8. Reinstall drain and fill plugs, wheel, etc. 9. Shut off engine, open beer But yeah, if you just measure what came out and put that much back in, you'll likely be close enough, unless the level was low to begin with.
IMPORTANT! Hit the pan bolts with PB blaster the night before! And use anti seize when replacing the pan bolts! I had three that got super tight once I started loosening them. They were seized and one sheared completely off and turned this into an all day project. I thought the other two would do the same but hit them with an impact wrench, thinking the hammer action might help break them loose and that seemed to do the trick.
Ah, that makes sense. I suspect there are probably a few Toyota models that come with this transmission, but the iQ is the only one we get here in the States, as far as I know. The exact quantity of the fluid you need may change a little from model to model, if they have different fluid cooler arrangements.
I read somewhere that a failure of the KB41 CVT was overheating at cooler temps. Always add extra fluid and don't drain it off till a drip. The height of that tube is to ensure failure before 100,000 miles.
You should definitely not overfill the transmission. You don't actually want the components of the trans immersed in the fluid while it's running, which is a thing that can happen if you put way too much in there. The tube is just the way that Toyota went about measuring the fluid level. It's a clever idea, in that it makes checking the level easy from below, while the car is already on a lift overhead, and eliminates the dipstick, which owners generally can't be trusted to use properly.
@@AaronAverett Yes,All True, But mine was slipping between shifts in cold temps until that 1/3-1/2 extra quart was added at 25k miles. I'll try to find that site that listed failures of this unit and their history.
I think I mentioned removing the measuring tube thing specifically about 2/3 of the way through. As I mentioned, the manual doesn't describe this procedure specifically, so I had to do it the hard way the first time to figure it out. Anyway, thanks for chiming in, I hope it helped you out. :)
Thank you for your thorough explanation on how to change the transmission fluid in the Scion IQ it was extremely beneficial. I did notice you used the Toyota TC spec fluid that the dealer recommended for that transmission however the owners manual recommended the Toyota FE spec fluid
Information about this is kind of murky, but around 2012, the "FE" fluid apparently superseded the "TC" fluid in most of Toyota's products, but they're similar enough to be interchangeable. The FE fluid is thinner, and supposedly offers better fuel economy. The owner's manual for my 2012 US market iQ says to use the TC type, so that's what I used, but it wouldn't shock me to find that other years say to use the FE instead. I don't think the fluid makes any difference to the change procedure.
Nice video sir. But at least cvt filter should have been cleaned after opening it , with cleaning fluid or atleast distal water . Pluse more cvt oil would be darined ( 0.2 L) with metal parts and dirt too.
Fair enough. The filter that's in there seems like more of a strainer than a normal filter, though, so I'm guessing it mostly just keeps the ball bearings out of the works. Also, I'd advise caution on the grounds that I couldn't find a source for a replacement filter, so if you remove it, you need to be real careful about damaging any gaskets or seals in there.
Thanks for this awesome video. Is there a difference between using the side fill hole of the transmission than the top fill hole? I noticed a top fill hole as well.
You're welcome; I hope it helped you! To answer your question, the manual is pretty specific about using the fill port I used in the video. It may be possible to fill the transmission via a hole in the top, but given how easy it is to access the one on the side, I'm not sure why you would. I guess because you don't have the little pump thing? You could use a funnel and a length of hose if you don't have the pump. Regardless, I'd caution against removing fasteners from the outside of the transmission if you don't know for sure that they're fill plugs. On some transmissions, there are fasteners on the outside that hold components in place on the inside that can fall down inside the casing and jam up the works if the fastener is removed.
@@coloradoboo1071 I'm guessing it filled your funnel up when you started it? I filled my brothers IQ from that top T55 torx plug hole, didn't even know there was one on the side of it since the little info I found online only mentioned that top fill plug. I caught it filling the funnel up pretty quick once we started it and avoided a mess.
I definitely talked about this in the video. The proper way to check that it's filled properly is to lift the car and make sure it's level, and then, with the engine running and the trans fluid temperature in the proper range, you remove the drain plug, but not the plastic tube that's inside the pan. If the level is proper, you'll get just a little bit of fluid dripping out of the hole, over the top of the tube.
Great DIY video for my CVT, Nice !!!. Question: I have your same device Bluetooth OBD Device, I set the equation and all right, when I enter Torque Pro in Realtime Information I can't find the temperature data that I need. How did you put it out ???, it doesn't happen to me. Excellent video !!!!
Did you set the custom transmission temperature PID as a gauge in the real time display? There are two steps to the process - the first is to set it up as a PID that Torque monitors. The second is to add it to the display, so that it's shown on the screen.
This is because Toyota doesn't have a part number for the filter. They don't actually make the CVT, and sell replacements as sealed units, so they don't carry service parts either. I've seen a Russian site once that claimed to list the filter for sale, under whatever brand it is that makes it, but it didn't look like i'd be able to order one shipped to me here in the States.
There are a lot of variables, such as climate, your driving habits, terrain, and so forth. Your use case may be less abusive than mine. Also remember that at no point did my car actually stop working. This was preventative maintenance, not a repair.
@@AaronAverett , I know. It’s just lame ( not you ) that I can never find a definitive answer on this. I had to changed out this weekend though. I hope it was worth the $
I followed your video to the tee and now my iQ won’t start. I also changed the oil, using your other annual maintenance video. It just cranks over but doesn’t start. I’m kinda panicking. Do you know what went wrong?
@@AaronAverett that was my initial suspicion, that I’d have to drain and drop the pan and check the connections! However it appears to have been an unrelated fuel issue. I think the fuel pickup may have gotten clogged or something (it was on a low tank but not quite near empty yet)
Thanks for the video, about to do in a few days. CarScanner on iPhone took in PID just fine! Any benefits to removing the pan, besides washing your hair with transmission fluid?
You say that like washing your hair with transmission fluid isn’t reason enough. But no, no need to remove the pan unless you’re changing the filter or the gasket.
@@AaronAverett Aaron, do you recall if there is a gasket on the fill plug? I think I've heard something falling down, but can't find for life. I see Cygnet lists 90430-18008, which is an aluminum ring, but nothing on Scion IQ.
@@maksym3d I'm pretty sure that there is an aluminum or copper crush washer for the fill port, but I think I just reused the old one. I assume you've checked the fill plug for it after you removed it?
@@AaronAverett Yup. Checked everywhere, nothing. I've lost more things in IQ than in any other car, go figure. The previous thing was a connector that I dropped on the dashboard while getting in the car - after 2 hours of searching, found in an outside pocket under the fender. Anyhow, I ended up refurbishing an aluminum washer from a Honda ATF drain plug, because why not. There is a bunch of other ports next to the fill hole and they clearly do not have any washer, so I'm not 100% positive it needs one though. The change went perfect, not a single drop of ATF past the container, highly recommend Hefty 15QT transparent containers - they fit under most cars without jacks. That is, until I warmed the tranny, opened the drain, saw no drippage, panicked, and tried to add more ... with funnel not inserted into the fill hole. That's right, your standard ATF change, probably get some in my hair too. Not sure why there were no drippage the first time, either 0.4L is not enough, or we should check with the engine off. Between the spill, initial fill drippage, and adding extra, I drained 2.8L and used 3.4L, probably added 100-200ML after the warmup. All in all, the weedwacker sound is gone. Will need to check on longer trips.
I unfortunately don't have a 2017 Corolla to work on. I would guess that the procedure is basically the same as I showed here, however, with the major differences having to do with the exact capacities, and probably also that the filter is readily available. If you happen to be local to me in Austin, Texas and have the car in question, we might be able to work together to make a video showing the process.
The Corolla may have a different transmission entirely (it has a much bigger engine than the iQ), but it seems that at some point, Toyota stopped claiming that the fluid lasts forever. If they have an interval to use, by all means go by what they say. In my case, I chose to change the fluid when the transmission started making noise, since they don't give a specific interval for the iQ.
To be clear, this is me recommending this, and not Toyota, but I think the interval should probably be something like 30,000 miles, maybe a little more if you live somewhere cold.
I am well aware that you would normally replace the filter while the pan is off. It's been a while, but I think I mentioned in the video that I couldn't find a source for the filter at the time, so I did not replace it. After reading your comment, I was surprised to find that, you're right, and Rockauto actually does offer a replacement now. This was not the case in 2018.
Yes, you can use the Castrol fluid in place of the Toyota fluid. I actually used about a liter of it to finish this job, and it works well. The bottle I bought I specifically says it's meant for Toyota CVTs, among others, so as long as the fluid you get is labeled as such, I think you'll be fine.
The filter is supposedly made by a company in China, called Linesoon. Part number 97746. I think I mentioned this in the video, but you can't get that part in the US, so I didn't change it. You're ahead of the game if you're changing the fluid, and this CVT won't have as much contamination of the fluid anyway, since it doesn't have clutch packs constantly engaging and releasing, so I wouldn't worry too much about reusing the filter.
Just got my 2012 iQ a couple of weeks ago and I notice the "whine" or to personally describe it as a cross between a tire squeal sound and whooshing noise under moderate load. After a year, is this noise still gone after you replaced the CVT fluid?
It's actually been almost two years at this point, but... mostly. On particularly hot days, there is a perceptible sound that the transaxle makes, but it's still well below the level it was prior to shooting this.
@@victors787 Good deal. Just remember that I did it wrong in the video, and you can just remove that plastic measuring tube and refill. No need to drop the pan unless you manage to find a source for the filter, in which case I want to know where you got it so I can shoot a follow up.
About a year later and finally got around to it. I have access to a shop and a lift so I'll admit it's much less of a hassle. Only trouble I had is realizing when I went back to put in the plastic level tube, I hand threaded it down but wasn't sure if it was at the correct position (as in too low) compared to attaching a 6mm hex to a small ratchet and keep threading in. I realized after warming up the transmission with the car running for about 3 or 4 minutes. Been driving a week now and seems better with about half of mechanical whirring gone. The old fluid came out DARK red... quite close to oil looking. iQ has 68k miles and is 9 years old most of its life being in hot Phoenix. I would suggest if anyone's iQ has less miles and is newer to replace CVT fluid ASAP.
A couple of reasons. First, as I mentioned in the video, I didn't do it exactly the per the manual, so the amount of fluid I went through to get the transmission properly filled will be greater than what it takes you to do it correctly. Second, there are parts of the transmission, such as the torque converter, that you can't drain, so you'll still have a liter or two in there even if you remove the pan completely, like I did. You still change most of it this way, but not quite all of it. Also, as an addendum, you can get a replacement filter now, from Rockauto. I didn't change it in the video because it wasn't available from any source I could find at the time (2018), but if you're doing this in 2023, you should change it.
Thank you so much for replying to me, I was not very hopeful you would do that since the video is from 5 years ago. Great to know we can get the filter now. My iQ I just bought with 81,000 miles, and was planning to drop the pan to get as much fluid from the transmission as possible. I have another question: when I start (crank) the engine, particularly with the engine cold, immediately after the engine starts there is some grinding noise that just last for about a second, and I just noticed that your car was doing the exact same noise in your video, it is the noise that one hears around the 29:30 time mark. Do you know if this is normal, or what causes it? Very appreciative of your efforts!
I think the noise from the starter is probably normal. I've owned a bunch of cars that made a similar noise - it's just the sound of the starter gear being driven by the flywheel as the starter bendix disengages from the flywheel. If it started making a horrible screeching sound, that would be abnormal. Congrats on the purchase of your iQ! It's not the right car for everyone, but if it works for you, there's almost nothing you can replace it with that's better.
Thank you. I bought it for my 17 year old son, and he loves it. Then (according to your mistake of adding too much fluid and then having to drain some of it), a single 4 liter can of Toyota's CVT fluid (in my case is FE fluid) should suffice. Is that correct?
The proper range is 95 to 113 degrees Fahrenheit (35 to 45C). I'm pretty sure I mentioned this toward the end of the video, but it was probably pretty brief, since it was likely in the lower 90s when I shot this. Honestly, I doubt it matters hugely as long as it's not super cold. The proper fill procedure, where you fill until it comes out that funky drain/overflow tube thing at the bottom of the drain pan is the real secret sauce.
I'm not aware of any firmware updates for the transmission being available, but if you need one, your best bet is probably to just take the car to the dealer and have them do it. I'd imagine a software update would probably be free, or pretty inexpensive. If what you need to do is reset the transmission's various adaptation parameters, that is done via the Toyota Techstream software, which seems to come on a special laptop for dealer techs. If you have to ask, chances are the only legitimate source for this is to buy one used on eBay, but there are third party scan tools like the ones sold by Snap-On and OTC that can also do this, but they're usually very expensive. I'd look on ebay, if I were you. ;)
Sorry I left you hanging; I changed mine at about 40K miles, when it started making noise. Toyota doesn't provide a recommendation for this, but 40-50K is probably a decent rule of thumb.
I think this is where I found it: www.iq-forums.com/forums/how-d-i-y-do-yourself/2016-scion-iq-repair-manual-2.html If the link doesn't work, there's a forum thread on iq-forums.com where someone posted a link to download it.
@@AaronAverett thank u did u open this file up on a computer becuz the files are all scattered when i look at the download on phone. Thanks btw. I really appreciate it. If this doesnt work out i feel completely lost. Im a diy kinda guy and really wanted the paper book.
It will make more sense if you download it on a PC, I think. There's a file in there somewhere called index2.html, and if you open that with a browser, it should open as an intelligible web page. And yeah, it'd be nice if you could just buy a paper book, but I don't think that exists. Just be thankful you're not working on a Ford. The manual for the Mustang you see in the background is sold by Ford as a subscription service, for about a bazillion dollars a month.
I'm afraid I don't have a Corolla to work on, but the process should be similar to what you see here, with the key difference being the exact capacity of the transmission. The Corolla is a larger car than the iQ, so I would expect it to have a somewhat greater fluid capacity.
@@AaronAverett I just bought a 2013 in Oct with 29k miles, id love another for my girlfriend to drive. I appreciate the video, it'll help us to keep this baby on the road fo years to come
At the beginning you stated that from the drain hole will come out 1.6 liters of fluid. When you removed it you drained 3.6. Then you put back how much with the pump? and also you added another half litre(drained 1 litre anyway) after the mistake? What was the total fluid needed anyway? Till the overflow tube overflows plus 400ml? Thanks
I was deliberately vague about the true capacity because I don't know for sure, and it didn't seem to agree precisely with what the shop manual says, but if you get the big gallon jug I showed in the video (part number in the description) you should have more than enough. The procedure goes like this: 1. Reinstall the pan, gasket and measuring tube, but leave out the drain plug from the bottom of the pan, and the fill port plug. 2. Fill through the fill hole on the side until you get fluid coming out the drain hole, over the overflow tube. 3. Put the plug back in the bottom of the pan, and add another 400ml. 4. Start the engine and warm the fluid up to about 100 degrees Fahrenheit. 5. Remove the drain plug again, with the engine running. If the level is right, you should get a little trickle out through the hole, over the top of the measuring tube. 6. Reinstall the drain and fill plugs, drive the car and check for leaks.
As i understood, the manual says 6.2 L TOTAL VOLUME CAPACITY... (?) but it has to be 50% full otherwise the gearbox foams and overheats. U fill 4L (overfill it) AND THEN when u heat it up to 42C, u simply just drain it. In VW its the same u simply overfill it by 1liter or so and then let the snorkel do its job when the temp is just right and car leveled. done.
Hi its me again, aaron I went to a mechanic and I was told they cannot changes my transmission fluid because it was old and never get a transmission changes and say it might broke the transmission , what should i do! and they said I cannot use the castrol CVT it need a cvt fluid from toyota i am confused please tell me what to do.
How many miles do you have on the car? Does the transmission make any audible noise? What the shop is saying used to be the prevailing wisdom, back in the 1990s. I'm not sure if it was ever studied scientifically, but there was definitely a camp within the "car guy" community that thought changing the fluid on a high mileage transmission that had never been serviced before was risky, and tended to cause more problems than it solved. This is less applicable to a CVT, but MAY still be true, to some extent. It should be noted that my car only had about 40,000 miles on it when I shot this video, which is pretty low, so I was not yet a high mileage "better to leave it alone" case. You may be, if your car has a lot more miles than mine. What's really happening though, is that the shop just doesn't want to deal with it. This isn't something that's prescribed by the factory, so they don't have any instructions in their manuals, and they understandably don't consider some random guy from RU-vid to be a reliable source. If you're not comfortable doing this yourself, including a clear understanding of the risks involved, it may be best to just leave it alone, particularly if you don't have any obvious symptoms of a problem. With respect to the Castrol fluid, I used about a liter of it in my car, and it's working just fine a few thousand miles later, but you can get the Toyota fluid from any Toyota dealer. If you do this properly, one (4L) can of it is more than enough, but I ended up needing a bit more to correct the mistake I talked about in the video.
@@AaronAverett It has 98k miles when i got it i got no idea if they changes the transmission fluid on it . now the car has 130k miles , The only issue i got is it whining sounds it started when the weather becomes cold , when I start the car in the morning the sounds will come out and when i drove it for like 3 miles it dissapear.
Oh wow, that's gnarly. It's hard to tell for sure based on a video, but that sounds more like a bad bearing in the alternator or an idler pulley in the accessory belt drive to me, than the transmission. Did a shop tell you that that is transmission-related, or are you diagnosing it yourself?
Hey, thanks for asking! The iQ has been just fine, with the obvious caveat that, the global health crisis situation being what it is, it hasn't gotten a whole lot of use in the last six months. I keep meaning to make some more videos with it, but it just never feels like a high priority, given that I've done so little driving this year that none of my vehicles are really in need of any maintenance. Is there something you'd like to see?
Aaron Averett I also have the cvt and just wondering how it’s holdin up. I have 52k on mine and I have done 1 drain and fill and 1 drip pan and filter change haha. Extensive maintenance imo
Hold up, you've changed the filter? Where did you get the replacement part? My iQ has about 47K miles now, and seems to be holding up just fine. It's primarily my girlfriend's car, and she doesn't drive a great deal, but if she did, I think I'd be pretty religious about the fluid changes every 30 or 40 thousand miles, particularly in a hot climate like Texas, where I live.
