bearbait

Thanks for your reply. After doing some research it seems like Valvoline MAXlife is being used with no problems.

tech2

make sure it specifically says good for tiv fluid and not a multi vehicle fluid. you put the wrong one in....your trans is f'ed.

bearbait

Specs state it is suitable for trans. using TIV fluid and meets spec JWS 3309. Reviewers state they have used it with no problems for 100k miles plus.

bearbait

Just finished fluid change. Removed motor mount (4 bolts) and took me less than 2 hrs, Seems to shift smoother now. Old fluid was a dark red, not too bad. $18 is better than $300!

ruley73

The conundrum you have with using universal fluids like this is that they claim to meet multiple specifications that are each known to be incompatible with each other. It stands to reason that this means it's a compromised formula that may be "recommended," but not the best substitute for any of them.

In this case it claims to be "recommended" for use where Dexron (III and VI) and Toyota T-IV (among others) are used. This is very contradictory because the service manual adamantly states that using Dexron transmission fluid will damage this transmission. This is why I highly recommend the Toyota T-IV fluid for the Aisin 5-speed transmission. It's about the same price, we know it's the exact fluid needed for this application, and it's relatively easy to obtain. Taking all of this into consideration, it just doesn't make sense to use a universal fluid.

tech2

+1 What he said.
you want the fluid to have the correct friction co-efficient the trans is designed for.