How do I change the automatic transmission fluid on my 2011 Camry?

read the owners man but pretty sure you don't have to change the fluid on those there is no dipstick for a reason.

Manual says to change at 50k to 100k depending on use but doesn't elaborate.

There is no dipstick because it is a hidden cap and has to be access through the bottom of the car. So there is no way to change the fluid besides taking to a shop. Just another way for them to make money off of owners.

All toyotas feature world class automatic transmission fluid that in theory should never have to be changed for the life of the vehicle

As a Transmission shop owner, nothing frustrates me more, than for a manufacturer of a vehicle to put such an irresponsible statement like that in their owners manual. There is NO SUCH thing as LIFETIME fluid. Just google the makers of the fluid and they will tell you the same thing. It will just cost you more to have fluid out in either at your dealer or any repair facility as it will require special equipment to pump the fluid into your car from underneath.

Your car uses WS (world standard) fluid which does not need to be changed for the life of the car. That's why there is no dipstick. Google "World Standard (WS) transmission fluid, 2011 Toyota Camry"

I have hated this practice by the car makers of eliminating the dipstick and saying the trans fluid is good for the life of the car. I had a Ford Explorer with that setup. I towed with it and used it off road extensively. Obviously the trans fluid and filter would need service occasionally when used in the manner I used mine. So I installed an after market kit that included a new higher capacity trans oil pan with normal drain plug, and a dipstick. Plus I added a reusable internal oil filter that just required rinsing and could be reused. That Explorer went over 500,000 miles trouble free. Plus I ran petroleum base oils in engine, trans, and differential. I am old school, didnt trust synthetic oils then. Not sure these days. But my point here is I dont like and will never accept the "life time oil" clause and no dipstick bull, Thankyou, Dick

One more comment, I just bought a used 2010 Toyota Camry that has no dipstick, and the trans fluid that lasts the life of the car. I will use this car on the street with a lot of freeway driving, no towing, just light duty. So for now I will leave the trans alone and just change engine oil and filter as recommended. I recommend this to anyone with a similar car used as described here. You should be OK if the car is used normally and give your driveway an occasional check for oil spots which would warn you that something is leaking from your car, simple. Dick

i think that toyota dealer just like to still people money they charge 385,00 dollars just to do a transmission oil replacement. i think that is bad practice from toyota dealer.thanks

it can be done yourself

GOOD INFO.

No - you can not easily do it yourself. If you "change" the oil you will only be able to drain 1/3 of the oil without a fluid exchanger. So what would be the point of changing it?

Another Reason to Hate Toyota.

I use to drive a 2003 Accord. The way they say to change it was to drain what you can, about 3 quarts, drive it 500 miles, do the change again, drive another 500, change it again. After the 9 quart drain/refill they considered that an oil exchange. All I can say is 250,000 no problems at all. Did it 2 times. I now drive a Camry... it is so much quieter why I bought it.

http://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/omms-s/T-MMS-11Camry/pdf/2011_Camry_WMG_lr.pdf Maintenance schedule only indicates interval transmission fluid replacement if the vehicle is being used for towing, using a car top carrier, or otherwise hauling heavy loads.

I use it for all those so how do i change it?

How to change the WS automatic transmission oil of Toyota Camry 2011 in 30 minutes or less Video available: https://youtu.be/iTQ6UNtOhqo I have seen a couple of procedures for changing the WS transmission oil of Camry 2007-11 on the internet and they are unusually complex and time consuming. Here is what I did. You be the judge of which procedure suites you best. FIX CAMRY 2011 TRANSMISSION SHIFTING PROBLEM • This drain & fill will also rectify the problem if your transmission kind of “thinks” before shifting from 1ST to 2nd OR 2nd to 3rd gear when cold and the engine just revs up without going into the next gear. BASIC INFORMATION: 1. This procedure is for Camry 2011 with WS transmission fluid. 2. This procedure is NOT for Camry 2007 – middle of 2010 as Toyota upgraded the automatic transmission of Camry in middle 2010 to a 6-speed unit & eliminated the dipstick. If your Camry has a transmission oil dipstick, don’t use this procedure. 3. The total transmission oil capacity of Camry 2011 is approx. 6.7 liters (quarts). 4. No matter what Toyota says, the transmission fluid needs to be changed periodically. Imo, 60k miles. If it were not the case, they would not have given a severe service replacement guide. Secondly, Toyota also doesn’t say when to replace the power steering oil, again wrong as it too requires change. Any oil which services moving parts needs replacement as with time it deteriorates. There are several complex reasons for it, too long to be explained here. 5. Entire quantity of transmission oil can’t be replaced unless you dismantle it totally and then reassemble it OR you hook up a flushing machine by tapping into the input & return pipes of transmission oil which are connected to the heat exchanger. Both these options are complex, time consuming and expensive. MY ASSUMPTIONS: 1. The transmission was filled to the correct level at the factory. 2. If there is no leak in the system and you fill in the exact same amount that you drain, your levels will be fine. This will avoid the complex temperature compensated level verification. 3. You have seen other procedures on the net and are aware of the location of all the relevant bolts (drain & fill) on the car 4. You are reasonably conversant with working on the car TOOLS YOU NEED: 1. 6 mm hex socket (like the allen key) & ratchet 2. 10 mm socket & ratchet (tightening torque is 30-35 lb-ft) 3. 24 mm socket & ratchet (tightening torque is 30-35 lb-ft) 4. Torque wrench (not mandatory, you can do without it too just by experience) 5. Funnel & Plastic pipe 6. Hydraulic Jack & stands 7. Drain pan 8. Rags/gloves HOW TO DO IT: 1. Make sure the car has been parked overnight and everything is at room temperature 2. Turn the steering wheel fully to the left 3. Lift up the car 3-4 inches, leave the wheels mounted, use a safety stand for support if required 4. Remove the two 10 mm bolts on the left side plastic shield of the transmission (accessible from left wheel well) 5. Loosen the 24 mm oil fill bolt & remove it 6. Loosen the 6 mm hex bolt of transmission drain just by reaching for it, don’t go under the car. Be careful, hex bolts are notorious in getting a slipped head. So insert the hex socket fully into the bolt before trying to loosen it. 7. As soon as you remove the drain bolt, approx. one quart of oil will drain out in approx. 5 minutes. Once it stops draining, move to the next step. 8. Using the same 6 mm hex socket, reach in the drain hole and unscrew the plastic overfill tube. It’s screwed in loosely will come out just by your fingers. There is no o-ring on it. 9. Once you remove the plastic overfill tube, another one quart will drain in approx. 5 minutes. 10. That’s it, nothing more will come out. Reinstall the drain bolt but not the overfill plastic tube as you will do this drain-fill procedure at least 3 times and there is no need to install the overfill tube yet. 11. Using a measuring bottle, verify the exact quantity of oil drained into the drain pan. It should be 2 quarts if the ambient temperature is around 85F. 12. Refill the transmission with the WS fluid exactly 2 quarts. 13. Install everything that was removed (except the overfill plastic tube) and drive the car for a couple of days so that the transmission oil can mix well and cycle through hot/cold. I drove for 2 days. 14. Repeat this entire procedure after 2 days. 15. Repeat again after 2 days. 16. This way you will have replaced 6 quarts from the system, which should be enough. 17. If you want 100% of the oil replaced with this drain-fill procedure, it will probably take you 12 quarts of replacement and 6 repetitions of the above procedure. 18. My friends who have done this tell me that after the 6th time, the oil drained should resemble the color of new WS oil. 19. You can choose the number of times you want to repeat this procedure. Whatever you do, the last time you are about to fill the transmission, remember to put back the overfill tube before screwing in the drain bolt. 20. The overfill tube should only be finger tightened as it will break/crack if you use a wrench on it. 21. The use of the overfill tube is only when you are unsure if the transmission level is ok or not and want to verify the level. For that, you can refer to the other procedures available on the net. FAQ: 1. Isn’t it better to drop the pan to replace the oil filter also: Yes, it is better but also a pain. If it aint broke, don’t fix it. Unless there is a solid reason e.g. the transmissions is behaving abnormally, there is no need to drop the pan. 2. Why 60k miles suggestion: Because I have done it at 80k and it seems that it would have been better to do at 60k. The oil drained at 80k in my car was thicker than the new oil, meaning that it was contaminated & deteriorated. 3. Is oil color a good indicator of oil condition: Yes it is, in most cases. When the oil & all the additives in it degrade, the oil changes its properties including color. It’s not an exact guide but serves reasonably well. If you have any questions or comments about any mistakes, please let me know.

I have a 2009 Camry le I'm 22 At minimum wage. I'm leaking transmission oil from the uber cv joint thingy. Ima bit new transmission fluid after I replace the cv joint thing. But my question is, in a 2009 Camry le V6, how much transmission oil is needed? Total capacity at room temp

I have a 2007 and a 2011 camry that have no dipsticks. I have changed the ATF several times using the technique described. However, I use Max Life ATF, and have never had a problem.

According to a Toyota TSB, the "sealed" transmissions of Camry and RAV4, and a few other models, the key to checking the fluid level is the temperature of the fluid at the moment it's checked. The trans fluid "expands" in volume when heated, and "contracts" in volume as it cools down. Not knowing the trans temp. when checking the fluid level on the "sealed" transmission (yes, the level can be checked at the drain plug with special equipment), may result in recording an incorrect level. The TSB calls for extra equipment (vacuum hoses, shut valves, fluid cup) and the fluid level table in the TSB. The TSB calls for warming up the trans fluid (running the engine) to around 180 degrees and a special drain plug adapter/measuring tube device, adjusted to the proper tube length for the particular engine/trans combination, for the measuring, and at a specific engine RPM. If the fluid is found low, fluid can be pumped into the fill plug until it flows just to a drip, at the point of the drain plug adapter. This info. is available at the Toyota website. This is why it's a bit costly to properly measure the level (or drain and refill) the trans fluid on these transmissions. Other measuring methods may yield fluid levels that incorrectly indicates the fluid is over-filled or under-filled. This seems like a large step back in servicing of transmissions. Much easier to check the fluid level with a dipstick, but it seems the so-called "sealed" transmissions are more and more common going forward. I think some BMW engines have "sealed" engine oil. (No dipstick).

It's very challenging to find a Right Answer whithin all these responses from the Toyota owners! Of course, everyone is trying to help! I own a 2011 Camry, thank god no problem so far, has 98,000 on it, some people says you got ti service the Transmission and some say No, it's Sealed and No Need to! Transmission Shops never tells you that you don't need ti service and they love your money and they live to earn $300. To $400. and rip people off ! WHO IS QUALIFIED TO HELP AND GIVE AN HONEST ADVICE!! Appreciated, ( a fellow 2011 Camry owner )

Between my wife & I we have been driving about 40,000 miles a year in Canadian winter for the last 30 years and have lost count of how many Camry's we have owned. The only one we have had tranny trouble with was one I bought that had been in a wreck. Several of our "beaters" were passed down to our daughter and nieces and nephews and I know some have gone past 300,00 miles. We buy used, usually around 90-102 thousand miles so they have likely had at least 1 tranny fluid change by dealers on their maintenace schedule. Our first Cam was a 1983 that I sold at 250 k miles. I have never changed the tranny fluid in any Camry we've owned.

Hi, I think this may be helpful to Camry 2010 LE V4 owners. I bought one brand new, and since the dealers prices on maintenance are too high and not competitive in Wash. DC Metro area. I had taken my car for required services to different mechanics. Every time I had a question I would call Toyota main number for answer. I had asked them many times about the Transmission Fluid and the answer was it's for lifetime, you don't need to change it. Til 6 months ago. I noticed some jerking, or vibration in the rear axle. I double checked my tires/balance/alignment, all were well. Took the car to a dealer, I won't say the name. After detailed inspection and test drive, they said my transmission is damaged with only 96K miles on the car, and it would cost $4k to replace it. It was bad news and unacceptable to me. So, I searched on line and read that transmission fluid exchange may help, so right away, found a $79 deal on groupon, and many thanks to almighty God, my car is smooth again. I called Toyota and asked them to correct their information about this and do not misinform public and specially their customers. How much they will listen, God knows.

How to change the automatic transmission/transaxle fluid on Toyota Camrys 2007 through 2011 that do NOT have a dipstick. I have seen a couple of procedures for changing the WS transmission oil of Camry 2007-11 on the internet and they are unusually complex, time consuming and produce inaccurate fluid levels. Toyota claims that their WS Transaxle fluid will last for the life of the car and also doesn’t say when to replace the power steering fluid. Any fluid which services moving parts needs replacement as with time it deteriorates. There are several complex reasons for it, too long to be explained here, but involve the chemical breakdown of the oil and fluids from the internal friction and heats it is exposed to over time. This drain and fill will rectify the problem if your transmission hesitates before shifting from 1ST to 2nd OR 2nd to 3rd gear when cold and when the engine just revs up without going into the next gear. Do this before you ever consider taking your car to a shop for transaxle problems. Valvoline MaxLife Synthetic Transmission fluid will mix with Toyota's WS fluid without any issues and is a much higher quality fluid. Here is what I found that worked. The Basics: • Transmissions are used on rear wheel drive vehicles. Transaxles are used on front wheel drive vehicles. • Engines and gear boxes use oil, transmissions and transaxles use hydraulic fluids. Both are oils but the hydraulic fluids have a special quality that make them uncompressible in pressurized spaces. • This procedure is for Toyota Camrys with U660 and U760 transaxles. These Camrys do NOT have a dip stick. • The total Transaxle fluid capacity of Camry U660 or U760 is approx. 6.7 quarts. • The full quantity of transmission oil can’t be replaced unless you dismantle it totally and then reassemble it OR you hook up a flushing machine by tapping into the input & return pipes of transmission oil which are connected to the heat exchanger. Both these options are complex, time consuming and expensive. TOOLS YOU WILL NEED: 1. 6 mm hex socket & ratchet or long handled 6mm Allen Wrench. 2. 10 mm socket & ratchet. 3. 24 mm socket & ratchet. 4. 18” of socket extensions. 5. One bobble head or universal joint. 6. Foot Pound and Inch Pound Torque wrenches. These can be rented at most automotive parts stores. The inch pound wrench is important as I have seen many transaxle pan bolt holes stripped from over tightening. The inch pound wrench is only required for reinstalling the pan bolts to torque if you are changing the filter. 7. Infra-red temperature gun. (If you have to actually do a level check.) 8. Funnel & Plastic pipe 9. Jack (This can be done without putting the car on stands. They just make the reach to the pan bottom easier.) 10. 4 - jack stands. (Car must be level for fluid level setting.) 11. Wheel chocks. 12. Drain pan. ( short and wide if doing this without the jacks) 13. Rags/gloves TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS (from the Toyota Service Manual) • 6 mm hex socket bolt overflow plug to 30 lbs.-ft • Transaxle pan filler tube to 7-inch pounds. (barely finger tight) • 10 mm pan bolts to 66-inch pounds. • 24 mm refill port bolt with crush washer to 36 lbs.-ft. HOW TO DO IT: 1. Make sure the car has been parked overnight and everything is at room temperature 2. Turn the steering wheel fully to the left 3. Jack up the car 3-4 inches leaving the wheels mounted. Car must be lifted on all four corners to level for correct setting of fluid level. (This whole process can be done without jacking up the car as long as you have a wide shallow oil pan that fits under your car.) Set parking brake. Place wheel chocks on both sides of opposite corner wheel. Jack up the driver’s front tire first, placing jack stand under main frame as close to the front as possible. Next jack up the right front tire and set it on a stand even and level with the other front jack. Do the same with the rear wheels so car sits level with the front stands . 4. Remove the two 10 mm bolts on the left (driver’s side) side wheel well plastic shield. Push the shield downward, it will pivot on a hidden plastic plug, until the 24mm fill bolt becomes reachable, 5. Loosen the 24 mm oil fill bolt & remove it. Be careful to not to lose the crush sealing washer. 6. Loosen the 6 mm hex bolt of the transaxle drain assembly. Be careful, hex bolts are notorious for getting a slipped head, so be sure to insert the hex socket fully into the bolt before trying to loosen it. 7. As soon as you remove the drain bolt, fluid will drain out for approximately 5 minutes. Once it stops draining, move to the next step. 8. Using the same 6 mm hex socket, reach in the drain hole with the hex socket and unscrew the plastic overfill tube. It’s screwed in loosely and will come out easily. Just use the hex socket and your fingers to prevent damaging it. There is no O-ring on it. 9. Once you remove the plastic overfill tube, more transaxle fluid will drain out for about 5 minutes. 10. That’s it, nothing more will come out. At this point you can pull the pan and replace the filter. Reinstall the drain bolt and the plastic overfill tube 11. Using a measuring bottle, verify the exact quantity of oil drained into the drain pan. It should be about 3 quarts. 12. Refill the transaxle with the same amount of fluid. 3 quarts of transaxle fluid is what is listed in the Toyota Service Manual. 13. Start the engine and watch the temperature of the fluid by pointing the infra-red thermometer into the overflow hole. You will be able to see fluid flowing through the hole and by gently shifting the direction of the gun you will be able to tell when you are actually reading the fluid and not the case. The fluid will become hotter than the metal case. 14. Once the fluid reaches 104 degrees Fahrenheit pull the hex drain overflow plug and let the fluid drain with the engine still running, When the fluid flow reduces to a trickle or spurts the transaxle is at the correct level. This must be done with the engine running. As the engine will continue to heat the fluid to higher temps you must start this immediately upon reaching 104 degrees and be finished before it reaches 113 degrees to be accurate. 15. Install the drain plug, 16. Turn off the engine. 17. Torque all bolts to specs.

Lifetime fluid only means that when the transmission dies the fluid has reached it's lifetime. Yes I would recommend changing transmission fluid. I use Valvoline Maxlife WS compatible in my Toyota vehicles. I just completed the drain and fill on a 2011 base model Camry. Also did the pan drop and filter replacement as well as cleaning the pan and magnets. The instructions from Gilligan125 were very helpful. I used the method of shorting pins 4 and 13 on the OBD2 port and shifting from N to D quickly for six seconds. This caused the D indicator to illuminate when the temperature reached 104 degrees F allowing me to check the fluid level. One bit of advise when removing the transmission pan is that one bolt is not accessible with a socket. I used a 10mm closed end angled wrench. It took some time to remove and install due to limited room to turn the wrench. This transmission had 164,000 miles before the first drain. It would shift with a noticeable bump. After four drain and fills, a new filter and seven ounces of Lubegard Platinum it now shifts normal.

I need know where to add transmission fluid in my 2012 Toyota camry se. Where is it located

The fill hole is located behind the left front tire. You must remove the small splash shield to gain access. I used a 4' clear plastic hose and ran up the side of the tire and attached to a funnel.

Watch "Simple way to check/replace WS ATF in TOYOTA/LEXUS using scangauge. Changing WS ATF to Amsoil ATF." on YouTube https://youtu.be/maK7HsGEEls

Im just as confused as i was when I first starting reading all the comments. Half says yes, the other says no. I do know its about $300 for the dealership to change the oil. I did see the youtube video and it is complicated and you need special equipment to do it. So, I am not happy with Toyota at all on this topic. My Question would be. Have you had it done and are you happy you did for $300?

I have been a mechanic for 40 years. first, you have to change filters or it wouldn't be there. rear axles don't have filters so you don't change something that doesn't exhist. the filter in a tranny collects the clutch particles as the tranny wears out. it will finally be plugged. I have cut open oil filters and transmission filters for 40 years to see just how plugged they get over miles driven. I have a 2011 Avalon and I got lazy and didn't change the filter for 120,000 miles. I just cut it open and looked and it was 75% blocked. the filters I have looked at over the years all seem to be fine up to 100,000 miles for passenger cars. about 50% blocked at 100k. off road and hard use dramtically will reduced this number. the manufacturers tell you its lifetime so the tranny will die at some point. big $$ for them. tranny oil, is different. synthetic oil does not break down. you just have to add as needed. I have put over 200,000 on numerous vehicles and never changed the tranny fluid except with the filter change. I don't know how long standard tranny oil lasts. motor oil is the same. synthetic oil doesn't go bad. I never change my oil. just put in high quality filters. I had a mazda mini van and put 280,000 and never changed the oil after 100k. I have a 2004 ford f150 that I have only change the oil once it has 185,000. look for yourself. large companies that have gas powered fleets just change the filters and then clean oil with a oil exchanger that has super high particle filters to ultra clean the oil every 50k. FILTERS FILTERS FILTERS. its big money to sucker people into the oil change game.

I wrote the previous answer and just wanted to add that what I said about not changing motor oil applies to gas powered vehicles, not diesel. I don't work on diesels, but have been told that diesels have a lot more piston blow by and so the oil is affected by this. I cannot say if that is true. but gas engines for passenger cars and light trucks don't need tranny oil or engine oil changed if you used synthetic. just FILTERS FILTRERS FILTERS!!!!! DONT BELEIVE ME GO VERIFY IT YOURSELF. JUST READ ABOUT HOW LARGE FLEETS WORK!!!

I have a 2007 Toyota Camry v6 with a closed transmission. If anything needs to be replaced or repaired on it, I do it all myself unless it is out of my capabilities. I have replaced the ignition coils, spark plugs, transmission fluid return hose, alternator (that was a PITA!!!), radiator, etc... What I was wondering, is if there is a way to drain and flush the transmission fluid from where the transmission hoses connect to the radiator? The transmission fluid circulates through the radiator. I had this thought and idea when I had to replace our radiator a couple of months ago. When you remove the radiator, you have to disconnect the transmission hoses from the radiator. When I did, I used hemostats to clamp off the hoses to prevent any fluid loss. I am wondering if you could disconnect the circulation line that goes into the radiator and drain it, then attach some sort of hose to the radiator and suspending it up high, put a funnel into it and pouring new fluid into it, using gravity to flush it and fill it. This would be done until the new fluid could be seen coming out of the radiator intake hose. Then you could just clamp it with the hemostats, then reattach the hose to the radiator. Thoughts???

40creek, I have heard of people doing what you suggested except they used a garden sprayer to pump the fluid back in. Two quarts pumped out by running the engine for less than a minute and two quarts pumped back in via the sprayer until done. I did a flush on my Tacoma using a drill powered pump. I used the lines to and from the radiator also. I had 4 gallons of fresh fluid in a 5 gallon bucket and let the transmission pump the old fluid into another empty 5 gallon bucket. Took about 30 minutes including cleanup for the whole process. I did this at 45K miles and the fluid was a dark reddish-brown coming out. This is my personal vehicle that I plan on driving for 20 years. ( Already reached 13+ years.) I also used an OBD2 adapter with custom pids that gave me the correct transmission temperature to perform the check but the shorting of OBD2 pins 4 and 13 method works very well. Be sure to drop the pan and change the filter and clean the pan and magnets. (The filter on the Tacoma is nothing more than a fine mesh screen so I just cleaned the filter, pan and magnets.) Valvoline Maxlife synthetic can be found at Walmart for about $20 a gallon and is WS compatible. Good luck! ***Lifetime fluid only means that when the transmission dies the fluid has reached it's lifetime!***

Do a search on Rav4World for transmission fluid change. I wrote up a full set of instructions for changing Toyota transmission fluids without dip sticks. Yes it can be done without a machanic Gilligan

lifetime fluid, NEVER a good idea, magic beans, now there's an idea