Change transmission oil
Hi Peter,
If your Camry has an automatic transmission, for normal driving the auto fluid should be changed every 40,000km, there should be a drain plug on the transmission pan that takes a 10mm hex drive or 17mm socket to undo. You have two choices after driving the car onto ramps or jacking up and supporting on jack stands so you can safely get under the car.
1 - You can loosen and remove the transmission drain plug to let the auto fluid drain out into a container (careful not to lose the sealing washer) refit and tighten the drain plug and washer again. Remove the auto transmission fluid level dip stick, using a suitable funnel pour about 2.5 litres of suitable new auto trans fluid back into the transmission via the dipstick tube (I believe they take dexron 2 of 3 type fluid). Start the car and move it onto a level surface. With the engine running, handbrake on and brake pedal applied, shift the transmission from park through every gear selection slowly into 1st gear, then back to park. Leave engine running. Wipe the dip stick & insert it back into the dip stick tube fully, remove and check where the fluid level mark is on the end of the dipstick. If the fluid level indicates low or does not show at all, add 100ml of additional fluid and recheck the level till the fluid reaches the full mark on the dipstick.
2 - The second option is everything in the first option but includes replacement of the transmission filter and pan gasket. I would only do this if the car had travelled high km or the pan gasket was leaking.
At the point where you've drained the old fluid into a container and refitted the drain plug and washer, remove all the transmission pan bolts and the transmission pan. If you have the time to let the fluid drain overnight prior to removing the pan it's a good idea because once the pan is removed, fluid will continue to drip from the transmission. You'll need to remove the old pan gasket, some may be stuck to the pan and or transmission, a razor blade type gasket scraper can be good for this but be careful not to scratch either surface when cleaning off the old gasket. Remove the bolts/nuts that hold the transmission filter onto the bottom of the transmission. Careful caus more fluid may drain out of the transmission or filter once removed. Fit the new filter and filter tube gasket & bolts/nuts, careful not to over tighten. Fit new pan gasket, pan and bolts. Continue with fluid filling procedure from option 1.
I would suggest you only use option one and remember to double check the drain plug is tight. Also, remember to dispose of the old fluid correctly.
Cheers