How to Check Engine Fluids 2000-07 Toyota Highlander
Created on: 2018-02-27
How to check and refill your engine fluids on 04 Toyota Highlander.
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step 1 :Checking the Brake Fluid
- Twist the brake fluid reservoir cap off counterclockwise
- Check the brake fluid level, using a flashlight if necessary
- Check that the brake fluid is between the minimum and maximum lines
- Check that the brake fluid is clear or an almost yellow color
- If the brake fluid is murky or dark, drain and refill it
- Twist the brake fluid reservoir cap on clockwise
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step 2 :Checking the Transmission Fluid
- Bring the vehicle up to operating temp
- Shut the vehicle off
- Pull out the oil dipstick
- Clean off the oil dipstick
- Insert the oil dipstick
- Pull out the oil dipstick
- Check that the oil level is between the low and full marks
- Insert the oil dipstick
- To refill, insert the funnel into the dipstick tube and add the appropriate fluid
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step 3 :Checking the Oil
- Pull out the oil dipstick
- Clean off the oil dipstick
- Insert the oil dipstick
- Pull out the oil dipstick
- Check that the oil level is between the low and full marks
- Insert the oil dipstick
- Twist the oil fill cap off counterclockwise, to add oil
- Add oil as necessary
- Twist the oil cap on clockwise
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step 4 :Checking the Coolant
- Wait for the engine to cool
- Twist the coolant reservoir cap off counterclockwise
- Check the coolant level, using a flashlight if necessary
- Remove the radiator cap with the engine cool
- Make sure the level is right at the top of the radiator
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step 5 :Checking the Washer Fluid
- Pull off the washer fluid reservoir cap
- Check the reservoir has fluid
- Snap on the washer fluid reservoir cap
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step 6 :Checking the Power Steering
- Twist off the cap and check the level with a flashlight
- If the power steering fluid smells burnt, is murky or dark, drain and refill it
Tools needed
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Windshield Washer Fluid
Power Steering Fluid
Brake Fluid
Transmission Fluid
Anti-Freeze
Engine Oil
Hi, I’m Mike from 1A Auto. We’ve been selling auto parts for over 30 years!
Brake fluid is located over here. There's a minimum line, just below the crease here in the bottle. And the max line is right here. If you need to add more, you can pull the cap right off. Add the appropriate fluid in here, up to the max level. Reinstall the cap.
Transmission dipstick is located here. Have the vehicle running when you check this. But you'd unlock it, pull it out. So the lines here. I'm going to wipe it, and if the vehicle is running, you put it back in and pull it out. And then what you'd do, is you would check. So your fluid level, cold, if the vehicle was just started, would be either low or high. Or if the vehicle was hot, it'd be either low or high. So this is not showing correctly because all the fluid is in the pan. And when the automatic transmission is running, the fluid is being pumped through the system. So that's why you need to check it when the vehicle is running, because all the fluid is being pumped through the transmission. It gives you a better indication of how much fluid is in the transmission. But that is how you would check it. so if you just start the vehicle up, it's running cold. You want to either be right here, at the high level. You definitely don't want to be below the low indication. If the vehicle has been driven and it's up to temperature, you want the fluid to be at this mark here, the high level, and not below the low level here. And you just add the appropriate amount of fluid, until you reach the correct levels, depending on the temperature of the transmission. To add more transmission fluid, put your funnel right in here, and add your appropriate fluid right through the dipstick tube. Now reinstall the dipstick, and it will lock in place.
To check the engine oil, pull the engine oil dipstick right here. Do this while the engine is cooled. Just while the engine is off, and it's been sitting for a while. That way the oil flows to the bottom of the pan. You get a better indication of how much oil is in there. Wipe it off, reinsert the dipstick, and pull it back out. And right here we can see that'd be the low line. I'm showing it to you upside down. That's an L, and then an F for full. This oil is nice and clean and new, and it's right at the full mark, so that's perfect. If it was low, you'd just add the appropriate amount of oil, until it comes up to the full level. Reinstall the dipstick.
To add oil, you'd add it through the oil fill cap. It just simply screws in here, unscrew it. It has the appropriate oil that's supposed to go in the vehicle, marked on the cap. Put your funnel in here and add your oil. And when you're done, don't forget to reinstall the cap, and screw it down.
This is your coolant overflow reservoir. It has a low and a full mark. It's kind of, half way between, this could stand to have a little bit of coolant added up to the full mark. When the system heats up, coolant can overflow into here, because coolant will expand with heat. So it needs to have a place to go. Additionally, you should check the level of your coolant when the vehicle is cool, always when the vehicle is cool. You can open up the radiator and look inside of it. You do not want to open this up when it's hot, because it's basically hot steam inside. As soon as you undo it, you'll get a bunch of boiling water and steam. But when it's cool, you can open it up. Even still, it's under some pressure, you might spill some coolant. This is nice and full. Right to the top of the radiator, so that's perfect. So all I would do, is add a little bit here to the overflow, to bring it up to the full level. But otherwise, if this is nice and full, that's perfect. Reinstall the cap, and then you want to clean up any coolant that you spilled, so you don't have to smell it. If you need to add coolant to the overflow bottle, just pull this off, it just pops right off. Use your funnel, add the appropriate amount of fluid coolant, and pop it back on.
Windshield washer fluid. The bottle is kind of translucent so you can see in here. There's no dipstick or anything. All you'd do is fill it right up to the neck. So you can see it's full. These usually take about a gallon of windshield washer fluid. So you can either use a funnel, or just carefully pour it from the bottle right in here. And then reinstall the cap when you are done.
This is the power steering reservoir. There's two sets of lines on either side here. There is a cold minimum, a cold max, a hot minimum, and a hot max. So since the vehicle is cold, I'm looking on this side, it's above the cold minimum, it's almost to the cold max fill. So I'm happy with the amount of fluid that's in here.
If the vehicle was running, and it was warm, you'd want it to be at the hot max line, not at the hot minimum line. So you'd add fluid. So basically depending on the temperature of the engine, and how long it's been running, just add the appropriate amount of fluid, and the appropriate kind. To add some, you just open it up. It's got arrows telling you how to do it. Turn it counter-clock-wise, it opens right up. Use your funnel, add your fluid in there, close it back up, lock it, and then it's all set.
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