Changing Transaxle oil

[Weinerneck]

Is changing the oil in the transaxle something that the owner can do? I mean is it some what similar to changing engine oil?

My wife took our 2005 to the dealer today to have the left side hub assembly changed (right side was done last month) and they want $140 to change the transaxle oil. We have 77,000 on the car now and I see a recommendation of 60,000 is the time to change it.

Any others replace both hub assemblies? I think I'll post another thread on that also.

Any help would be appreciated,
Bill

[Patrick Wong]

Hi Bill,

This is pretty easy to do. You will need 4 qts of Toyota ATF WS (should cost ~$8 per quart) and two replacement aluminum washers (around $1 each.)

The needed tools include a ratchet wrench along with a 24 mm or 15/16" socket to remove the fill plug and a 10 mm Allen hex key socket to remove the drain plug. You also need a funnel with a three-foot long tail to reach the fill plug, which is on the side of the transaxle facing forward.

If you have the proper tools and funnel, it is quite easy to replace the transaxle fluid. Make sure that you loosen the fill plug first, to clear the partial vacuum (when the transaxle is cold) and ensure that you don't have problems with a stuck fill plug. When draining, make sure that you don't inadvertently drain the inverter coolant instead of the transaxle oil. (This is one reason why the drain plug uses a hex key.)

Place the funnel near the inverter and snake the tail down to the fill opening, then add the new fluid. Tightening torque of the drain/fill plugs is 29 ft.-lb.

[ScottY]

Originally Posted by Weinerneck

Is changing the oil in the transaxle something that the owner can do? I mean is it some what similar to changing engine oil?

My wife took our 2005 to the dealer today to have the left side hub assembly changed (right side was done last month) and they want $140 to change the transaxle oil. We have 77,000 on the car now and I see a recommendation of 60,000 is the time to change it.

Any others replace both hub assemblies? I think I'll post another thread on that also.

Any help would be appreciated,
Bill

The dealer I went to charged $60 ($20 part and $40 labor). Maybe you should try another dealer?

I don't have the tools and the complex I live at does not allow any work in the parking lots. So $60 every 60k miles isn't a big deal for me.

[kocho]

I would also suggest that you "drop" the pan when changing the oil. This would drain a bit more of the old stuff, plus you will get a chance to look inside for sludge and to make sure the oil pick-up screen is clean. Dropping the pan requires a new gasket that costs under $20 (forgot exactly how much) from your local dealer's part dept. or better yet - over the net from an online Toyota dealership, if your local one is expensive.

As Patrick said, a fairly easy DIY job if you are into this kind of thing.

There is no separate differential oil to change (for instance, on some 4 cylinder Camry while the oil is the same the differential and the transmission must be drained and refilled separately).

[bwilson4web]

Originally Posted by kocho

I would also suggest that you "drop" the pan . . .

Sad to say but the 2004-current, NHW20, Prius do not have a transaxle pan to drop. That exists only for our older 2001-03, NHW11 Prius.

Bob Wilson

[Patrick Wong]

Originally Posted by bwilson4web

Sad to say but the 2004-current, NHW20, Prius do not have a transaxle pan to drop...

Hi Bob,

Fortunately the NHW20 transaxle seems to be more robust compared to NHW11 in terms of not producing excess metal debris. When I changed the fluid on my 2004 at ~30K miles there was only a tiny amount of fine ferrous powder on the tip of the little magnet on the drain plug. Compare to the large qty of debris that can be found on the rectangular magnet and the drain pan when the pan is dropped on NHW11.

For those changing fluid on NHW11, the tightening torque on the drain plug is 36 ft.-lb (since the pan is steel, vs 29 ft.-lb on the fill plug) and the torque on the small drain pan bolts is 67 in.-lb. The drain plug has a hex head and does not need the Allen key. 5 qts of Toyota ATF T-IV are required.

[kocho]

Ahhh... my bad about the pan or lack thereoff on the '04+

[Weinerneck]

Originally Posted by Patrick Wong

Hi Bill,

This is pretty easy to do. You will need 4 qts of Toyota ATF WS (should cost $5 per quart) and two replacement aluminum washers (around $1 each.)

The needed tools include a ratchet wrench along with a 24 mm or 15/16" socket to remove the fill plug and an Allen hex key socket (10mm IIRC) to remove the drain plug. You also need a funnel with a three-foot long tail to reach the fill plug, which is on the side of the transaxle facing forward.

If you have the proper tools and funnel, it is quite easy to replace the transaxle fluid. Make sure that you loosen the fill plug first, to clear the partial vacuum (when the transaxle is cold) and ensure that you don't have problems with a stuck fill plug. When draining, make sure that you don't inadvertently drain the inverter coolant instead of the transaxle oil. (This is one reason why the drain plug uses a hex key.)

Place the funnel near the inverter and snake the tail down to the fill opening, then add the new fluid. Tightening torque of the drain/fill plugs is 29 ft.-lb.

Hi Patrick,

Is there a way to check fluid level when refilling or just dump all 4 quarts in and close it up? Hopefully the dealer didn't do it yet, wife had to leave the car for the weekend (they gave her a loaner) till they get all the parts for the left Hub Assembly. $140 sounds like a real ripoff for $22 in parts, gotta love dealerships.

Thanks for everyone's help

[bwilson4web]

Originally Posted by Weinerneck

. . .
Is there a way to check fluid level when refilling or just dump all 4 quarts in and close it up? . . .

When it begins to flow out the filler hole, it is full. The Toyota manuals show some impossible 2-3 mm below the filler hole, something that would require a 90 degree mini-dip stick. My rule of thumb, if you can feel the oil sticking your small finger into the hole, it is perfect.

Bob Wilson

[Patrick Wong]

Originally Posted by Weinerneck

Is there a way to check fluid level when refilling or just dump all 4 quarts in and close it up?...

Hi Bill,

As Bob W. said, your finger is the dipstick. If you can feel oil, this is good. Otherwise, raise your car so that it is level and fill until the fluid starts to seep out of the fill hole.

Hi Bob W.,

I helped a PTS member in Orange County change the transaxle fluid in his 2002 this morning. He will be sending a sample to you (ATF WS with ~3K miles; transaxle/inverter recently replaced, dealer used WS instead of T-IV.) We replaced with ATF T-IV per specs. The WS fluid level was perhaps 1/2 qt low. Transaxle pan was quite clean as you would expect for a new transaxle, a minor amount of ferrous filings on the magnet.

Hi ScottY,

You have a great dealer, if they will do the transaxle fluid change for $40 labor. Some dealers practice "value" pricing well into three digits, like Bill mentioned in his initial msg. The ATF WS costs ~$5 per quart, hope they installed new washers!