Whining noise from driver's side

[gac53]

Thanks. Would that mean the check engine light would be on?
Greg

[gac53]

Originally Posted by qbee42

He means a trouble code from the controller. Any major problem will cause one or more controllers to log an error code, which can be retrieved with a diagnostic tool.

Tom

Originally Posted by gac53

Thanks. Would that mean the check engine light would be on?
Greg

Added quote.

[Patrick Wong]

Originally Posted by gac53

...Would that mean the check engine light would be on?

Hi Greg,

No. Assuming that the problem is with the transaxle or inverter, when a DTC is finally logged the master warning light (red triangle) should come on and the hybrid vehicle icon should appear in the MFD.

The check engine light would come on if a DTC was logged by the engine ECU.

[ron69424]

Just to give you guys an update of my 04's continuing problem here's what's happening.

The electric motor seems to be straining to get the car moving. The ICE has to kick in way sooner than normal to accelerate. The car acts like it has those big mud bogging tires with the big lugs. You can feel the lugs (or gear teeth) lugging. Don't know how else to describe it. The traction battery is staying highly charged (in the green). The gas mileage is much lower than normal.

There are still no codes or lights. I keep the scan gauge on all the time.
Any ideas. Thanks, Ron

[Patrick Wong]

Hi Ron,

Just for fun, how about disconnecting the Scan Gauge, and also disconnecting the negative terminal of the 12V battery for 10 minutes (to allow all ECUs to reset).

Then reconnect the battery (leaving the SG disconnected) and see if there are any driveability differences.

[ron69424]

Hi again Patrick:
I couldn't stand not knowing the problem so I took it to Toyota today. Three mechanics drove the car with their scan tool. Then they ran the car on the rack with the ICE disabled. They pin pointed the noise to the transaxle and said it is not long in this world.

When they ran it after disabling the ICE many lights and codes appeared that did not register on my scan gauge. Their opinion is that the differential carrier bearing or the pinion bearing are failing.

This is the first example of transaxle failure this Toyota service dept. has seen. It is truely a rare occurance. Like winning the lottery.

I already have a salvage transaxle from an '05 with 40k miles on the way. I have all the Toyota maint manuals and a shop garage. I will attempt to change it out myself. If you have any pointers let me know. Thanks, Ron

[Patrick Wong]

Hi Ron,

It is great that you have a diagnosis and are going to tackle the job yourself. Good luck with the transaxle swap. Please take lots of photos and post!

After you get the salvage part in, if you have time to disassemble the failed transaxle and photograph what it looks like, that would be very interesting to see. I am particularly interested to know what the stator windings look like (any burnt wire?) and what the bearings look like (any obvious wear?)

Please answer my repair poll in the main forum, so that we can log your car's activity.

[Patrick Wong]

Hi Ron,

Since your car has 92K miles, it may make sense to replace the front axle bearings while you are working on the car, and also inspect the axleshafts to make sure they are in good condition.

I am also wondering whether it makes sense to replace the engine at this time, since you have to remove the engine and transaxle from the vehicle. Note for example, that you can buy an engine with 3,900 miles for $500 from this source:
04 and newer Prius Parts Cars

[ron69424]

Hi Patrick:
Thanks for the suggestions. I started tearing down the car today. I should have the transaxle out tomorrow. The salvage unit should arrive in 4 or 5 days. I may end up replacing one or both drive shafts. The wheel bearings show no signs of wear (play or noise). I'm not removing the engine and it seems to run well with no oil consumption between changes @ 7000 miles.

The Toyota dealer quoted a price of over $6,000 to replace with a new unit. They would not consider installing a used one. All said and done I should have it done for under $1000. I will keep you posted, Ron

[Patrick Wong]

Hi Ron,

OK, if you can remove the transaxle without removing the engine, that would be great. I'd like to see how you do that if you can take some photos.