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Transmission Noise?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by SecretAgent355, Aug 19, 2014.

  1. SecretAgent355

    SecretAgent355 Junior Member

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    I have a Gen 3 with 145k miles. Never had a single problem with it and it has never needed service other than regular oil changes. Lately I've noticed a whine-like noise that I think is coming from the transmission. I say this because the noise is only present when driving and gets louder the faster the car is moving. It's present with the ICE on or off and does not change with braking (other than getting softer as the car slows down). The noise is steady, not a chirp or some such. Could it be the transmission oil/fluid is way low and needs to be changed? Is there a way to tell the level w/o draining it?

    Thanks!
     
  2. jdenenberg

    jdenenberg EE Professor

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    First, have you ever drained and refilled the ATF, if not do it now as it is over due.

    There is also a whine that comes from the inverter that is a function of current in or out of the HV battery which can be annoying, but does NOT indicate a pending failure.

    There can also be tire noise that can whine especially wen the tires are worn down.

    JeffD
     
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  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    wheel bearing? velocity joint?
     
  4. kc410

    kc410 Active Member

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    Wheel bearing going bad could cause a whine related to speed only.

    At 145K the transmission fluid _needs_ to be changed. If you know it has never been changed, change it now. If in doubt if it has ever been changed, change it now.
    The transmission has a drain & a fill plug. If you can get the Prius on a lift you can remove the fill plug & use your little finger to see if the fluid level is within 10mm of the opening. If there are no leaks, it should still be close to full.
     
  5. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Don't bother checking the level just get it changed out. Call around to some dealers and get prices. No idea where you live as you didn't fill out your state but prices are much higher in urban dealers.
     
  6. SecretAgent355

    SecretAgent355 Junior Member

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    Thanks everyone. I have an appointment to get transmission fluid changed this saturday.

    I've had tires and wheel bearings make noise on other cars and this does not sound like it. Hard to explain why, but there is a characteristic to those sounds that I don't get with this one.

    When calling around for the service, I was asked if I wanted a drain and fill or a transmission fluid flush. I did not know how to answer - any advice on this one?

    THANKS!
     
  7. Indy John

    Indy John Member

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    The Prius transmission is like a manual transmission in that it has drain and fill plugs. There is no torque converter or fluid pump or operating clutch pack or valve assembly, and the capacity is less than 4 quarts, not 7 or 8 or 12 as with some automatics. There is nothing to be flushed. Anyone that offers to "flush" your Prius transmission is a moron or a thief or both.
     
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  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    or hoping to 'flush' your wallet.:cool:
     
  9. SecretAgent355

    SecretAgent355 Junior Member

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    So I've been thinking a lot more about this noise and realize it could indeed be the wheel bearings. Tried putting it in neutral while the noise was loud and there was no change other than the car gradually slowing down. This probably eliminates the transmission.

    I had the ATF changed at local Firestone and asked them to check the bearings while they were at it. They said there was no play at all, but implied it was only a matter of time. Gave me an estimate of $1650 to have both front bearings replaced. Yikes!

    So....more questions! How can I determine if its really the bearings? Drive until the wheels start to wobble or I figure out what else is causing the noise? If it is the bearings, what is a reasonable repair cost? They wanted $600 per bearing plus 4 hours labor or so.

    Thanks
     
  10. kc410

    kc410 Active Member

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    Do you know the noise is coming from the front wheels? The rear wheels have bearings that fail also.
    When a wheel bearing first starts going bad it may be difficult to isolate the noise to a defective bearing.
    Eventually the bearing will have excessive play but at the early stages of failure this may not be evident.
    With the vehicle raised, rotating the wheel & listening may reveal a noisy bearing. If you can do this in a quiet area it works _much_ better!
    If you can get both the front tires off the ground at the same time you can compare the left/right. Same with the rear tires.
    When the defective bearing is located, it is only necessary to replace the one side that is failing. There is no need to replace both sides on either the front or rear axles.

    I found this (2-part) video on youtube on replacing a rear bearing:
    youtube.com/watch?v=2mC9buJ7nvY
    youtube.com/watch?v=kCL8Nyyj2jk
     
    #10 kc410, Aug 27, 2014
    Last edited: Aug 27, 2014
  11. bmparent

    bmparent Member

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    How much to change the ATF at Firestone? I'm going there tomorrow for another issue and would love to compare prices!
     
  12. Maarten28

    Maarten28 Active Member

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    I'm not sure about what exactly happens when you put a Prius in neutral, but you can't draw this conclusion. There is no physical disconnect between the ICE, the PSD or the wheels. I think the only thing that happens when you put a Prius in neutral is that the ICE will not rev when you press the accelerator. It will not shut off the ICE nor will it decouple it from the PSD.
     
  13. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Does Firestone carry the WS transaxle fluid? If they added something inferior in there, as in regular transmission fluid, you'll have to do it all over again.
     
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  14. Feri

    Feri Active Member

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    Are you certain they used the correct oil. The wrong oil can fry your electric motors.
     
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  15. tv4fish

    tv4fish Member

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    The rear wheels have bearings that fail also.

    If you think it might be rear wheel bearings - you could jack up one side (or the entire rear) of the car and try to "wiggle" each wheel to see if you get any play in them. Also spin them and check for any noise. Oh - make sure you have the parking brake OFF.
     
  16. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    In your dealings with Firestone, was the term "Toyota ATF-WS" ever mentioned?


    Prius - transaxle fluid warning.JPG
     
  17. SecretAgent355

    SecretAgent355 Junior Member

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    Sorry, been traveling for work and not replied as quickly as I should.

    Firestone charged about $75 for the ATF change. They did indeed verify the need for WS and used one they carry that is supposed to be an equivalent according to their cross reference system.

    I will see if I can jack up one end to check for play or noise. My feeling is they were happy to give me an estimate for wheel bearings only because I mentioned there might be a bearing problem. I don't think they found any evidence to say there is a bearing going bad. For all I know it may be something entirely different. I may end up taking it to the dealer for diagnosis.

    Thanks for all the ideas and suggestions. I would still like to know if $1600 is a total rip-off or not.

    SA355
     
  18. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    $75 for atf change is very good.
    Did it help your noise?
     
  19. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    They probably used that Kendall Versatrans stuff. I don't think Kendall approved that for use in CVTs.
     
  20. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    ^ Yeah, this sort of thing could be a slumbering giant. Alternate fluids may be ok, case by case, but why the hell chance it.

    Then there's a certain Volt owner here, who traded in his Prius with an alternate fluid. Whoever bought that car is continuing his experiment. :mad: