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How much does a new transmission cost? R to D w/out stopping

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by ericisbacchus, Apr 27, 2015.

  1. ericisbacchus

    ericisbacchus Junior Member

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    I'm wondering, how much can I expect to pay for a new transmission in our 2005 Prius? For some reason my wife insists on shifting from Reverse to Drive without hitting the brake pedal at all.
     
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  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    If it's not broken, don't fix it. It's not a normal transaxle, it'll go into neutral before damaging it. For a new transaxle, it'll be almost $5000
     
  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I'll sometimes be slightly rolling when I do the shift. I try not to, but when it happens I don't hear any complaints; I'm thinking it has a modest buffer in there.

    It's a matter of degree, and if she's doing no braking, worse for sure.
     
  4. ericisbacchus

    ericisbacchus Junior Member

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    I just don't like it. Shifting from reverse straight to drive without hitting the brake at all...
     
  5. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    obviously she doesn't care what you like lol
     
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  6. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    This doesn't damage the Prius. There is no transmission. Yes, re-read that, there is NO transmission. It has a statically geared planetary gearing system which is the heart of the "hybrid synergy drive" in all Toyota (and some Ford) hybrid vehicles. When you go from R to D or D to R all it does is reverse the current through the electric motors and off you go. Electric motors are built to take this. The Prius automatically disables this "feature" above some speed. From D to R, I think it is 7mph, for R to D, I am not sure what the cutoff is.

    But basically it is harmless.
     
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  7. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    If it is moving fast enough to hurt anything, then Prius will override the driver's command and go to Neutral instead. You can test this yourself by trying to shift to Reverse or Park at highway speed, 60 mph or faster. Many of us have done it, intentionally or accidentally, with no known damage. Just a double beep warning and the dash indicator showing it going Neutral instead.

    At low speeds, it will go into Park with a big jolt, but the Park pawl is built to take it.
     
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  8. ericisbacchus

    ericisbacchus Junior Member

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    Well, I guess it's one less thing for me to worry about :)
     
  9. Easy Rider 2

    Easy Rider 2 Senior Member

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    Not to worry. It will save itself from a lot worse mistakes than that.

    Wtih a conventional car that can be a big, expensive mistake.

    The Prii, however, and quite a few other late model cars have transmissions that are electronically controlled and don't blindly respond to the orders that you give them. There is no mechanical link from the shifter to the actual transmission.
     
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  10. Easy Rider 2

    Easy Rider 2 Senior Member

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    Really ? What evidence do you have of that ??
    I sure wouldn't put money on it.

    I see no real reason that "feature" would be made any differently than other models and THEY certainly can be damaged by throwing it into Park before the car stops.
     
    #10 Easy Rider 2, Apr 27, 2015
    Last edited: Apr 27, 2015
  11. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Replace your wife... not your transaxle. :D
     
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  12. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    The car will let you keep both. :) The best explanation award was claimed several months ago:

    I never worry about it in my Gen 1. One time when for geeky reasons I wanted to stop with no use of the friction brakes, I just slowed in B mostly, then switched to R until the car was no longer moving forward and not moving backward yet.

    I probably switched into R around 11 MPH, which the car considered too high and gave me neutral instead. As the car coasted down, when it slowed below about 7 or 6, the computer completed the switch to R and rapidly slowed the car the rest of the way.

    I would probably not try the trick (or even shift to N) at speeds much higher than that, just because I don't know what open-circuit voltages might be reached in the MGs. But in your 2005 I think you're protected even from that. It turns out even "neutral" is just another command from the bridge to the engine room, and the New Car Features Manual lists out some conditions where the Chief Engineer will step in. One is if you shift to N while braking (Scotty will decide your real order was to gradually transition from regen to friction and then go to neutral), and one is if a wheel locks under friction braking while in N (Scotty will apply a bit of impulse power to spin the wheel up again). There's a third exception for when MG1 or MG2 might overspeed. (That third one isn't in the NCFM for my Gen 1, but it is for 2004, on page TH-46.)

    -Chap
     
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  13. jdcollins5

    jdcollins5 Senior Member

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    I back out of my driveway most mornings and go straight from R to D. If too fast it will shift to neutral.

    The system will decel to zero speed before accel in drive. No strain on PSD. The beauty of electric motors and drives.
     
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  14. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    same,^^^ 10 years, 3 pri, no prob. i like the feeling of not using the brakes, reminds me of all my old standards. :p
     
  15. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    This has been discussed in many threads over the six years I've been here. I've done it both at high speeds and very low speeds, without ill effect, as practice in case of future Sudden Unintended Acceleration. I have not personally tried to narrow in on the threshold speed between the big jolt and neutral, but several others have found it, intentionally or otherwise, and suffered no ill known effects. The beefy parking pawl components are pictured in some thread here. Numerous Prii have been literally dragged out of their parking spaces or garages by tow trucks, while locked in Park, without known ill effect beyond the tires.

    The best answer is still that one in Post #12, from ETC(SS) as reposted by ChapmanF.
     
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  16. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    I fling my shifter between R, N, and D with more or less complete abandon ... but I would work really hard to avoid engaging the parking pawl at any speed above creep. (But mind you, I'm in a Gen 1, where the park pawl really is a mechanical cable linkage - if I do something stupid there, the Chief Engineer can't help me.)

    -Chap
     
  17. uart

    uart Senior Member

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    Yep, I'm exactly the same. :) I change straight from R to D pretty much every morning when I reverse out of my garage. As reverse is purely an electric drive it definitely does no harm.

    Only once since I owned the car have I accidentally shifted to "P" while the car was moving. I meant to hit the "EV" button but accidentally hit "P" instead. (Silly mistake I know, they're the same shaped button but on completely different sides of the steering wheel). It was about 10 km/h and the car shuddered to a halt pretty quickly. It didn't seem to do any permanent damage but it's definitely something I don't want to repeat!

    Anyway, the original poster's question was just about shifting straight from R to D, and that's definitely ok. I actually think it's the preferable way to do it in a Prius. One interesting upshot about this is that it regenerates a small amount of power when you shift it that way. Whenever the acceleration is in the opposite direction to speed then the prius is able to "regenerate", and when you switch straight from R to D the speed is initially backwards but the acceleration is forwards.
     
    #17 uart, Apr 30, 2015
    Last edited: Apr 30, 2015