Modding the Prius shifter may be easier than we thought...

Yesterday, I disassembled the Gen III shifter that I purchased from a wrecking yard. I am trying to acquire a Gen II shifter.

I have uploaded photos of both for your information.

Time and time, again. we have been told that the shifter cannot be modded. to the forward position forDRIVE and the backward position for REVERSE.


Well, that might not be true. Apparently, there are Toyota makes probably two SHIFT POSITION SENSORS; one for the RIGHT HAND DRIVE PRIUS and another for the LEFT HAND DRIVE PRIUS.

From the part on the sensor for the 2010 shifter, the Toyota number is 89451-47030. A search of a vendor's web site reveals;

Toyota Parts - Frank Toyota, Scion & Hyundai

While the part is expensive from the dealer, it is CHEAP at wrecking yards.

I have NOT yet acquired the Gen II shifter, but the sensor is located on the LEFT side of the shifter. The Gen III sensor is located on the RIGHT side of the shifter as on the Prius"v" shifter.

It is quire possible, although not conformed, that switching the sensors one for the other would reverse the actuation mode for the shifter. Basically, it would made the forward mode of the lever put the car in DRIVE and the backward movement of the shifter go in REVERSE.

That would, however, not change the mode on the diagram on the car's instrument panel display.

I will report on the Part Number of the Gen II shifter when it is available.

Basically, if my conjectures are correct, changing the shift lever sensor is all that is need for this mod.

That would mean, after the shifter is removed from the car, only two Phillips machine screws and one multi-pin connector needs to be removed and replaced. It also means that the shifter can be returned within minutes to the OEM configuration.

However, I will not be doing this mod on my own vehicle, since I have gotten used to the current configuration in two years, since I have acquired my Prius"v."

 

Here's a thread that posted on the teardown of the Gen III shifter.

Gen III shifter teardown and examination... | PriusChat

The design of the OEM shifter is complicated, since the shifter is designed in function like a mechanical shifter that has been in service in automobiles for 70 years or more.

A switching horizontal Hall Effect switching logic board alternates from the NEUTRAL-BRAKE mode to the REVERSE-DRIVE mode.

In the NEUTRAL-BRAKE mode, a Hall Effect "rotary sensor"switches On-Off the BRAKE mode.

In the REVERSE-DRIVE MODE, a Hall Effect "rotary sensor" has the switching effect of a DOUBLE THROW with in either REVERSE or DRIVE.

Here is a link to the electronic push button shifter.



Apparently the 16 wires on the complicated harness and connector block has been replaced by only four.

The circuit board of the electronic push button switch has to be no more than four micro-switch buttons or membrane switches connected to a few transistors in the proper configuration to affect the desired switching to shift the transmission.

It would be a simple matter of buying one of these shifters and reverse engineer the logic circuit.

There is apparently no patent or patent pending on the shifter.


If I were an electronics manufacturer in China or Hong Kong, I would be manufacturing all sorts of these for every Prius model out there.
They can make them for less than $5 each and retail them for $50 each and still make a bundle.