How many miles should I go before transmission fluid is changed. Do you recommend taking it to a dealer for this? I'm not sure I trust an independent mechanic to do the job. Also, if it is changed, how much should I expect to pay for this service?
When I did that at my dealer, it was $60, part and labor, http://priuschat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38272 I think you should change it before 60k miles. See these threads, http://priuschat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38524, http://priuschat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38609 With the right tools, I guess anybody can do it. Check out hobbit's site, http://www.techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/maint50k/
Heh. The right tools, aka the Really Long Funnel, are shown more properly in this. The whole deal with my own inverter was somewhat for curiosity and fun... . _H*
Mine was $60 too. I did it at 30K to see what kind of wear the fluid was taking, and to flush out any metal filings that may have worn off through break-in. It wasn't too bad, but it wasn't near pristine either. My next service will be 60K and I'll probably have it done again. If the fluid looks better than the first time I may go longer. If it looks about the same I'll probably settle on a 30K interval.
$60 for drain and fill. According to galaxee, http://priuschat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28970, you can't flush the transmission. The fluid itself is around ~$40, so $60 is a fair price, IMHO.
Transmission Fluid I've done several transmission fluid change in my lifetime from my own vehicles and a number of vehicles that belong to my relatives. I've never done a flush and all of my DIY change are 'drain-and-fill' type of job. Two of my vehicles reached over 200K on the original trans. I plan to do my trans. fluid on the Prius right around 30K as well. It is cheap insurance and the fluid + trans. filter should not be that expensive.
I did my own transaxle change for less than $25 (4qts WS fluid @$5.20ea + $1.60 for two "crush" washers). The only special equipment required is a funnel with an extra long hose attached which is shown in the link posted above by Hobbit. There is no "flush", the procedure for the Prius transaxle is more similar to draining and refilling a differential than it is to servicing a typical auto transmission.
I plan on doing a trans fluid replacement a little sooner than 30K. Its cheap insurance. Here's what I'm using: Best trans fluid made: http://www.redlineoil.com/products_gearlubricants.asp?productID=115&subCategoryID=18&categoryID=8
I would recommend you collect a sample of the unused oil and send it for oil testing. For $20, you can compare this oil to virgin sample tests of: Type T-IV - 2001-03 Prius Type WS - 2004-current Prius Amsoil ATF (NOT RECOMMENDED!) Based upon the Amsoil ATF testing, I would recommend pulling intermediate samples at 1k, 2k, 5k, 10k, 20k, and 'ending' miles. When I tried Amsoil ATF, I found high Cu wear rates, which is why I don't recommend Amsoil ATF. Oil makers tend to use additives to improve viscosity and lubrication properties but these additives may chemically react to the copper wire and insulation of the electric motors. In the case of Amsoil, a viscosity equivalent of Type T-IV, the viscosity did not 'shear down' like the Type T-IV test results showed suggesting the higher stresses may also have been involved. I have no problem with testing different ATF oils but strongly encourage you to include oil sample testing in the protocol. The "Red Line" may be perfectly OK or it might strip the varnish from motor wire leading to a short and early transaxle replacement. If the early samples look "OK", you could lengthen the subsequent test intervals. Before starting the test, send me a PM with a mailing address and I'll forward some oil testing containers. A proper test costs about $20 and I've been partial to PdMA who can do a 40C/100C and viscosity index test. You might also test the old oil because there is some carry forward, undrained oil, in the transaxle. By comparing the first 1.5k and old oil sample, we can calculate the dilution from the old oil. Bob Wilson
According to the Redline link you provided, a gallon is $40. I can get an approximate Imperial gallon - 4 litres - of genuine Toyota WS from the dealer at $40 As others have stated, please do elemental analysis to determine if this product is appropriate for the Prius HSD
100,000 miles You only need to "flush" and change the trans fluid at the 100,000 mile interval. If you are overly cautious you ccan do it once after about 15,000 to get out the "whatever was left in the manufacturing process" stuff, which in the trans really isn't anything.
Re: 100,000 miles Maybe this really is the Devil's Advocate talking, because I would strongly disagree, as I believe most of the experts would based on their extensive analysis. I did mine at 54,000 miles, what I thought was well before what the experts were saying which was 60,000 miles. However, it looked "used" if that is the right word, not bad, but it definitely needed it and if I had known I probably would have changed it closer to 45,000 miles or even sooner.
I think you guys should use only the Toyota Fluid. I dont think Regular ATF, Amsoil, or any other fluid is compatible with our CVTs. I know on the back of the Mobil 1 ATF synthetic bottle it says "not recommended for use in CVT transmissions" Using the wrong fluid is a great way to reduce the life or destroy your tranny. Wow i just realized this is a 2007 thread revived. Great job
Re: 100,000 miles It depends on what your objectives are. If all you want is a 200k or so miles out of your car (maybe more) and to have it in good enough conditions to sell, then Toyota recommended intervals should do the job. OTOH, if you actually give a crap about taking care of a nice hunk of machinery, then an early change and regular changes after that at some reasonable interval is the thing to do. Both approaches are rational and justifiable. Some people are appliance operators who measure everythng with $$, and some people like to take good care of their cars. I hope my bias isn't showing. My 1st transmission oil change will be someplace between 5k and 15k miles. I haven't decided when yet. After that, someplace in the 30k to 60k range. I haven't decided that one yet either.
Its closer to 3.7 or 3.8 qts for a drain and refill. I just did mine for the second time and I put in all 4 qts, but then allowed it to drain from the fill hole for 20 or 30 min until it wasn't dripping anymore. The specified level (in the factory manual) is 0 - 5 mm from the bottom of the fill hole with the car level.
Re: 100,000 miles The fact is that there are NHW20s out there with 200k+ on them that have never had the transmission oil changed. It's unclear from the US service guide whether Toyota even recommends that it be changed (it does recommend "inspection"). The bottom line is that it just doesn't seem to be very critical. Every 60k seems to be the consensus and (if anything) it's cheap insurance for your transmission. But there just haven't been many reports of NHW20 transmission failures.
