Sludge on transaxle drain plug

It will be interesting to see what my fluid looks like after 127,000 miles.

 

There has already been some data collected using R&G lab so if it's not too much trouble maybe you would consider using R&G lab to add to the collective knowledge. Ask for basic analysis plus viscosity index. Mention Bob Wilson to get a small discount.

 

Thanks for the comment! I am still ambivalent about it. On one hand I did the early change at 5K miles, thinking to get rid of the initial bunch of metal filings. On the other hand the used oil was not that black, and the filings were not very thick at all on the magnet compared to other people's who changed at higher mileages, and the piece of needle would have been stuck on the magnet even if I had not changed the fluid. Let's wait until I change the fluid next time. If I get a thick layer of filings on the magnet like other people got then the early change was probably a waste.

By the way the magnet seemed quite weak. I thought about adding a strong magnet but chickened out in the end - what if it got loose and stuck on to one of the MGs.

 

Interesting. I clearly see yours but like Dinger Greg, mine does not have a washer. It is one piece I assure you. They must have stopped using washers between 2005 and 2007.

Probably because they discovered they were not needed. Say they stopped including that washer in 2007. Total produced units from 2007 to 09 is approx 970,000 USA only x .29 ea for a washer: $231,400 saved. Not bad.....and thats not including JDM.

 

What? Dinger Greg doesn't mention anything about not having a washer, nor does he show any photos.

So why do 2009Prius's photos show the crush washers in at least two of his photos. (In addition to the one I annotated for you previously take a look at the far left of the last photo in his group, it shows the second crush washer for the fill plug).

 

Yes my car has washers for both plugs. I agree the washers looked so thick and not deformed that they could be reused a couple of times.

 

The transaxle drain and fill plugs definitely are equipped with aluminum washers. Although it is possible to reuse the washers (and I think one reuse is acceptable), according to the Toyota repair manual new washers should be installed each time.

My practice is to buy a bag of 10 washers as needed, to keep a supply on hand (as I own three Toyota vehicles and replace transaxle fluid at 30K mile intervals.)

 

I wonder how much of the metal particles carried by the oil sticks to the very strong magnets in the electric motor rotors, I do not think they would have enough mass to be thrown off by centrifugal force. Has anyone dismantled the motors from the transmission found sludge stuck on the rotors.

 

Patrick, how would you describe your fluid on the subsequent 30K changes? Does it still have that same dark/dirty look at 60k, 90k, or does it look a little cleaner each time? Some of the oil analysis reports suggest increasing cleanliness, but most of those are on 60k intervals.

 

With my '04 Prius, I did my first cvt fluid change at around 12,000 km. Fluid came out very dark and there was the "sludge" on the magnet

I did a followup fluid change at around 30,000km, and the fluid came out very clean with minor "sludge" on the magnet

A fluid change at 80,000km the fluid looked very clean and the magnet was clean.

That tells me an early initial fluid change offers the most benefit

Since the WS is essentially a semisynthetic automatic transmission fluid, it offers no electrical insulating properties. The same fluid is used in the 5 speed auto transmission in my FJ Cruiser

An automatic transmission fluid has friction modifiers and other additives to ensure proper performance with the clutches and bands inside an automatic transmission.

If you were to pour something like WS fluid into an oil bath transformer, and turn on the transformer - from a very safe distance of course - you would be treated to a very spectacular fireworks show

If you were to pour transformer oil into the cvt case, you wouldn't get much life out of the cvt. Transformer fluid is a thermal working fluid, it's role is to prevent the transformer from overheating and to also provide electrical insulation

 

Good to know. Are you planning on an every 50,000 km service schedule, or will you stretch that to every 100,000 km (i.e. 180,000 km for your next one) given the condition of your fluid at 80,000 km?

 

I would agree that the initial transaxle ATF fluid change offers the greatest payback with regards to getting dirt and metal particles out of the transaxle. Subsequent fluid changes should show cleaner fluid.

However, I have two reasons for changing the fluid: 1) to get rid of accumulated debris and 2) to restore ATF viscosity to new levels. The used fluid has reduced viscosity which implies a reduced ability to lubricate and protect the moving parts. This is why I like 30K mile intervals instead of 60K mile intervals.

For those who have to pay their local dealer (through the nose) to do this change, I would say that 60K mile change intervals are better than not doing it at all. However if you can DIY which keeps the out-of-pocket cost low, then 30K mile intervals seem fair to me.

 

Odd...in your pictures the dump plug is clearly missing the washer and looks exactly like mine. No washer. If you look at my original post the fill plug has a washer which is plainly visible in the picture but the one with the sludge in it which is the dump hex has no washer.

Maybe I lost it in the 5K dump I did a year ago. I was pretty careful with it though. And its not leaking.

I looked in my Prius manual and it does show a washer on the dumpo plug.

 

Don't have to look closely.

I clearly see washers on both the dump and fill plugs photo's you have there. There very thick and very noticible. Thank you. Your right.

There is clearly no washer on my photo's of my dump plug. So I looked under the car to see if it was leaking and found the washer stuck on the cvt case. Not sure how I missed it as I cleaned that area good. It must be really stuck on. But you can see it clearly in the photo.
Sorry for the bother.

 

Quick question here. I'm preparing to do my transaxle oil change and have a question about the 24mm nut. Is there enough clearance to use a 3/8" drive ratchet with a 1/2" drive socket and an expander (3/8" to 1/2") or do I have to use one size for everything to keep the total length down?

In other words, is there a lot of space between the 24mm nut and whatever is directly behind it?

 

I just used a 1/2" drive 24mm socket and I didn't notice it a particularly tight spot to reach. From memory I think you'd get a 3/8" drive plus 1/2" adapter in there, but that might be getting a little tight.

 

Originally I wasn't going to post these but since you asked:





Now I looked at the photos, the washers do look like deformed at the inner edges. I have to go home and find the old washers to confirm. At any rate they are not too expensive so it's better to replace with new ones - better safe than sorry.

 

Yes they were just visible in your original photos. The washer for the drain plug was showing at the very top of your 5th photo and the filler washer was just peeking into the frame at the far right of your last photo. I'd already pointed it out (twice) to Ed and even annotated one of the photos and shown a big green arrow pointing to it.

Am I the only one that sometime feels like they're wasting their time trying to explain stuff here. .