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Sludge on transaxle drain plug

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by dinger_greg, Feb 23, 2011.

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  1. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    There isn't a lot of space and the radiator may get into the way. Also you may find that a 3/8" ratchet wrench will not give you sufficient leverage since the handle is relatively short (unless you put a pipe extension over the handle, which potentially risks damage to the ratchet mechanism).
     
    #41 Patrick Wong, Feb 28, 2011
  2. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Sorry your right I made a mistake. I missed that.
     
    #42 edthefox5, Feb 28, 2011
  3. jdcollins5

    jdcollins5 Senior Member

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    Not to highjack this thread:), BUT I just changed my transaxle fluid a couple of weeks ago and I failed to follow one of the recommendatins on another thread. Install your fill plug, or either do not remove the fill plug, before removing the drain plug.

    I am not sure about the differences between the Gen II and Gen III, but I removed my drain plug to check the level and then started removing the drain plug. The fluid started out very slow and when I went to unscrew the plug more, it popped out, the fluid hit a cross member and fluid went everywhere.

    By keeping the fill plug in, it helps keep the fluid drain flow at a controllable rate.
     
    #43 jdcollins5, Feb 28, 2011
  4. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    With 2G, if you leave the fill plug in, then the flow of the drained fluid will be glug-glug-glug as air enters via the drain hole. This causes the fluid to splash around and make more of a mess than if you remove the fill plug which allows the drained fluid to smoothly flow out.

    ATF WS has very little viscosity (certainly when compared to motor oil) so it should be pretty easy to clean up if you spill it.
     
    #44 Patrick Wong, Feb 28, 2011
  5. jdcollins5

    jdcollins5 Senior Member

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    Yes, the clean up was not a problem, as you say.

    Could you back out the fill plug slowly until you had some air going around the plug? That is what the other thread seemed to be recommending.
     
    #45 jdcollins5, Feb 28, 2011
  6. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    You could try that.

    However I haven't had trouble with the transaxle oil drain. My process is to put some newspaper on the driveway below the transaxle, then hold up the drain pan near the drain opening with one hand, while removing the drain plug with the other hand. The point of this is to catch the fluid near the drain opening, then slowly lower the drain pan in accord with the path of the draining fluid. No mess, no drips...
     
    #46 Patrick Wong, Feb 28, 2011
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  7. dinger_greg

    dinger_greg New Member

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    I backed out the fill plug slightly and that helped control the speed that the fluid drained.
     
    #47 dinger_greg, Feb 28, 2011
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  8. dinger_greg

    dinger_greg New Member

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    For the fill plug I used a 24mm deep socket with no extension and had just enough room. It was a tight fit though.
     
    #48 dinger_greg, Feb 28, 2011
  9. 2009Prius

    2009Prius A Wimpy DIYer

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    As promised I dug up the old washers and indeed they were deformed at the inner radius:
    [​IMG]
    but remain flat on the other side and look like may be reused:
    [​IMG]
     
    #49 2009Prius, Mar 14, 2011
  10. dinger_greg

    dinger_greg New Member

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    They look slightly deformed, but probably could have been used again if needed. Thanks for sharing the pictures. I had a heck of a time removing the drain plug when I changed my fluid. The bolt was torqued very tight. For the fill plug I am going to purchase a standard socket next time I change the fluid. The deep socket I used really limited the room I had to work.
     
    #50 dinger_greg, Mar 20, 2011
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