60K Transaxle Service on Gen 2 Prius

After reading several post's by those in the know here on PC, I elected to change the fluid in the '09 Prius that we own.

This is what I saw and noted while the "Toyota Technician" perfomed the work for me.

1. The appearance of the fluid was a dark reddish/brown color.
2. The fluid did not smell burnt, nor did it feel gritty, but rather slick.
3. The magnetic plug did not have any metal filings of any sort and did come out clean. I observed the tech. remove the plugs (top and bottom) for future reference so I could do the job myself later on if I so choose.
4. When the tech refilled the transaxle, he used a hand pump to pump the new fluid into the transaxle. It took him a couple of tries before the fluid began to run out of the top plug.
5. Once the fluid leveled off, he installed the top plug and made sure both plugs were tight. Then cleaned up everthing and brought the car back down.

The cost of the job with Toyota (stealer) doing the work was $134.36 I do agree that if you have the tools, the long plastic tube and a funnel along with a second person to pour the fluid in the funnel while you hold the tube underneath, that you should be able to DIY.

It was a simple drain and refill just as the "experts" here on PC have stated. I elected to have Toyota do the job the first time. Next time I will buy 4 quarts of the Toyota fluid, and have my nut turner (non hybrid specialist) do the work for me. I am unable to get under the car, and I don't have a lift or ramps. Yes, I am lazy, and I admit it. But I am also handicapped.

Final note: One so called Toyota (non Toyota stealer tech) told me the computers needed to be flashed otherwise the Prius would shut down. I did not fall for it. So, if you hear something like that, best bet is to go somewhere else. The Toyota tech did tell me that to do the job correctly, you simply drain and refill the tranaxle. No other work is needed to do that job. I did note by observation that the only thing the tech did was drain, refill, and clean up afterwards.

Edit: Also I must note that it is a possibility that the tech showed me the fill plug, rather than the drain plug hence the observation of the plug being clean with no filings. Read the whole string for more infromation including descriptions and photo's of both plugs. Thanks to Patrick Wong and 2009 Prius for their input, as well as cwerdna's input also. End of Edit

I am simply sharing the information for those of you who might be on the fence about the fluid change in the transaxle. I too recommend the change every 60K. Call it preventative maintenance if you so choose.

Happy driving and have a great day everyone!

Ron

 

I do agree, however the plug was clean. I too was very surprised, I expected to see filings, or at least a powdery buildup. I have seen plugs before from rear ends, and they were always coated with debris. I wish I would have had my camera with me.

 

Hmmm, after seeing your photograph, the magnet is DEFINITELY missing! Now that fact I am unhappy about. I am going to have to talk to Toyota about that. The plug has a hollow center rather than the magnet and the black circle around the magnet. I am going to call them after the holiday.

Has anyone noticed a missing magnet in their transaxle drain plug, surely mine is not the first? Or is this my typical luck

Thank you for the upload of your pic!

Ron

 

Thank you Patrick for this information. I will be talking with the head honcho after the holiday to find out what is going on. I know what I saw, and there is definitely no magnet in the plug the tech showed me. It was just as I described, a hollow center. There may be a possibility that the tech showed me the wrong plug by mistake as he did pull the plug out of the drain pan while the fluid was draining. He might have mixed them up.I did not see the head on the plug, but I will look closely at it once the car is raised up on the rack when I go back. I am definitely going to have get under there to make sure the plugs look like you describe, if not I am going back to the stealer real quick!

I am disappointed that he showed me the wrong plug, if that is indeed what happened. I know the tech is human, but at the rates they charge the mistake should not have happened.

 

I just looked under there, I can confirm that the drain plug is in the correct place. It is on the driver's side of the car, opposite of the engine side and it is the 10 MM hex head. With that fact, I at least know the drain plug is not reversed. My question is two fold at this point. Does the fill plug have a hollow center or is it a flat surface? Second question would be if the magnet is missing out of the drain plug, could it possibly be laying in the bottom of the transaxle somewhere? I tried to watch everything, but you know how it is when someone else is doing the work. It is times like this when handicaps can prove to be very disabling...

Any ideas on the two questions Patrick, or anyone else?

 

Yes, that is what I saw. I didn't see the washer, but the plug I saw looked like your picture. I did not see the head of it, only the end that goes into the transaxle. I should have paid more attention, but I believe I did not know everything I needed to know before this job went forward.

Now I am wondering if the magnet is there, missing, or what is going on. I imagine the stealer is not going to pull the plug without charging me again for another fill or at least a partial fill so I wonder should I take my chances and go with the flow for the next 60K, then look into it when that time comes.

Any thoughts on that?

 

Yes, I agree that would be the logical thing to think and do (relax, don't worry, be ) at this point. As I stated earlier in post #8, I am disappointed if the tech mistakenly showed me the fill plug. Either he did that or the magnet is not there. I guess it will be a mystery until 120K. At that point I will look at it again, and go from there.

Who knows, maybe the missing magnet will reappear

 

Thanks again for everyone's input on this string. As always, I learn a lot here on PC. I did make a note of the possible switch of the plug's when the tech showed me the plug, and I also credited those of you who added additional information to the string. In doing so, I added a paragraph to post #1.

Ron

 

Well, since we are on the subject of worry, I worry about the transaxle going clunk! That is why I changed the fluid, hoping it doesn't go clunk! Too many stories out there of folks with Prius transaxle trouble.

Ron