Low Transmission Fluid

I would bring it back to Cottman and give them 4 quarts of ws fluid and have them drain the entire thing at once. There is no advantage in doing it a quart at a time. The old fluid mixes with the new fluid and your end result will be slightly cleaner fluid.

 

Prius transaxle isn’t traditional automatic transmission. There aren’t hydraulic parts inside. No point in changing it one quart at the time. Just change all fluid at the same time. No need to use computer to change fluid.

 

It's best you go and change it out asap, but if your guesstimate is correct about 1/2 quart low, it won't be the end of the world.

 

i wouldn't risk it. the oil is supposed to be up to the bottom of the fill hole. don't know if it will cause damage, but better safe than sorry.

 

Driving for a week will not be a big deal as long as its only a 1/4 or 1/2 quart low.

 

Go back and get it all changed asap. If you knew "for a fact" exactly how low you were, the sense of urgency might change, but at 155K you are past needing to change the ATF anyway. Your questimation about the level is just that, so don't chance it. That is an expensive tranny.

 

^^ What he said.

 

Since you want to be safe and not sorry, there is nothing safe about driving the car while knowing the transaxle ATF is low. You are risking damage to a part that will easily cost four-figures to replace even if you install a used transaxle.

There is absolutely no need for Toyota Techstream. The job is a simple drain and replace. Also you are wasting time and effort by not replacing all four quarts of ATF-WS at once.

Since you do not want to be sorry, you will regret DIY if you don't have the correct tools and do not utilize a safe repair method. Get a decent 1/2" clicking torque wrench and the necessary sockets: a 24 mm (or 15/16") six-point socket and 10 mm hex key socket. Don't buy the cheapest tools you can find at Harbor Freight.

The 10 mm socket probably will come in a 3/8" size so you'll need a 1/2" to 3/8" adapter. Make sure you can raise up the car safely on jack stands. If the car is too low it will be hard for you to find the transaxle fill plug and exert the necessary force on the torque wrench.

Another reason why you might be sorry about DIY is if you open the drain plug and let the old ATF drain out; then find that for whatever reason you cannot open the fill plug. So always make sure you remove the fill plug before you remove the drain plug.

The point of using a torque wrench is that your idea of "tight" may not be the same as mine. That is the reason for a torque spec. If you really can't afford a torque wrench then strive to tighten the fitting using the same force you had to exert to remove the fitting.

 

Harbor Freight makes a decent $10 (with coupon) torque wrench.

Check this out;

Torque Wrench Testing - Shop Tools - Car Craft Magazine

 

Harbor Freight makes a decent $10 (with coupon) torque wrench.

Check this out;

Torque Wrench Testing - Shop Tools - Car Craft Magazine

Just remember to return it to the lowest setting after use.

I own Snap On's and about twelve others. The 3/8 inch Harbor Freight is a good deal.

 

+1...HF 3/8 is the one I have and it works well.

 

What's done is done and there's no looking back. Hopefully you'll be fine, if not, the car will let you know by throwing a DTC code. You shouldn't feel any gears shifting in the cvt transmission. It's only 1 gear.

 

Why did you only get 1 quart again? You still have 2 dirty/old quarts of fluid in the transaxle.

Since you went through the trouble of taking it to someone, why not buy 4 quarts of WS and 2 crush washers, then have them drain the transaxle completely and refill with new/fresh fluid? SMH

 

What he said.

 

You've bought yourself some time. My 2 cents: sometime soon, get it completely changed. Sounds like you're game to DIY. It's not that hard. There is NO need for computer interface, it's purely mechanical job. Do keep in mind the car should be level when adding fluid, to get the level right. Just pour in till it starts coming back out. A pump will work, but is kinda overkill. Just a funnel with a longish hose (around 3 foot) will work. Snake it down through the engine compartment. A helper to pour while you watch for it to start overflowing is a good idea. Get the info on the 2nd gen fill and drain bolt types, in advance.

I've done DIY change of ours twice now, and we're only around 49000 kms.

 

Hi Emily,

As JC has said, there are no gear changes due to the design of the "power split device". However what you observed is a thing and I do this all the time too. I find that after my initial acceleration, which is brisk 10-13 MPG (US) (18-23 l/100 km), I can back off the accelerator and maintain the same rate of acceleration but decrease my instantaneous fuel consumption (->20-26 (US) 9-12 l/100 km). This is one of my secrets (now not so secret) to better MPG's. The phenomenon is do with the computers re-jiging the combination of ICE and electric motor contribution to the total power output and not gear changes like in a manual or conventional auto.

I don't know what to tell you about what you have observed, but I don't think it is cause to worry. Keep an eye on it it, hopefully it is just a temporary aberration and normal transmission (pun intended) will resume in due course.

 

Have the Transmission fluid changed. Rack up the extra money already spent to experience.