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Transaxle fluid change last night

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by nemebean, Sep 1, 2021.

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  1. nemebean

    nemebean Junior Member

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    Just changed the fluid in the transaxle on a new-to-me 2007 with 125k. Thought I'd write down my observations for posterity:

    • Driving the car up on a couple of 10 foot 2x6s gave me enough room to work and kept the car level through the whole process.
    • A surprising amount of fluid came out when I removed the fill plug. Luckily the floor where I was doing this is already a disaster so no harm done. ;)
    • An 18 inch breaker bar made removal of the drain plug soooo much easier. I spent way too much time messing around with a regular 3/8 ratchet.
    • Once you get the drain plug out, the fluid comes out fast! It almost filled up the funnel area on my container. Now I understand why it has a vent cap you can open.
    • 5/8 OD-1/2 ID clear tubing was perfect for this job. My funnel fit into it nicely, and the tubing fit tightly into the fill port so I didn't have to worry about it falling out.
    • The drain plug was pretty fuzzy, but no big chunks. The fluid still had some color to it so overall I feel pretty good about the health of the transmission. I suppose it's possible it had already been changed, but after seeing the condition of the cabin air filter I'm doubtful the previous owner would have done that.
    • ATF at my local dealer was comparably priced to Amazon, but they charged something like $3.29 apiece for the washers.:confused:
    • It feels really good to have done this and hopefully extended the life of a very expensive component. :D

     
    #1 nemebean, Sep 1, 2021
    OC63RAG, Mendel Leisk and ydpplqbd like this.
  2. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Where is the vent cap you can open?
     
    #2 edthefox5, Nov 27, 2021
  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    If you could find it, wouldn't opening a vent cap make the fluid come out even faster??
     
    #3 Mendel Leisk, Nov 27, 2021
  4. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    Considering it is very wise to crack open the fill port before draining the transaxle, there shouldn't be much need for a 'vent cap'.

    Sure would suck to drain that puppy and then find out you can't remove the fill plug.
     
    #4 TMR-JWAP, Nov 27, 2021
  5. 2010moneypit?

    2010moneypit? Active Member

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    I think he was talking about the vent cap on the drain pan.
     
    #5 2010moneypit?, Nov 27, 2021
  6. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    Now that you mention that, it makes much more sense. All the oil catch containers I've used have the tops that are sloped toward the center with about a 3/4" hole in the center (with a thread in plug). Off to the side is a 1/4" diameter vent with a cap that just pops on or off depending on whether you're draining into it or transporting it.
     
    #6 TMR-JWAP, Nov 27, 2021
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  7. Another

    Another Senior Member

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    #7 Another, Nov 28, 2021
  8. nemebean

    nemebean Junior Member

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    Yep, exactly. There's a little plug you can open on the top of my catch container that would allow air to vent as the fluid fills it. With that closed, the air was trying to get out the same opening the ATF was trying to get in and it didn't work well.
     
    #8 nemebean, Nov 28, 2021
  9. Colorado Boo

    Colorado Boo Active Member

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    Great to hear! While not critical, it's a good idea to torque the plugs to 29-37 ft/lbs unless you are experienced with snugging them up.

    AND you saved yourself a TON of money by doing it yourself! I was at my dealership picking up some oil filters and asked the service guy what they charge to drain/fill the CVT in a Prius....$320.....dang!!

    Next time, just order the plug crush washers on Amazon...90430-A003 or the newer is 90430-18008....I keep a stash as that's pretty standard in Toyota's. (We have 5 in my family)
     
    #9 Colorado Boo, Nov 28, 2021
  10. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    It may be 29 ft/lbs for both. 29 is spec'd for the fill bolt, but I didn't see anything for the drain plug (hey it's lifetime fluid...). For 3rd gen both bolts are 29, fwiw. 2nd gen transaxle fluid check (Repair Manual excerpt) attached:
     

    Attached Files:

    #10 Mendel Leisk, Nov 29, 2021
  11. Colorado Boo

    Colorado Boo Active Member

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    Good catch, Mendel, I forgot he was servicing a 2007!!
     
    #11 Colorado Boo, Nov 29, 2021
  12. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Too, 2nd gen has different bolts for fill and drain. Again, I couldn't see a torque spec for the drain bolt, though I didn't look that hard. A little frustrating if they're omitting it. 29 (or heck, 30) for both couldn't hurt.
     
    #12 Mendel Leisk, Nov 29, 2021
  13. Ds001001

    Ds001001 Member

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    When I got my transaxle fluid changed in 2012 at autobeyours Prius salvage place in Indiana they filled from the side by removing a 10mm bolt. I changed mine yesterday and loosened the three 10mm bolts on the side, the one on the right was the first one I opened and there was a pressure release sound. But.. when I tried to place a tube in all three, the holes had a back and tube didn’t go all the way in. I didn’t try the 10mm next to the electrical connection. I wish I would have taken a photo of which bolt they filled through on the side.

    has anyone tried filling that way ?
     
    #13 Ds001001, Nov 30, 2021
  14. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    This is from the 2nd gen Repair Manual, shows the fill and drain bolts:

    upload_2021-11-30_7-37-5.png

    You should fill through the "filler" hole, with the car level, till it starts coming back out. You used Toyota ATF WS?

    Pdf attached:
     

    Attached Files:

    #14 Mendel Leisk, Nov 30, 2021
  15. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    What 10 mm bolts on the side? Like Mendel shows only has a fill bolt and a hex dump bolt in the bottom.
     
    #15 edthefox5, Nov 30, 2021
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  16. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Never seen a catch can with a vent and a cap. Why lol?

    Sounds like it would make a holy messy as it did with you Just use the super wide oil change bucket they sell at parts stores. Then you just pour it into a Plastic container with A cap on it. No mess.
     
    #16 edthefox5, Nov 30, 2021
  17. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    No.
     
    #17 edthefox5, Nov 30, 2021
  18. nemebean

    nemebean Junior Member

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    It's both the catch and storage containers in one. There's a wide funnel on top that you use to catch the oil, and it goes directly from there into the storage container. For regular oil changes it works quite nicely because the oil doesn't come out so fast. It worked for the ATF too, but I had a few nervous moments as it nearly overflowed the funnel part. Cracking the vent would have avoided even that.

    Most of the fluid I spilled was because I didn't have the container in place yet when I opened the fill port. I wasn't expecting much, if any, fluid to come out when I did that, but I got a nice little puddle before I could get the funnel under it.
     
    #18 nemebean, Nov 30, 2021
  19. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Was the car level when you removed the fill bolt?
     
    #19 Mendel Leisk, Nov 30, 2021
  20. nemebean

    nemebean Junior Member

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    Pretty close. The garage floor where I was doing this is old and not perfectly level, but according to the bubble level on my phone it's within a degree or two. All four tires were up on 2x6's to give me room to work, so it should have been basically level.
     
    #20 nemebean, Nov 30, 2021
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