2014 CVT Fluid Change Concern

The vehicle needs to be level front -back and side - side, if its elevated in front it will leak out before accepting the proper fill.
When I change mine I use ramps under the front tires and jack/ jack stands for the rear.

And I make sure my mothernlaw is not visiting lest she kick the jack stands out and lower the jack in the middle of my drain/fill.

 

Per the Service Manual...with the vehicle level...3.3 liters (3.5 US qts, 2.9 lmp.qts) with fluid level between 0 to 10 mm (0 to 0.394 in.) from the lowest position of the inner surface of the transaxle filler plug opening.

 

You wanted Toyota ATF WS, but I would not bother to drain out the other.

 

WS would be the safest bet. Does Redline specifically claim its D6 can substitute for WS in a Prius? In the Castrol applications book at Advance Auto, I noticed Castrol claims one of its ATF recipes (I don't recall its name.) can.

 

ATF is frequently used as a lubricant/coolant in mechanical transmissions, in the Prius it also needs to be an insulator, as the 650 volt Motor/Generators are bathed in it to cool them. I suspect very few brands are tested to be insulators. (they may be good insulators, but are not tested as such) This is also why I recommend changing the ATF, any suspended solids will reduce their insulating properties. My favorite interval is 30,000 miles than 90,000 miles then every 90,000 miles.

 

I would take the car to a good independent and put the correct Toyota fluid in it. My local guy charged me very little to do the transaxale along with the engine oil -- they did them together

 

The fill bolt is towards the rear, so with a front to rear down-slope, you've underfilled a bit. If you were using Toyota ATF-WS I'd say just raise and level it, and do a top up. But:

Toyota doesn't "recommend" Toyota ATF-WS, it strongly cautions to not use anything else. Considering their tone, and the transaxle being more-or-less unique, this is one time I definitely don't want to be a rebel.

There's other owners here using alternate fluids, but if it was me, say I'd just acquired this vehicle and learned it was freshly filled with Redline fluid, I'd treat it as contaminated fluid:

1. drain and fill with Toyota ATF-WS
2. drive, then drain and fill
3. drive, drain and fill.

Taking 3.5 quarts per, that'll be 9 quarts, maybe get 10, for insurance.

Bolt torque is 29 ft/lb.

 

That's the standard home mechanic way, right?
Next time I do this, I'm going to tape a bubble level to my car door using blue painter's tape. That way, when I jack up the rear of the vehicle, I can be sure that it's level.

 

I prefer safety stands all around. Don't like putting them at the scissor jack locations though, put them close by to those loc's, on reinforced spots on the underbody.

 

Definitely, but with the front on ramps, you only need the two jack stands in back.

 

Uhm, yeah.

I'm sorry, coffee kicking in. Ramps actually freak me out. Haven't used them in about 30 years, found them a bit too exciting, prefer the slow and steady of floor jack, especially in confines of a garage.

 

Ramps and the incidence of product liability lawsuits have changed over the years. I'm sure that most modern ramps are much safer than the ramps of years past.

FWIW, I'm not too comfortable with the front jackstand locations, seems like a lot of weight (engine/transaxle) dangling off the jackstand pivot point. So I keep the floor jack under the front jack point, with a partial load on it, plus the front jackstands.

 

This is where I put front safety stands. Picture is showing driver's side, looking towards rear:



I use a similar strong point on the rear location, but the load is a lot less, not as critical.

 

I use the same locations in the front, but the frame still "creaks" when the car is lowered onto the jackstand, very unsettling. Still leave the floorjack under the front jack point for peace of mind. Then I release the front jack partially so that all three (floorjack + two jackstands are taking partial loads).

 

Good idea, I just find the jack's in my way too much. And yeah, you can see the car underside go from convex to concave, along the length, as the load transfers from jack to safety stands, there's definitely some flex.

For piece of mind I push a section of tree stump under, just back of the engine bay.

 

Wrong way for lifting a vehicle