1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

"it's the tranny. $4,800 bucks".

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by Burchie, Jan 10, 2011.

  1. Burchie

    Burchie Junior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 27, 2008
    22
    6
    0
    Location:
    Corona, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Long story short. 2008 with 64,000 miles. When the engine turns on, the car sounds like a jet taking off. Everything seems to be running normally. No check engine lights, nothing. Went to the dealer, got a call around 5 tonight, "it's the tranny. $4,800 bucks". HUH? "yeah, never seen this happen before." So after I picked myself up off the floor, and opened and drank that one last emergency beer that I have been saving since I stopped drinking. I told him to hold on to it and I'll call him in the morning. So it's going to be a long night hunting and searching on the internet for info. Can anyone send me a couple links to get me started in the right direction? Is this a transaxle failure as what happened to Actros?

    Oh, yeah. I bought an extended warranty at time of purchase to 60K miles. Well, the service guy said that the factory one is to 60K and he has no idea what I bought. "Never seen anything like that. Most go to 75 or 100K" BUT I have 64K anyway.

    Any help would be great.
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    definately get a scond opinion.
     
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    definately get a second opinion. and price!
     
  4. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 4, 2005
    12,544
    2,122
    1
    Location:
    SF Bay Area, CA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Besides, the second opinion, you should get this dealer to elaborate why they think it's the transmission. If you look in your warranty booklet, you'll find that quite a bit of the hybrid system (but not the entire transaxle) is warranted for 15 years/150K miles under the CA emissions warranty.
     
  5. donee

    donee New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 15, 2005
    2,956
    197
    0
    Location:
    Chicagoland
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Hi Burchie,

    It does sound like a shorted winding in one of the motors, but do not trust me. Get the opinion of Patrick Wong, or Bob Wilson ( on Yahoo ).

    Luckily, this is a very rare occurance, and there are many more cars that have been totalled due to accidents, and you should be able to get a good used transmission for much less than $4800.

    One midwest source is autobeyours.com , in Ca talk to luscious garage (do a google search, they are in the San Francisco area).

    I beleive the transmission is on the 5 year, 60 K mile waranty. You might call Toyota to get them to chip in some of the repair. They have been know to do so on cases where a failure occurs just after the waranty runs out...
     
  6. bretaz

    bretaz Member

    Joined:
    Dec 3, 2010
    475
    52
    0
    Location:
    Surprise, Arizona
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Burchie,

    I had an 03 that had the transaxle go out in 04. It was 2 years old and had 74k miles. It was not under warranty, and was going to cost $7,000.00. However, my dealer contacted Toyota USA and they agreed to "goodwill" it since it should not have failed. I paid nothing. Not even the tow bill, or rental car.

    I would ask your advisor to contact Toyota and request some assistance on your behalf. If they don't get results, then you should initiate contact. I would be surprised if they didn't work with you.

    Also, they told me they took the motor out to put the new transaxle in. :eek: Not sure if they still do that.

    Keep us posted.

    Bret
     
  7. freidawg

    freidawg Prius Recycler

    Joined:
    Aug 22, 2010
    111
    35
    0
    Location:
    Denver, CO
    Vehicle:
    2003 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    In my experience (others experiences may differ) gen 2 (2004 - 2009) transaxle failures are very uncommon. Especially at that mileage. Gen 1 (2001 - 2003) transaxles are more common.

    Your dealer should be able to provide details as to how they arrived at that conclusion. The Diagnostic Trouble Codes that they can read from your cars computer are a good place to start. These will be in the format of an Alpha charachter and a three digit number. Like Pxxx or Cxxx followed by a three digit numeric sub code. Be sure to get the whole code. There may be more than one code stored, be sure they give you all of them. Also, have them tell you what other tests they may have performed. (e.g. tested windings with megohm meter etc.)

    Post what they tell you here and let the community help.

    IF it turns out that you need a transaxle, I could have a low mileage one at your door for less than $1,000. I can not quote labor for shops in your area, but in the Denver area that install would run $1,000 - $1,200 max.

    Eric
    800-508-2211
    Adopt A Part
    Denver, CO
     
    1 person likes this.
  8. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2007
    10,096
    4,795
    0
    Location:
    Clearwater, Florida
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Very odd there's no check engine lights which tells me its not a electronic or motor failure but more like a mechanical failure like the chain.

    Did it sound crazy loud scraping mechanical noise that tracked the gas pedal?

    In any case a cvt failure without a dashboard full of warning lights is a first on this board.

    BTW, your extended warranty should cover it in any case.

    Good Luck and get more infor from the dealer. You have our interest now.
     
  9. tf4624

    tf4624 Active Member

    Joined:
    Dec 4, 2009
    525
    51
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Snake oIL.. sniff sniff.. its can't be right.. might be something with the electric motor.. Tranny doesn't do anything while in park.. and i guess did you tow it there and or did you try driving it see what it would do before you took it in?
     
  10. Burchie

    Burchie Junior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 27, 2008
    22
    6
    0
    Location:
    Corona, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    I drove it. Heck it's been to palm springs and back. 200 + miles. Runs fine. Just sounds like a jet plan taking off. Windows up at highway speed can't hear it.
     
  11. Burchie

    Burchie Junior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 27, 2008
    22
    6
    0
    Location:
    Corona, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Well I thought I bought an extended warranty but my paperwork say I bought a 60/60k one. Well that's the same as the factory one. So what did I buy for 1500 bucks? A duplicate factory warranty? So going to get that figured out 1st then see where we stand.
     
  12. Mike Dimmick

    Mike Dimmick Active Member

    Joined:
    Aug 8, 2008
    963
    247
    0
    Location:
    Reading, UK
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    If you didn't get a Check Engine light or the Master Warning Light (a red ! in a triangle on the dash - this makes much more sense in Europe, where that's the general-purpose road sign for an hazard), there won't be any codes reported. The service manual caters for this with 'Problem Symptoms' look-up tables for conditions that aren't detected by the on-board software, or where the thresholds to trigger the DTC haven't been met.

    I'm going to assume that by 'jet engine' that you mean that the engine is revving hard. In the Problem Symptoms table in the service manual, under 'Surging', it says to check the fuel pump control circuit, the spark plugs, and the injectors.

    Some links related to surging suggest that a clutch could be slipping in a conventional car. In the Prius, there isn't a clutch but there is a 'torque damper' or 'transmission input damper', which is similar. This is a limited-slip component, similar to a clutch damper plate, which slips when there is excess torque. This part bolts to the engine's flywheel and has a splined centre to connect it to the transaxle's input shaft.


    [​IMG]

    (first-generation Prius torque damper, from Prius 1st gen - Replacing Transaxle.)

    The damper has an MSRP of $609.63. Fitting it means pulling the engine and transaxle (disconnecting both from their coolant loops), splitting them apart, unbolting the old damper and fitting the new one. Not especially cheap, but cheaper than a new transaxle. (The MSRP for the transaxle is $3,470.18.) Prices from Champion ToyotaWorld, which also has discount prices. The discounted price for the damper is $463.32 and for the transaxle $2,637.34.

    See http://www.2carpros.com/articles/engine-surges for general advice about engine surging.

    If it does seem to be the damper, ask to see the old one. It should be dry. If there's any significant amount of oil on it, ask them to check the little-end engine bearing seal. If that's leaking, the problem will happen again. The seals should normally be good but can be damaged by oil overpressure, which can be caused by overfilling the oil.
     
    1 person likes this.
  13. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2008
    11,627
    2,530
    8
    Location:
    Southwest Colorado
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Two
    Fantastic post, Mike. Thanks for the education. OP might want to post an mp3 of the sound to help our forum diagnosticians.

    I figure that if my Prius develops a serious problem, there is going to be a fair chance that I had something to do with it.
     
  14. Burchie

    Burchie Junior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 27, 2008
    22
    6
    0
    Location:
    Corona, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Thanks for all the help. I'm about to go up there, and my anxiety level is so high I'm about ready to fall over. I'm not a confrontational guy. Just a simple man with simple needs that seems to get the run around when I go looking for answers at the dealer. That's why I went with Toyota to attempt to avoid this. I even bought an XB last May to make us a 100% Toyota family. I'm going to go up there now and see what all the service and finance people, who sold me the extended warranty, have to say. After I get all their stories sorted out, and my head screwed back on straight, I'll start looking at more of the technical side of what needs to be fixed and how. Again thanks for all the help, and I'll keep you posted.

    Just to add to the jet noise, I thought it was a belt with out the high pitched squeal. The car accelerates and shifts, (if that's what you call it) fine. No lose of power, or high revving (sp) like a clutch on a manual transmission car. just a whining sound. They did say it took them a while to find it, looking at valves and stuff on top of the engine. It wasn't until they got it on the lift to find where the noise was coming from. Like what was said earlier, no codes?

    Ok... wish me luck. I have a week heart and a good lawyer.
     
  15. BobD

    BobD New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2011
    10
    0
    0
    Location:
    Winona, MN
    Vehicle:
    2001 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    The symptoms sound a lot like what I'm currently going through with our '01. It started with a vague humming that I thought was the tires. It proceeded to a howling sound that increased with road speed but not with engine RPM. It's ended with a dead car in the driveway, no starting, and no way to drive it to the shop. My car is salvaged but ran perfectly for 8 years. Still, no hope of warranty help. Hope your situation works out better!
     
  16. Burchie

    Burchie Junior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 27, 2008
    22
    6
    0
    Location:
    Corona, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Ok... just got back. Good news. Everyone and their brother has driven it, and they still believe it's the transaxle, but they have never seen one in the beginning stages of failure. Usually by the time they get them, its in 50 pieces. So the regional service guy is going to come out today or tomorrow and have a look to verify that's the problem. And due to the low miles, and only being 4K out of warranty. And that Toyota is the only ones who has ever touched the car because we bought the extended service plan, there is a "good chance" it's all going to be taken care of. As for the extended warranty, all we extended was the basic from 36m/36K to 60m/60K. But for the price we paid, 200 bucks more we could of gotten the 100K plan, and everything would of been covered. So we shall see.
     
  17. bretaz

    bretaz Member

    Joined:
    Dec 3, 2010
    475
    52
    0
    Location:
    Surprise, Arizona
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Burchie, glad to hear that. Toyota really took care of me when mine went out. I hope they do the same for you. Sounds like there is some good dialogue going on.

    I know the sinking feeling you are talking about. When they told me it would be $7,000.00 I was speechless and started shaking. When I hung up the phone, I was thinking "this car is totalled". My guess is it will take them a week to get the parts and do the work. They will probably give you a rental car, too.
     
  18. TommyV72

    TommyV72 New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 17, 2010
    6
    0
    0
    Location:
    Denver, Colorado
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I agree with FREIDAWG, uncommon in Gen II and not so uncommon in Gen I. I have some great pics of a small thermal event in a Gen I box. My shop would do the install for $7-800. max.
     
  19. uart

    uart Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2009
    4,215
    1,200
    0
    Location:
    Australia
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Ok, so it seems like that's a bearing of something in the trans-axle that's on it's way out.
     
  20. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2007
    10,096
    4,795
    0
    Location:
    Clearwater, Florida
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I like Mike Dimmicks take on it. The clutch biscuit sounds good but the op says its not "slipping". But then again its gone from an airplane taking off to a whine so who knows.