Toyota Prius 2010-2015 Transmission drain and refill

Glider,
You lost me. There is no filter in this simple gearbox. We're talking about the transaxle, correct?
Gen2 had a magnetic drain plug on the transaxle. Gen3's don't, but they are available for sale, or you can add your own magnet.
The magnetic drain plugs work because they have ferrous fuzz on them at ATF change time.
I'm done explaining this.
Have a good weekend....

 

Bill, you are absolutely correct. I went off the reservation and forgot we were talking transaxle instead of engine oil.

 

I change mine today after 2 years and 5 months @ 77K+ miles, the ATF smell very bad, the used fluid turn dark purple, the smell hard to described, I have a buddy(strong arm guy) assist to break loose both fill and drain nut, he did the dirty works, I only help pour in with a funnel and about 3 feet 3/8 size clear plastic tube, drained out 3.25 quarts and put back 3.5 quart, no fluid overflow out yet until I added another 1/8 quart then it just barely overflow out, so 3.5 quarts is correct amount.

Test drive after everything put back and the car feel a lot smoother and quiet, the transition between EV and engine assist barely noticeable, I don't notice anymore gear groaning/grinding noise at slow pickup speed about 5 MPH, overall result is very satisfied, will see any increase in MPG later on next week, my daily commute about 150 miles round trip daily and there are many start/stop trips.

Toyota dealership charge almost $3 on the washer (highway robbery) ATF-WS like $12 plus local tax, when I go to dealership get the oil and washer, the part counter guy kind of like laughing at me said "You shouldn't change it yourself because it's lifetime...!!" then I told him about it is serviceable because I read on the service manual, then he said..."how do you determine the level, they need to hook to a tool to read the temperature to determine the fluid level." I think they BS me, but anyway...I bought the fluid and washer and left, why argued!! This a dealership in city of Palo Alto California.

So...I suggest that if any Prius owner wants to change the ATF fluid should have a friend help pouring the fluid using the "funnel - tube" method, it works and less messy.

 

This is what I used... to fill the ATF fluid from top passenger side down, you can see and access the filler plug after open the oil change access panel, no need to remove the entire under panel. It took about 30 - 45 minutes at most.

 

That about sums it up. Good job nedear!

Ignore the parts guys, they're parts guys...

 

Good job Sir,

Thanks for your time and effort to share.

 

As long as the car is level, getting the correct level is foolproof. As long as you refill 'till it starts coming back out you've got it right.

 

Good video, but I'd change one thing. Loosen the fill plug before the drain. If you drain the fluid, and have a problem with the fill plug, you have an empty transmission, with no way to move the car.

 

Indeed good video, but shouldn't the plugs be properly torqued at 29 ft.lbf?

 

Anyone else notice in the service manual that the fill level needs to be rechecked after some driving? CVTs in other vehicles require this step as well to make sure you don't overfill with cold fluid.

When I do this I would drive around the block a few times and then remove the fill plug again .....I expect some fluid to come out.....then add additional fluid until it drips out.

 

Except other than being called an eCVT it has absolutely no similarity to any CVT gearbox out there.

 

The first time I changed the fluid I waited a day (the car was driven) and rechecked: there was no change to the level. Didn't bother next time. And I doubt the pros would call you back in for a recheck.

 

I have changed transaxle fluid once and will do it again soon. I was not happy with the level so I am going to go to a level parking lot and put my levels on the areas I used and see if they are ok.

Where are you guys leveling the car from?

 

I put my level on the crimped edge at bottom, under the doors. I don't think it's super critical: if they do it in a shop they just put on a hoist, more-or-less level.

 

I also checked my transaxle fluid level after the first refill and after driving for a week. No change in level.

 

Since my driveway is sloped away from the house, what I do is back my Prius up, then placed a pair of rams on the front wheels. I changed oil this way too.

 

Thanks for all the feedback on getting the proper level. I suppose another fool proof way to ensure proper level is to measure the amount of drained fluid and add back the same (or close) amount. Like many other fluids, WS tends to expand/rise once reaching normal operating temperatures. Taking an extra 10 minutes to re-check the fluid might be worth the extra peace of mind.

 

Mehh: it's takes me the better part of an hour just to get the car raised and level. I'd pass on that. And regarding correct fluid level: just fill 'till it flows out, let it drip a while, done.