My daughter just got a 2001 with 202K on it. It has had the battery redone with GEN2 cells and reconditioned. It seems that the transaxle is bad now. My options are to replace the bad transaxle (how much does this cost?) or try to sell as is. Any idea on what the value of it would be as is?
Almost nothing as is. A parts car for most at best. Can you do the R & R yourself? I think it would be expensive to pay someone to do the work, impossibly expensive at the dealer Not sure I'd attempt it, and I am kinda crazy and have access to a junkyard with a Prius transaxle
It's certainly above my ability to replace it myself. I'm still checking into some other DIY options.
Find a good condition 2001-2003 Prius with a bad battery pack and swap them out. Sell the rest to a Prius part recycler.
It's much easier to swap out the entire drivetrain as one piece rather than splitting them inside the engine bay and just removing the transaxle. This is a good idea and probably cheaper too although if the refurb battery has a warranty it's most likely tied to the original car.
Those are not easy to come by and I'm the person described in the "who should not own a Gen1 Prius" thread. I have too much invested in this car already. I'd put maybe another grand into it, but that's about my limit and I think this option is above that.
I think it's time to part company with it. For you and your daughter it's worn out beyond reasonable repair cost. Buying another and switching in parts is not really practical unless you enjoy it and can do it yourself. Nobody's asked, but what are the symptoms of the bad transaxle? Have you tried changing the oil? Does it drive?
See the other thread "MG1 or ICE problem" I'm pretty sure that it's the trans. It will not start. A/C checks out. I'd love to do it myself but I lack experience, time, space and tools. Yah, I know, I'm not the ideal Gen owner, but I love them! I have 3 now including this one. The other 2 have had no trouble. I may just end up replacing the ICE and the trans and hope for the best. If I do this, what other components might need replacing too?
What fault codes (if any) show up? I'm curious how you determined that the transaxle is failed, at 202k on a 2001...
P3120 with 240 subcode. Checked the A/C clutch/pulley and it's fine. Checked the crankshaft pulley and it's free. See the thread I mentioned above.
