DIY Transmission Fluid Change?

Yes, Weber State is the name of the University. John Kelly is the name of the Instructor. (host)


Automotive Technology

 

A mess and a mechanical failure begging to happen.

Which makes me hope the seals used to separate the wet and dry sections of our transmissions are the best on the market.

 

so far so good, probably the strongest point in the gen 3 drivetrain.

 

While I use Toyota "Branded" WS ATF and Toyota "Branded" engine oil/filter in both our Prii and the RAV4 HV...it is ONLY for convenience of shopping. I have more than enough miles now to know they at least won't hurt the vehicles when changed more frequently the Toyota's minimum recommendation. If someone wants to use other "compatible" fluids and filters based on the promise of better and/or cheaper...then more power to them. Now if you folks want to "discuss" the horrible ramifications of cross using the "wrong" fluids when it comes to previous Ford, Chrysler and GM ATFs...I've got some stories for you.

As it applies to the Prius though...using spec "or better" fluids will not harm the components. The thing "most' of you get wrong is change cycle though. NEVER trust Extended Life or Lifetime recommendations. That is what is we call cheaping out and lazy. Also...using higher viscosity engine oil does not hurt your engine. If fact as it applies to Prius, might benefit overall durability. Low viscosity's "only" claim to fame here is the barely measurable slight improvement to MPG...not to prevent wear...thus "another" oil burner.

"Full" Synthetic is better when compatible. More frequent change cycles is always better.

...and for God's sake, flush your brake fluid.

 

I don't mind going 10K in the Prius with oil changes, as I know some of those miles are on electric and I'm rather tame when I drive that car. My wife's Mini Cooper calls for 10K miles intervals; I still change the oil every 5K and the filter every 10K. It's a high revving engine and by 5K miles the oil is looking far more diminished than my Prius at 10K or my Highlander at 5K.

Last oil change on the Prius I used 5w20 synthetic, just because I had a jug of it at home. Haven't noticed any real changes in mpg or driving. The ICE might be ever so slightly quieter, but that could be just me. Next change going back to 0w20.

I generally stick to three 'rules' when it comes to oil changes:
1) I buy the cheapest synthetic at the time in the recommended weight(Amazon is great for deals)
2) I buy high/higher quality filters(Baldwin are my preferred)
3) I do 5k in the oil and 10k on the filters.
*There are of course exceptions like with the Prius.*

I once read a post where someone said their friend in Germany drove a GenIII Prius and the oil spec'd there for the car was 5W30 synthetic. Living where I live and the temperature never getting very cold, I'd be comfortable using 5w30 myself, knowing I'd not damage anything, I won't though, I suspect mpgs would drop a tick or two using that higher weight and I specifically own the Prius for mileage.

How often should the brake fluid be flushed and replaced?

 

This is what Honda Canada advocates, I believe on all their vehicles: the in-dash Maintenance Minder alternates between Oil/Filter Change, and Oil Change only. FWIW, anytime I've asked a Honda dealership to abide by this, they've treated me like I'm nuts. Just one more thing that drove me back to DIY. One thing I do, at oil change only: I'll remove and drain the oil filter, then reinstall. Works a charm.

Toyota Canada recommends tri-yearly or 30K miles (48K km's):


(excerpt from Canadian 2012 Prius Warranty and Maintenance Booklet)

Toyota USA continues to keep quiet on the subject. THIS is telling I think, that the required maintenance varies around the globe, intervals, oil weights and so on.

 

Didn't think about draining the oil out of the filter at the 5k oil change mark, rather good idea. Get maybe an extra 1/4 quart of old oil out. Thanks!

I'll have to look into that then, Prius has 55K now and I'm sure it's on the original brake fluid. Hopefully it's not too hard to drain, refill and bleed.

Yeah, the same exact car can have different intervals and different weights of fluid depending on the country/region. Some differences make sense, due to extreme cold or extreme hot temperatures. Others seem almost arbitrary.

Edit: Forgot to add, I pour a bottle of fuel injector cleaner down the tank every 5K, when I do my oil changes. I usually buy whatever is cheapest/on sale at the time, try to keep it around $3.00 or less a bottle. Cheap insurance for a healthier fuel system, imo.

 

Watch @NutzAboutBolts video #18 here:

Nutz About Bolts Prius Maintenance Videos | PriusChat

I used a couple of pints of Toyota DOT3, and managed to get through, with help from my wife pushing the brake pedal at appropriate times. I used an oversized hypodermic style syringe with tube extension, and very thin spout, to baste old fluid out of the reservoir at the start. Other'n than that, everything else was just pushing the brake pedal, with the bleed bolt cracked, and a kosher fitting pushed onto the bleed bolt nipple, and a tube running down to a Kirkland Mayo jar with a hole in the lid.

When you pop the lid of the reservoir you'll see an internal plastic basket, with a very narrow slot. In order to baste a decent amount, your baster device needs a pretty narrow tip. Maybe have a look in advance. I had a Mighty Vac kit on hand, with lots of little attachments I could use; I've now used everything BUT the Mighty Vac itself, LOL.

There's a chicken dance at the beginning you must follow, to accomplish this without Techstream. It's kosher, also explained in the Toyota Repair Manual. That text advocates a somewhat different order than the video: Front/Right, Front/Left, Rear/Left and Rear/Right.

I noted the level in the reservoir at the outset (you can see two levels, before and after opening the driver's door , which activates a pump, and drops the level a little. I noted both, opted to finish up the process at the latter (lower) level, with a little bit of fresh fluid held in reserve, just in case. I monitored for a few days, the level stayed stable, so I just recycled that small reserve, with the old fluid.

@NutzAboutBolts video is invaluable, showing the technique (particularly with the conventional front brakes) to push and hold the brake pedal, and open/close the bleed bolt. Many quick blips of the bleed bolt open/shut are best, and the video shows this very well with split-screen. The rear brakes are where you can move a lot of fluid fast: you just depress the brake pedal and a pump chugs out the fluid. Again, be sure to shut bleed bold while the brake pedal is depressed, but much easier than fronts.

 

My dealer says for gods sake do not flush your brake fluid. Took my car to the dealer I bought it from new 11 years ago for a brake flush. They will not do it. They found many ABS units failed upon flushing the system. He said the whole Autoway dealer network no longer flushes G2 brakes.They waved me off. I was surprised.

My brake fluid is 11 years old. Not bragging not happy. Keep thinking somethings going to go wrong with the brakes so i will have the whole system done then but the brakes keep on working fine. The pins concern me though.

 

Maybe gen 2 brake fluid change is tougher than third gen? I think coolant changes are thus. Third gen repair manual has an instruction for replacing brake fluid, specifically noted to not need Techstream, putting the car in "invalid mode". I've attached the excerpt above. And @NutzAboutBolts video follows this, apart from changing the brake bleed sequence.

My wife and I did this, no problems. Old-school DIY trick that's not in the Repair Manual, is to get the ball rolling by basting out and replacing the reservoir's fluid with fresh.

But yeah, second gen, if dealerships are having problems, maybe best to let sleeping dogs lie.

 

...or maybe best to find a better Service Department.

Lifetime DOT 3/4 Brake fluid, Lifetime ATF, Lifetime Antifreeze, running fresh engine oil (any fluid) through a dirty filter, OCI changed from 5K to 10K using lower viscosity?

 

Update: Just went over the 4,000 miles mark on the Redline D6 and the car/transmission runs fine. Really no different than before the change.

 

Or maybe Autoway mechanics know alot more about it than you do considering they work on these cars every day.

 

Think and do what you will.

Respects to Autoway Mechanics, but they are not even qualified to pour oil in my world. An ASE won't even get hired as an apprentice.

 

Yeah tough to live in your world.

 

...and I have the scars to prove it.

 

Well, my 2012 is about to hit 104K miles and that will be around 60k miles I've put on Red Line D6 Transmission fluid. Zero transmission problems, issues, noises, literally zero.


Some other my Prius tidbits:

Around the 60-65k mark I permanently switched over to 5k oil changes and 10k filter changes using a 5w-30 synthetic, as I started burning a quart+ every 5k, and that's too much. Using the 5w-30 has it down to about 1/2 (maybe a little more) quart of oil consumption every 5k, which is more reasonable. Fuel mileage is relatively the same. I might try 5w-40 next oil change, just to see if the oil consumption goes to near zero.

IMO, everyone should be using 5w-30, especially in these 2010-2012 engines that love to consume oil. 20 weight is too thin, more-so at the end of the oil change cycle.

I pour a bottle of fuel injector cleaner (whichever is cheapest in bulk on Amazon) in the gas tank every 5k on all my cars, have good results. Cheap preventative maintenance and I like my cars running their best at all times.

Brake fluid is original as are the brake pads, still stops the same as day one. Coolants are original, though I had to add about 3-4 ounces of distilled water to the reservoir around the 90-95K mark, to top it off. Was probably fine as is.

Overall, this Prius has been the cheapest, most cost efficient car I've ever owned. Oil changes and tire rotations every 5k, one transmission fluid change and one $15.00 windshield washer pump replacement. Cheers!

edit: Forgot to add, I did get the dreaded Toyota clear-coat failure a couple years back, most severe on the roof.