WS Toyota trans

Toyota ATF WS always...
You won't save much if any with other products..

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

you can use Valvoline Max Life, no issues with it. There are no clutches on this type of transmission (aka power split device)

 

Hmm, it says it is compatible with Toyota Toyota T III, T IV, and WS spec.

The funny thing is ATF T III is not compatible with ATF T IV which is not compatible with ATF WS. Go figure.

The price difference is not compelling either.

 

That would make them happy, as that's what they'd like you to suspect. (Just don't think too hard about declaring simultaneous compatibility with multiple incompatible lubricants.)

That's been discussed here before, and Prof. Kelly has touched on it in a series of videos, including this one.

 

Didn't notice if Prof touched on testing any lubricants with (gas chromatography mass spectrometry). Basically his suggestions are just conjecture without knowing what additives make the base lubricants compatible. Also can't say it isn't possible one of the major manufacturers packages one of the lubricants under the Toyota branding.

Regardless the price difference isn't prohibitive.

 

Whether or not he or you may have relied on chromatography or mass spec, if you looked at that video you saw the same content breakdown I'll paste here:

Code:

TIMELINE:
0:00 Start
0:30 How I discovered the NIST
3:00 Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) history project
6:50 The first ATF Specification
10:00 Worldwide availability of ATF
11:10 All 17 GM ATF specifications chronology
11:56 An actual GM ATF specification (DEXRON HP)
13:45 HiTEC 3491 "B" Additive package requirement from Afton Chemical for Polyalpholfein (PAO) Base Oil
15:27 Afton Chemical product data sheets
16:50 36 Test requirements of Licensed GM Dexron HP fluid
19:16 Aftermarket Non-Licensed Multi-Purpose, Multi-Vehicle, Universal ATF
21:28 Counterfeit ATF example
22:42 Modern potentially counterfeit ATF or ATF with misleading labels on a bottle
24:40 MUST SEE: Example of Castrol ATF with misleading label on the bottle
30:00 MUST SEE: Example of Valvoline ATF with misleading label on the bottle
34:10 Example ATF Product Information sheet
38:30 Another Example ATF Product Information sheet
40:42 "Suitable for use," "Meets Requirements," "Recommended for Use," and other terminology
41:14 MUST SEE: Example of O'Reilly ATF with misleading label on the bottle
42:54 MUST-SEE: "Suitable for Use" Terminology example
43:30 Example additive data sheet with Suitable for Use" explanation
50:30 The ATF and NIST relationship
51:40 The California laws in relation to ATF
1:01:30 NIST Handbook 130
1:03:20 NIST Website and "About NIAT" video
1:06:35 NIST State compliance
1:08:50 NIST Fuel and Lubricants inspection law
1:09:25 NIST uniform Fuels and Automotive Lubricants Regulation
1:11:23 NIST ATF container and labeling requirements
1:14:20 NIST Documentation of claims made upon product label
1:16:00 Video summary

and that there's also an entire playlist of which that whole video is just the tenth installment:

The History of Automatic Transmission Fluid - YouTube

To wave that away as "his suggestions" and "conjecture" might be a bit on the facile side.

 

What can I say, I wasn't about to watch the 10th installment, much less the history. Why? TL;DW.

 

But felt no compunction about calling it "his suggestions" and "conjecture" not only without watching, but apparently also without attention to what it even was you hadn't watched.

 

The WS fluid is proven with some Prius having over 300000 miles and never changed it. Why try another brand with questionable performance for saving $20?

 

the use of Valvoline MaxLife has been discussed a lot in other auto forums.. Most purist will say that universal ATF is an abomination and will throw you viscosity index and other stats that they're no good without even trying it for themselves (at least they slept in Holiday Inn!) I've Valvoline MaxLife without any issues in other cars (Volvo XC90, Ford/Lincolns, BMWs, Mercedes) With regards to the Prius, there are no clutches to worry about viscosity that will cause slippage that's common on standard transmission.. I've even seen 200k miles Prius that weren't replaced with fluid at all that still runs fine.

I've use Valvoline MaxLife to top it off when I lost fluid when replacing the cv axle, I lost a lot maybe almost 3qts and car is still running with no issues..

 

Some people might not be 'purists', and might not say stuff like 'abomination', but are willing to learn stuff from, say, a full-semester course in a well-known Automotive Technology four-year program, on the idea that sometimes "I tried it myself and my car still runs" doesn't reveal all there is to know about a topic.

 

Or just heed the Owner’s Manual advice.

One thing not in the manual, but I found it in one Toyota edict: only use freshly opened bottles. Maybe it’s prone to absorb moisture?

Priuschat member @Raphael Muscarelle, having transaxle woes, was having a hard time finding any salvage yard transaxle, unsealed and maybe out in the elements, that was not seized.

2011 Prius noise taking off | Page 6 | PriusChat

 

Doesn't the Prius transaxle contain two large electric motors, so lots and lots of insulated wire. The recommended Toyota fluid is formulated with that in mind, I wouldn't expect any other ATFs will be. So I would stick with what Toyota says to use.

 

That is one thing often forgotten when people say "hey, no fancy bands or clutches in there".