Filler/Drain outlets for Transaxleoil

I have an 07 and I think yours is the same as mine in that it has no inspection pan for the CVT. Underneath the CVT there's 2 dump hole bolts. In fact there's only 2 bolts on the bottom. One is a big male regular bolt. Thats the transaxle/inverter coolant dump hole. Don't touch that. There another smaller hex head bolt (female) right next to it towards the drivers side. Thats the CVT fluid dump hole. I think its a 15 MM hex head socket. The fill hole plug is a big regular bolt about 6 inches directly above the dump hole on the side of the CVT towards the front of the car. You can't miss it. Make sure you get the fill hole off first before you dump the fluid. Its a bad day if you dump the fluid and can't refill it. I never heard of the fluid your going to use. Hope its full synthetic.Save some of the pull for future oil analysis.

Edit:: I googled Super tech and its Walmarts name brand. You will be much much better off with Toyota WS. Its a dirty hassle changing it out yourself so because of that its worth using the good oem stuff. Just my opinion. Its only 4 quarts.

 

I think the photo 9G posted was originally taken by Hobbit, and I may have quickly added the red arrows indicating the drain and fill plugs

Some heads up to avoid trouble:

1. Always take the fill plug off FIRST. If for any reason, the fill plug is seized or cross-threaded and stuck, you sure don't want to find out after the oil is drained out

2. The normal-looking drain plug bolt about 4 inches below the black hose, is the inverter coolant drain plug. For the LOVE OF GOD do NOT remove this by mistake

3. Consider using the correct WS fluid. It costs me around $20 if I do it myself

4. Consider getting new washers for the drain and fill plugs. I've reused mine three times now, and they still appear to be in good shape. YMMV

 

Thank you all for such great information as I am looking to do a transaxle fluid change in the next 2 weeks when I hit 30K on my 2008.

I called 3 dealers to see what they would charge to do the service. One refused to do it saying they have never done one and Toyota does not recommend it. One wanted $89. The last one wanted $200.

The instructions seem very easy to understand - 4 quarts of WS from the dealer, 2 washers - 1 for fill plug, 1 for drain plug, the pictures are great. The only remaining questions are 1) the funnel used...any recommendation on length & bottom opening size? - I would rather have it right before I pull the fill plug to find the one I selected was not right. And 2) are there torque specs for the drain and fill plugs?

Thanks again everyone

 

Torque spec for the drain and fill plugs is 29 ft.-lb. As Andy mentioned above, you need a 10 mm hex key socket and a 24 mm (or 15/16") six-point socket.

Ed and Jay rightfully pointed out that you should remove the fill plug first to ensure that you can complete the job. Another reason to do so is that the oil will drain more gracefully when air can enter via the fill hole. If you leave the fill plug installed you will have a big mess as the drained oil gurgles and splashes everywhere in an unpredictable manner.

You will need a funnel with a total length of three feet from the top of the funnel to the bottom of the tail. The size of the tail's outer diameter should be around 0.5" or so. When you remove the fill plug you will see that the diameter of the fill hole is pretty big.

I bought a black plastic transmission oil funnel with a separate flexible plastic tail, works perfectly for this purpose because the funnel is rigid and large enough to stay upright and in place when I place the funnel between the inverter and radiator and snake the tail down to the fill hole. I taped the junction between the funnel and the tail with electrician's tape to ensure no leaks.

An alternative to using a funnel is to purchase a hand-operated pump that screws onto the bottle. However I believe a funnel is much easier to use than a pump.

 

I have used the cylindrical pumps before (the big syringe type) and they aren't that great. Mine got the job done but fluid leaked around the plunger and out the back end. I think the funnel is the better choice.

 

Wow, what a ripoff. I buy a four litre tin can - yes, a rectangular tin can - of WS from my dealer. It's yellow and claims Made in Japan, with a lot of Japanese lettering on it

The 4 litres cost $20, or $5 a litre, Canadian

When I did an early service on my FJ, I played it safe and got two tins of fluid. It's a bit tricky to get the correct fluid level, following the factory shop manual procedure is *essential.* I have a fluid transfer pump that makes quick and mess-free work of refilling

 

I checked the specifications:
Dextron-VI / Type WS / parameter
29.5 / 24.6 / 40 C cTs - (+19%)
5.8 / 5.5 / 100 C cTs - (+5%)

The oil analysis company I use, PdMA, reports that a 15% viscosity loss indicates the oil is worn out. In this case, the cold viscosity range of Dextron-VI versus Type WS has exceeded this 15% change. The 5% change in warm viscosity is a significant offset but does not meet the 15% threshold.

Based upon the viscosity, the expected result is some higher drag during the warm-up that typically takes ~30 minutes. Also at cruise, the transaxle will run a little warmer as the oil warms and thins out. However, having flushed out the latent material with the old oil, you should have a net reduction in rolling drag.

This poses an interesting thought about how to handle transaxle oil flush. If doing the first change, use Dextron-VI for the first change and then 1-2,000 miles later, flush it and replace with the Type WS or Type T-IV.

Now the situation changes when comparing virgin Dextron-VI to Type T-IV:
Type T-IV / Dextron-VI / Type WS / parameter
35.3 / 29.5 / 24.6 / 40 C cTs
7.4 / 5.8 / 5.5 / 100 C cTs

If someone wants to try a different transaxle oil in their NHW11, Dextron-VI might be a better choice than Type WS. However, it is important to measure the early wear materials to look for excessive metal rates.

GOOD LUCK!
Bob Wilson

 

The first time I changed the fluid in my Prius, it was "snug" but not *that* tight. I probably would have gone monkeys*** and started beating the car with a sledgehammer, but that's the way I am

Now, the front axle fill plug on my FJ, it *was* that tight. Plenty of grunting, swearing, and scraped knuckles getting that baby to budge. And I'm built like an 800 lb gorilla, except bald.

I'm pretty sure with my FJ, I was around 10 seconds away from grabbing the sledgehammer.

 

Actually, PriusChat has an unusually high number of scientists/engineers - eg Yours Truly - with a PhD.

 

Hi Andy,

It sounds like you were just using a simple Allen key on the drain plug. A better tool would be a 10 mm hex key socket, as this would allow you to use a 1/2" ratchet wrench (or breaker bar) and enjoy substantially improved leverage.