My 2012 Prius C contains 3.5 qts of Auto Trans Fluid. I have been unable to find a dip stick to check the level. Does anyone know for sure how to check this level?
The official method is remove the tansaxle fill bolt and with the car level: feel with a finger, if it's level with the bottom of opening, or less than 10 mm lower *, it's good. In practice, if there's no leakage, I'd leave it alone. It's worthwhile to change, say every 30000 miles. The fluid to use is toyota ATF-WS. * that 10 mm number might vary, might be 5, might be 10.
Thanks Mendel. Guess it's not planned to be user friendly unless you have a lift, pit or real thin body.
If you have some ramps you can check it easily. I did the ATF fluid change at 30k with ramps and hand tools. Chris
Neglected to mention, the car should be level when you check. I've changed the fluid a couple of times, but never check the level in between changes: just too much hassle. If you're not seeing leakage it's fine.
In short, if it's not leaking, where did it go? Answer: It didn't go anywhere. Engine oil can "disappear" because it gets burned in combustion, either by getting past the rings, or through the PCV system. If there are no leaks, there is no reason to check the transaxle oil, because it's all still in there ;-)
