Wanted to know is this a very common issue with any modern Prius's from 2004-Present. Welll known Mechanic Scotty Kilmer claimed that these motors would melt over time since their is nothing to cool the transaxel. Whats your input on this?
He may be right about it eventually melting (when the Sun expands, if not before), but not about the transaxle not being cooled, 'cause it is. If that's the same Scotty Kilmer vid I watched a few years ago, it's full of stuff he could easily have got right if he'd bothered to spend 20 minutes with the New Car Features Manual. I'd have to watch it again to be sure, but who has the time? -Chap
He's not very clear about what he means by "melt". I've heard of shorts occurring in the windings of MG1/2, which might be due to overheating since the insulation on the winding is very thin by design. But I have no first hand knowledge. Wasn't an issue on my 2005 for over 100k miles, and lots of those cars still driving well past that. I also think I recall someone saying they're cooled with transaxle fluid? Or was it from the inverter coolant loop? (Let someone else confirm.) The most telling thing is that he went on and on about not having an alternator and giving the price to replace the entire transaxle. Yeah, the power to recharge the 12v he was showing comes from one or both motor generators, via the inverter, which he failed to mention or understand. But if the inverter is bad, or the MGs are bad, then that car is going nowhere. An equivalent problem would be a failed automatic transmission, not a bad alternator as proposed. He's focusing on the symptom, not the failure. Personally, I don't put a lot of stock in the video.
This problem probably occurs when you get an axle seal leak (mainly drivers side), you'll run low on transaxle fluid overtime and the MG windings overheat and "melt"
There's a big difference between well known and well respected. That video just demonstrates his ignorance: he doesn't know how to fix it because he doesn't know how it works. His logic is similar to that of folks who complain that simplicity and serviceability of carburetors and points-ignition make they superior to fuel injection, and electronic ignition.
