Question on cooling channel difference in transmission

I purchased a JDM engine to replace my warn out 2015 engine/transmission combo... it looks like the one I got has a slight difference, I am guessing it is a cooling channel that was deleted on a later model? I am posting both pictures - the JDM has the hoses attached. If you look it has an extra plate on the transmission with hoses going out and back into the normal cooling passages. If you look in that same spot on the one that came out of the car it looks like that plate would have origninally gone on that same spot however it appears deleted. Is it safe to just leave this deleted "not hook up the hoses in this location?" if not - what year has these hoses as one of them is cut and I will need to get that replaced. First picture is the JDM engine/transmission the second is from my 2015.

 

Is there a way to tell for sure if it came from a Prius V (assuming that is the plate) and gear ratio vs another version? is there tag on it I can look at to tell what it came off of? I don't want to drop mileage 6 to 7mpg and will get with the person that sold it to me to get a different transmission if needed.

 

I was hoping they would have put a stamp on the case somewhere... the person that sold it to me just said he had never had anyone complain about them and they are all the same, all of them are like this from Japan. I find it hard to believe as they also have some shown in the listings on ebay that don't have this cover. His response - install it and let me know if there is a problem... no one complains it will work fine... easy to say when it is a long install and removal process but putting 50k on the car a year 7 to 8mpg adds up quickly ugh...

 

When I got the car a year and half ago with appox 200k miles on it, I was told they had stayed on top of all the services everything has been good up until about 25k miles ago... at around 300k when I last changed the transmission fluid (now has 325k). It was thick and black... once I put in new fluid the transmission started clunking when starting and stopping - has been doing it for the last 15k to 20k miles.... could I keep going on it? Possibly, however as I need a new engine at this point I am choosing to replace it due to this clunking that started presenting this noise. I replaced all the suspention parts hoping it was something other than the transmission. New axles, struts etc... all bushing look good but the ones that didn't get replaced will get replaced with the new engine (a arms being the only ones that didn't get replaced still servicable but starting to weather check/crack in some spots so going to do PM). All the engine mounts looked good at that point and still look decent (but putting in new ones with the engine swap). Only thing that changed between the clunking and no clunking was a fluid change and it was thick and black so I felt I was on barrowed time with it. While doing it, I am going for them both due to that clunking (and I did check the levels to validate it was full and it was the correct fliud got it from the local toyota dealer).

 

I don't recall entering the prius model however that is corrected to show the correct year as it is a gen 3...

The transaxle clunking being a gasket leak? wouldn't that present something else like loss of fluid or some other symptom over 15k+ miles? You could at times take off easy enough to not get the noise to reproduce and stop slow enough that it wouldn't clunk but it wasn't always the case.

I think that all here agree the final drive ratio is an issue, and I will need to re-program the computer to sync up correctly with the transmission most likely if I did end up using that one. The vendor that sold it to me isn't moving on it until it is installed and proven it is incorrect - and that means I will either be out ~600 dollars or ~12 to 16 hours time... either way I need to figure out the best plan here. Removing and replacing isn't a small task. Looking at the manual it appears the replacement procedure of the transalxe is also removing the engine unless I read that incorrectly.

His respose is - this isn't for sure out of a prius from Japan - this engine and transaxle combo comes in multiple vehicles in Japan and it should be geared the same. Everything I am reading indicate the same things people are seeing here, however what he is saying also holds true they do have these engine/transaxle combo's in different vechiles in other vehicles from what I tell. Does that mean they are geared different? I don't know and is it worth finding out? I don't know that is the 600 dollar question...

When I came and posted here - I needed to understand where to get a set of hoses if I did choose to use this transmission and also know what potiential issues I would face. One issue was one of the hoses are cut and cannot be re-used that was a hose going between the purple area and green area posted above. The second is the connection of the hoses going from my cooling system to the transmission connect to the green area instead of one to the green and one to the purple so I would need to replace one of the hoses going to the green area and have it go into the green area. So I would need to get 2 new hoses. As it was posted, I do have the option to just use the cooling for the posted green area as that additional cooling was used because of the heavier car. Now that choice was mine, I would be able to source the hoses knowing now what it comes out of potentially.

 

How much coolant would you have expected to leave the cooling system in 15 to 20k time with an issue like that? I would imagine you would have built up pressure in the cooling system and/or a considerable loss of coolant? The only thing that changed between the time of the clunking and not clunking was changing the transmission fluid from thick black to clean fluid again.. and it was noticable on the first drive after changing the fluid.

I say 15 to 20k as somewhere between 20-25k is when we started noticing other issues that indicated the engine might be having other issues...

 

Thank you that makes me think even more so that I might have had something else going on.... and possibly not my transmission.

If it is indeed a head gasket related issue vs a transmission issue then I am more likely to use my transmission. As I have personally never seen a head gasket present this way, I need to understand the best option... if my transmission is failing using the original one isn't really a great option. I haven't started the re-install on the unit but I don't want to put my old unit back in if it is indeed failing like I suspect based on how it was acting prior to needing to replace the engine.

When the JDM engine did finally arrive and I pulled the car into the garage for the final start (as I had parked it to wait for it to arrive) the engine was not only showing a check engine light with a failure on cylinder number 3 it was obviously clanging and shaking. It sounded like something let go inside the engine and I know that wasn't the transaxle making that noise as that didn't start until the gas engine kicked on. Could it have been the issue presented in the article you sent? Possible, this obviously didn't go through the side of the block, I am not sure if I will crack the head when all is said and done or not. I will be using the new engine for sure... the transmission, likely not based on what people are saying here and then reading that list bit you posted I am leaning more toward just putting my old transmission in an crossing my fingers the clunking doesn't come back.

I guess I can crack the head and see if there was a bad spot in a gasket first (either way putting in the newer engine). -- Opinions on that? I don't know the material they are made from to know if it will show signs of blow by or not.