Transaxle fluid change, car slightly tilted

I don't think I'd want to crawl under a car on a slope, very sketchy. And it's certainly complicating things. Any chance you can find a flat slab, somewhere?

Barring that I would just carry on, do the whole thing on the tilt, and if you manage to get over 3.5 quarts in before it starts coming back out, you'll be good. Spec is level with the lip of fill hole, to 5 mm lower, so...

The more I think about the more I want to say: just find a flat slab lol. And get the rear up level and on safety stands as well. Don't say this driveway leads to a garage full of clutter...

 

I agree with Mendel, wouldn't get under any vehicle on jacks on a slop.

You have a driveway but no garage? Maybe ask a friend with a garage to let you use it for an hour or so.

 

If your slightly nose up; you're going to be slightly under filling the transmission - because of the location of the fill plug. If your slightly nose down; you'll be slightly overfilling - again because of the location of the fill plug.
My best advice is to jack up the rear end with your floor jack to level the entire car. I would be more comfortable with a slight overfill than an under-fill - but would NOT exceed 4 quarts. So far I've used 3.5 and 3.8 quarts respectively; on my ATF changes without issues.

Hope this helps.....

FWIW; If your unsure and paranoid - make sure you put in the same amount that your drained out of it. That way you know that your back to square one....

 

Yeah but: front on jack stands, rear on floor jack, on a slope?

Ugh, find somewhere flat.

 

That's what I would do is your second option put it block under the rear tire keep it under the jack have the two bolts out lower it down as low as you can let everything run out but it sit down like that for five 8 minutes or something go do something come back raise it up a little measure what you took out should be pretty close to the four quarts then put that back in man You can't do much else than that It's going to be better than good enough that's what Toyota dealer is going to do pretty much or they have the machine where they can push the business out and push exact amount in they dialed in and that's it they don't check anything they just put the bolts back in and it's over

 

Urgh! I wouldn't even be asking that question. No matter what the math is, this is sketchy (to put it politely) and sends shivers up my nice person.

What Mendel said.

 

I have. But agree it could be more “precarious”. When doing my transaxle fluid changes I used 4-point support, with 6-ton jack stands, at alternate bearing points. For insurance, the first thing under the car was a section of tree trunk, essentially a cylinder of wood, approximately 13” diameter by 13” long.

 

If you can raise & support the car "safely", then drain the transmission. Measure how much came out. Assuming that the amount is close to the normal fill, put that much back in.

There's some range in the fill level so a few oz doesn't matter. You will have problems when it's a quart or more off spec. I'm still not sure how a Gen2 had more than 3 quarts overfilled.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

I'm fine this kind of hard to imagine I just use a jack usually take the plugs out the car is raised I have a choc under one of the rear wheels or both of them if you like and then I lower the car down with my jack If I really want to I could have the front tires off and almost put the rotors on the ground by that time everything is flowing out the drain plug by gravity when that sits for 5 or 6 minutes and there's nothing else coming out if I really wanted to be crazy I could pour some pour through cleaner through a tube through the fill port and watch it run out into the pan or slide the pan with the fluid in it that I took out and slide another pan and run the cleaner through then let that sit 5 or 10 minutes put the drain plug back in have four quarts at the ready like in the NASCAR fill jug raise the car off the brake rotors are from very low dump the four quarts now level the car with the jack and see if any comes out of the front upper fill hole If not and you feel unsecure add some until it does and cap it off if you had the wheels off put them back on and you're done for 60K or whatever it is you do. I'm not really sure how you're under the car this long or what have you usually I break the drain plugs loose and barely have to be anywhere anything like under the car and then the draining in the pan feeling I'm standing up next to the car while that's going on but yeah I don't generally lie under my cars too much for much of anything usually just reach under and pull the wrench but I'm not really under the car maybe my arm is but the rest of me isn't even if the car fell my arm's not thick enough to get squished by anything My chest and head would be but it's not under there.

 

I also have a slightly sloped driveway and have done this a couple different ways.

Sometimes: Face the car uphill and drive it onto a set of ramps. Loosen and remove the fill plug, remove the drain. While it's draining, I use my floor jack (with the rear wheels on a sheet of plywood to level the jack) to raise the rear of the car to level or higher, let it sit for a while so everything drains. Lower it back down, install the drain plug, fill it and install the fill plug.

This is what I do most often and for oil changes: Face it downhill and drive it onto the ramps. This makes it only slightly nose up from level. Take care of what you need to under the engine, then use the rear jacking point and floor jack to lift the car body slightly to level or higher. The rear wheels never leave the ground due to suspension travel.

 

I think you may have this backwards. On a Gen 2, the fill plug is at the front wall of the transmission housing. When "nose up" it takes more fluid to reach the plug opening.

 

Which way are we looking here, not familiar with gen 2:


(from Gen 2 Repair Manual excerpt, linked in post 2)

The other day I did a sketch, a ramp and wheel stop combo. Then looked at it and shook my head. Anyway, fwiw:


^ Seems to me a bevelled base would be needed for the jack stands as well, otherwise they're leaning towers. Which started the head shake: level ground is so much simpler.

BTW: again, what's at the head of this driveway? Maybe a garage with a "project car"?

 

I personally really like the concept of not replacing the entire ATF volume, just leave some of the old fluid as this has been indicated many times to me is sound for the gen 2 transmission.

Wrong? Perhaps, but better than doing no ATF change. Just like any car fluid, detergent properties of new fluid will be very beneficial.

So I just raised the front, on a very high mileage Prius we bought as a spare car, drained the fluid, filled the same amount. So in your case, use the slope to your advantage.

 

If I'm not mistaken, on a Gen 2 Prius the transaxle fill hole is on front side? Accordingly, if you have just the front of the car raised, and you refill till it starts spilling back out, it will be somewhat overfilled.

Why do you like that? And how would you even managed to do a partial drain?

 

There is also a manual that indicates the volume of liquid to be poured.
From the Owner's Manual.
HYBRID TRANSAXLE Fluid capacity (drain and refill), L (qt., Imp.qt.): 3.6 (3.8, 3.2)

 

Both 2012 Prius C and gen4 prime fill plug was towards the rear, next to the passenger half shaft output.
If your fill plug is located on the front of the transmission, near the radiator; then you are correct. But if your fill port is located towards the rear of of the transmission; the slight angle will make a difference in amount of fluid it will take. The more severe the angle the more your going to over or under fill it.

I haven't done a gen2; so I don't know...