Changing Transaxle oil

I own two torque wrenches and look forward to the opportunity to use them. Especially when you are working with aluminum castings such as the transaxle case or the cylinder head, it is a good idea to use a torque wrench so that you don't strip the threads.

Yes, I also had a similar experience as a teenager working on my dad's 1967 Ford Mustang. In the distant past I had bought a few cheap sockets and they broke under load, its not worth it.

 

Just got done changing my transmission fluid on my 2005 Prius. I accidentally posted it on the transaxle oil analysis page by mistake....here.

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...shooting/38524-transaxle-oil-analysis-13.html

This is an easy DIY job and made the car run smoother in my opinion. I saved about $145 by doing it myself...cha-ching!!!

By the way, remember to ask for your discounts on parts, I used my AAA card for a 10% discount. Some places honor the NRA, AARP, you get it, ask for the discount, even if you are not a senior citizen you can still save a buck by asking for it? Good luck. Price per quart here in sunny Southern Kelly-fornia was $5.85

 

Any recommendations on what torque wrench to buy?

 

I own these two:

Craftsman Microtork® Torque Wrench, 25-250 in. lbs., 3/8 in. Drive

Craftsman Microtork® Torque Wrench, 20-150 ft. lbs., 1/2 in. Drive

 

I second that, those two are very good. However, at $70 each, there are better deals. AutoZone sells Great Neck brand, and they are about $25 each. They have worked very well for me for years. Just make sure you get the click type, and not the cheap ones with the pointer.

 

Another possibility is the Husky brand carried by Home Depot or the Kobalt brand carried by Lowe's. Price is in between the Craftsman and Great Neck. I like the quality of the Husky torque wrench that I bought to replace a Craftsman that came apart and lost calibration.

 

I am particularly concerned with the calibration of the torque wrenches. No matter what fancy brand it is, there is always a chance of outliers slipping through the quality control process. So I bought a beam type (0 ~ 75 ft-lb) from Sears, a click type (20 ~ 150 ft-lb) from Harbor Freight, and a click type (25 ~ 250 in-lb) from Sears. (I tried to order the lower range click type from Harbor Freight at first but it was out of stock for a long time so I ended up buying from Sears.) Before each use I always use the beam type to check against the two click types to make sure they agree reasonably well.

The click type from Sears has a plastic adjustment ring that I fear will crack at some point. The one from Harbor Freight is all metal.

 

About a month ago when I looked at Home Depot the price was very similar to that of Sears.

 

Wow. I just called my dealer earlier to check the price of ATF WS...

and he said 11.99 per quart.
O.O

Isn't the msrp like 8$ or so?

edit:
and $2.56 for the crush washers :/

 

I bought it for $5.20 / qt, but I think Patrick said they raised the price to the $7 -8 range.

BTW, I was in the auto parts store in Sac that carries AMSOil and they have a new ATF that is labeled as meeting the WS spec. $11.99 / qt.

 

I just bought a case of 12 quarts off from citytoyotaparts.com for
$5.84 per quart x12 + $10.99 Shipping +$3.95 Handling = $85.02 shipped. Which is effectively $7.09 cents per quart... granted this is buying in a decent quantity, but I expect the prius to last at least another 3 transmission oil changes

ATF doesn't go bad right?

Now... gotta find a torque wrench at lowes or home depot... tried browsing lowes the other day and couldn't seem to find one...

 

That's a very good price.

In mid-October, I paid $8.95/qt plus tax at Desert Toyota, Tucson. $107.40 plus tax for a case of 12.

 

If stored in unopened containers, inside the house, the oil will become obsolete before it goes bad

 

Hrm... they canceled my order because they "don't ship fluids".

Anyway, found an even better place... Toyota Parts at toyotapartszone.com: Toyota Accessories, Toyota Auto Parts

Their price per quart is slightly higher, but their shipping/handling charge is lower.

$6.02 per quart of 00289-ATFWS x 12 = $72.24
$1.09 per 90430-18008 (gasket) x2 = $2.18
Shipping (appears to be flat rate) = $9
Order Total:
$83.42

effective price per quart (not including gaskets) = 6.77 /quart.

Hopefully these guys don't cancel my order too :/


Edit: also bought one of Harbor Freight's 15$ torque wrenches. Should be decent enough for the job since I read some fairly good reviews about it... well, at least better then craftman's overall reviews. But at 15$, it can't be beat. Especially when the craftsman one is like 80$ when its not on sale... (currently on sale for 32$)

 

WS ATF $5.99/qt at local dealer in September 2009

For those who are looking to buy WS ATF and lucky enough to be near several dealers: back in September I e-mailed two local dealers and was pleasantly surprised to get a quote of $5.99/qt (before tax) from one of them. Good luck shopping!

 

Just bought a 2005 Prius with 70000 miles, one owner. The atf has not been changed and I was thinking of using Amsoil ATL which is WS compatible. Anyone use ATL as a substitute? I have used Amsoil in all my cars with good results. Plus I get amsoil stuff at dealer cost.

Thanks
Nik

 

Welcome to PriusChat! I won't risk it myself just to save a few dollars. But some people enjoy the fun of taking risks. So it's your own decision in the end. Do take a look here though:
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...8609-draft-transaxle-oil-testing-results.html

 

So I go to my local Toyota dealer buy my crush washers and oil and the parts guys says are you doing the converter as well? Duh I don't know I'm just doing the 4 qts deal drain and refill. He said well if you heat the converter up to 30 o Cel you can drain the converter oil as well. So wizards of the car under world is this why he wants $140 to replace the CT oil? Are we just fooling our selves only replacing half the oil?

 

You are not fooling yourself. 4 US quarts is the capacity.

Your parts guy "advisor" seems to be thinking of a conventional automobile where the automatic transmission has a torque converter. This has nothing to do with the Prius transaxle and his advice should be ignored.

 

Thanks Patrick, I am surprised with how often this happens. A parts guy will cast that seed of doubt or test a consumer. Are you sure you don't need the Hemostatolater to do the job. If there truly is torque converter turn the computer screen around and show me the specs.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Same place that broke the tire sensor changing tires OK I break stuff all the time but it took 4 hours to reprogram it then I had to come back the next day for a second time. They also quoted $390 for 2 headlight bulbs and it cost me $60 to do it. Its just disappoints me it could be a much better relationship. Some folks still love to get under the hood and figure things out. I don't mind paying dealer prices for parts but when I need a parts guru don't screw with me.