My Prime's first transmission fluid change :D

well done!

 

Nice. What kind of fluid and how many quarts and where is the fill hole?

 

OK, I'll bite: "What transmission?"

Does this fluid lubricate the PSD, or are you talking about the differential, or...?

 

You have to change the transmission fluid that quickly? Why?

 

Thanks for being the 1st! I think im going to wait until i hit 5k to do both oil and trans fluid. Im only at 1500 on my prime. Did you see any metal scrapings on the magnetic plug or any particles in the fluid?

 

The owners manual doesn't mention changing the transmission fluid until it is at 60k miles under extreme driving conditions. If it is contaminated as soon as 2k miles, why don't they mention changing the fluid as early as 2k miles? I am thinking that following their recommended schedule would be good. Just trying to understand the extreme differences in maintenance schedules.

#1 in Easley,SC

 

I don't want to be doing something wrong by following Toyota's recommend schedule.
#1 in Easley,SC

 

3rd gen does not have magnetic drain bolt. 2nd gen did? I'm guessing 4th doesn't either.

 

Preventive maintenance....
Cool....what would be nice to have oil sample sent to see what type of things are in this....oil....
It looks like addative formula in factory fill oil and one you used is under question....
2000 miles and already dark...
This is making me scratch my head...
I will be doing on my wife car this soon...i have almost 5k



Only way what is coming in my mind is that in Germany...especially MB and BMW are using special transmission fluid that are nonconductive....and this may be new addative or sign of overlooked part in hybrid design by Toyota R&D......
I will do some calling regarding this....your oil color look like ether new addative or continues
Electrical pitting that occurs while electric discharge happen
MB is already using this type of special oil including BMW




Looks like they did R&D on this and ATF WS oil is good for Prius...they have learned with first generation's when this type of oil was still under development....
It will be interesting what will new transmission for 2018 Camry hybrid have for

I'm backing up my post.....discoloration is to breaking in internal parts of transmission and this is normal for first couple short oil changes....where is up to owners to decide ......stick with Toyota lifetime....or make better life in long run....
From my findings this type of hybrid transmission should have change interval.....




And my only dream is seeing ceramic bearings on future Prius cars.....eventually when this comes cost effective.....
Tesla is already using on induction motors ceramic bearings....
1/10 of rolling resistance from old school bearings...

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

You scamp, beat me to it!

• Was there any odor? - My first Gen-1 transmission oil change smelled of paraffin. Not definitive but curious.
• R&G Labs: R&G Laboratories, Inc. - Home - these are the people I use. Be sure and get a 40C and 100C viscosity reading, usually an extra charge, as shear-down has been seen in the past. They have advanced particulate analysis but these typically cost in the $50+ range and answer questions of what type of materials and their size.

We have a new architecture transmission and this is the first oil change I've heard about. It is likely to have different wear characteristic than seen in the Gen-3 and Gen-1. Every data point helps us understand what is going on.

During our last cold snap, I used my standard, roll-down test and found no evidence of significant rolling drag. Otherwise I would have already done the change. But now, I'll make sure it gets done at 2k miles. I'm just under 1.8k miles.

Bob Wilson

 

One caution about storing samples. It is possible that the oil might leach out whatever the container is made of. As a general rule, I prefer glass containers as the 'gold standard' but I'm persnickety about such things. Also, storing a sample can lead to settling of some suspended matter.

If you have a nice strong magnet, you might put it adjacent to the oil, taped to the outside. Then after an hour or so, tilt the bottle to see if any debris were attracted to the magnet.

Bob Wilson

 

Is this correct?

 

I love 'maintenance' posts like these. Thanks to all of you early adopters!

 

Is that a 4th gen?

Assuming yes, I'd tread cautiously. What you've marked as drain might be the coolant drain. Not sure. On 3rd gen both fill and drain bolts are on the side face, close to the CV joint.

See this:

Transaxle Fluid Change DIY? | PriusChat


^ With the link in the above, it looks like someone at TechInfo forgot to lock the door for a while. That door is NOW locked though: the link dumps me to TechInfo home page.

Now the ethic of this bother me, that a routine maintenance item like a transaxle fluid change instruction is considered privileged (Hey: they don't even include an oil change instruction), proprietary information, off-limits to owners of the vehicle. A far cry from the old days:

'58 Volkwagen Beetle Owner's Manual | PriusChat