Transaxle Failure

Hanging the engine from a frame on the car makes it much easier to work on the car when removing a transmission as it allows you to raise and lower the car as well as allowing better access. I left it with my last employer but I made a simple telescopic frame with a scissor jack on top which made it height adjustable. I made it with angle iron legs on 2 lengths of square steel tube where 1 fit neatly inside the other. A third short piece of square steel tube fit over the larger of the 2 previously mentioned tubes with the jack welded to it.
Pictured is a commercially available version, a little different to what I built.

 

Another question: can you please assess the amount of drained transaxle fluid? As you know, the transaxle refill capacity is 4 quarts of ATF WS. If you drained much less than that, maybe the ATF leak is the root cause of your transaxle failure.

I'm very interested in seeing what the inside of the failed transaxle looks like. If you should need help with the inverter coolant refill, I might be able to drive up to visit and help. Let me know via private msg.

 

Trust me, I'm already jonesing to go west again. But I don't
think it's going to be in the timeframe for this project. And
having crested 100K there's probably a bunch of stuff I should do
on *my* car this spring before I think about hitting the road...
.
Sounds like you tested the position sensors and found them good.
Not surprising; they're simple coils and non-contact operation.
I think people were talking about testing the *motor* windings,
i.e. hi-potting them to detect ground leaks. But your metal shards
seem to be indicative of something mechanical, not electrical.
It's still a quick test to do if you have the appropriate type
of meter -- basically an ohmmeter that uses 500 volts as its
test basis instead of the usual low level. That would tell you
if you had a ground-fault in either motor. Metal shards rattling
around near the magnet-wire enamel can't be a happy situation
either way.
.
The big question is if there's sufficient room at the left-hand
frame piece to back the transmission's spline out of the damper
far enough to clear it from the engine and then lower it. Hopefully
you've got the equivalent of a transmission jack handy, because
that sucker is HEAVY with all the iron inside.
.
_H*

 

... what i don't get is... isn't all this covered under california's 10 year 150k mile warranty? the power split device is part of "hybrid components" since it doesn't have a real transmission...

i've found other failure stories while googling.. some costing 10k or more and were covered by the warranty...

 

No, the transaxle is covered by the powertrain warranty which is 5 years or 60K miles whichever comes first.

See: http://www.toyota.com/prius-hybrid/warranty.html

 

Thanks for posting the photos. I really can't see where the leak is.

Is there any possibility that the inner CV joint boot is leaking grease, and when the axleshaft is spinning, grease is being deposited all around that area?

The transaxle fluid looks quite nasty while the coolant looks like punch that you wouldn't mind drinking...

 

The leak area is the area where the transaxle oil pump is located.

This is some skunky looking oil. Any unusual odor?

Since you will be in the area, you may want to consider putting in a new torque limiter bolted on the flywheel. A clutch plate by any other name, it merits looking at.

Bob Wilson

 

Your photo of WS fluid at 127k miles should be must-viewing for anyone who regards it as a lifetime fluid in the Prius transaxle.

C'mon boys and girls, grab a wrench and a gallon (OK 4.5L) of WS! Don't make your gears swim in that!

 

I could not contain myself if that person told me that I am not allowed to work on the car. I would have had some fun with him though and ask for that written someplace. And, will he send out the police, or what?

I would certainly have asked that it is interesting that hybrids were around in 1970, must have missed that time period, and would have asked for the make and model

But, now, when you go back, if you have the guys name, ask for him, and have some fun. Tell him you were looking for that mandated 'no work on own car' but could not find it And, by the way, this is the car that was fixed by that incompetent fool and that would mean that your mecs are about the same?

 

I haven't heard that the transmission input damper assembly is troublesome - it seems to just be a spring-loaded mechanism. If you don't observe physical damage then it should be good to go.

Some dealers will say that ATF WS is a "lifetime" fluid good for 100K miles. I change that fluid at 30K mile intervals. The transaxle is a very expensive (and besides the engine, the most difficult) part to replace, so why skimp on preventive maintenance there.

 

I'm looking at my NHW11 manual, pp. EM-56, and they report:

Standard thickness: 6.2-6.6 mm (0.244 -0.260 in.)
Minimum thickness: 49 mm (0.193 in.)
. . .
bolt torque: 16 Nm (163 kgf-cm, 12 ft lbs)
​

My engine is rpm limited to 4,500 rpm but yours can spin to 5,000 rpm so there may have been some changes in this area. I would recommend getting the bolt torque and damper disk thickness from the Toyota technical service.

I only remember one report of a damper disk problem in over three years of monitoring the usual web sites. But since you'll be in that area, it makes sense to take a peek.

GOOD LUCK!
Bob Wilson