Transmission leak, engine has to come out...

Your first line of defense is that when the car is not ready, both the positive AND negative cables from the HV Battery are turned off at a relay in the back. (Page 16 of the PDF below, page 12 of the guide)

Your second line of defense would be to remove the service plug on the battery.
(This is a dismantler's guide, only dismantle until you feel safe)
http://www.toyota-tech.eu/HYBRID/HVDM/EN/Prius%20ZVW30%20HVDM.pdf
(page 19 of the PDF, page 15 of the guide shows how to remove the service plug)

 

No idea but I am following this thread to see how it goes. What year and how many miles on your Prius?
Thanks,
Mike

Mobile on my SGH-i717

 

Isn't this covered under the drive train warranty still? Or not due to high mileage?

 

(didn't "like" it, lol, but that's the only option)

 

We need thumbs down and one for that's a bummer.

Mike

Mobile on my SGH-i717

 

I cannot see how the Gen 3 would be different from the Gen 2 as far as being able to remove the transaxle without having to remove the engine first. There are internal transaxle differences between 2 and 3 but the engine connects to the planetary gear the same as far as I understand.

 

On some cars you simply have to pull the engine and tranny together.

I suppose you can try without and let us know.

 

I remember a member that pulled the transaxle without pulling the engine. He had some really good pictures of the process but I have not been able to find it. He removed the driver's front wheel, disconnected the transaxle and basically lowered it with an engine jack.

 

I remember that post too. It was satisfying to see a DIY transaxle replacement.
My question for the op is how much is it leaking? I wouldn't do it if it is a slow leak. Of course it will leak more and more as time goes on. May take a while to get bad.
If you remove the service connector and disconnect the 12v battery and wait about 5 minutes you can rip into any part of the system with complete confidence that there is no voltage. ( Except inside the battery case) The hard part is getting that huge heavy tranny out with out breaking any other parts, killing your back. It is also very easy to damage the new seal when wrestling the tranny back into place. Maybe the tranny has already been out and that's why it is leaking now.

 

As I recall, most all front wheel drive vehicles are assembled with the engine cradle "married" to the body from the bottom.

I'm just wondering, if it would be easier removing the transmission from the underside.

 

Per Mr Electric: how bad is the leak? If the underside's just oily, but not much is dripping off, maybe just keep tabs on it for a year or two?

Our previous car, still in the family, is in that category.

 

Before you do anything, I would ask Toyota to do something. True, they are under no obligation to help you your warranty has expired. However my experience, my coworkers' experiences, and the experiences of others on this site suggest that Toyota stands behind their product. When something fails early that shouldn't, they step up and repair it for free or at a majorly reduced cost to keep a happy customer. I would call Toyota Corporate, explain the situation and ask if they can help. You will probably find they will have to call you back in the next few days as they escalate the question, meaning try to get them to escalate it if they don't offer it.

You are within the time period of warranty right (3 years?), just too many miles. And it is unusual for a Toyota tranny to leak that early. This is the first documented case I have ever heard of in a Prius other than those damaged in front end accidents and repaired. I think you have a good chance of Toyota coming back and saying they will cover most to all of the bill. It is worth a shot and will only take a couple days of phone calls.

 

Are you talking about the same Toyota? Maybe you are talking about Toyoda?

 

Toyota Motor Co.

They have replaced numerous traction batteries for somewhere between free, free part plus labour, or half and half outside of the warranty. Furthest I have seen is about 30K past warranty, and that was a half/half deal. Sure they still made some money, but a brand new battery installed for less than a reinvolt battery is pretty decent. My coworker's battery went out at around 105K. Lots of mountain driving and after we talked the HV fan was clogged with dog hair essentially baking the battery for a good 3-4 years of its life. Toyota replaced his battery for free as if it were a warranty claim (2004 Prius, failure in 2013, non CARB state) and then went half and half on the HV fan. Just because he called the Toyota number and asked. Be nice, and you will be treated nicely. If you call up in a rage, you won't get anything. They don't have to do anything, and no past niceness guarantees future niceness. But lots of anecdotes suggest Toyota honours its parts past the warranty date.

 

I am against spending $1000 or more to fix seepage. A leak is a puddle on the ground, seepage is a wet transmission housing or oil pan. Many times I have seen customers fix everything wrong with their car and finally throw in the towel on their 15 year old economy car. They usually sell it for about $500 more than a completely un maintained example of the same car.
Take this hypothetical situation. A 15 year old civic completely maintained free of dents and scratches is worth $2500 or $3000. A 15 year old beater civic with torn seats painted with primer is worth $1200-$1500. The perfect car got $5-$8k in maintenance over the 15 years, the beater got $1000 in maintenance.
I like to run my cars into the ground and sell them cheap when I'm done. I don't recommend this route for others it just satisfies me when I do the math.