How to change the transmission fluid in a 2004-2009 Toyota Prius (in 10 minutes or less) 

thanks for the video! correct torque on the plugs is 29ft/lbs for anyone wondering.

Tools needed - 4 quarters Toyota transmission fluid ATF WS - 10 Allen key - 24mm socket - Tubbing 1/2 inch inner diameter, 5/8 inch outer diameter. - Funnel to stick inside the tub. - Gallon to drain the oil. Gloves opcional.

Your video is WAY better than the full-time mechanics that I watched first. They were mostly about how technical and difficult it is to do and about why you should have it done at a shop. You nailed it with the McGuyver Home Depot tubing and funnel filling it from the top. If the mechanics watched your vid they could improve their game. Thanks so much!

You're an excellent teacher. Thank you for providing this information in just the right amount of detail! Happy travels!

The tubing and little funnel was a great tip. Bought the tubing from Home Depot and the little red expandable funnel from Walmart for $1 and it worked out great. Appreciate you for making this video!

Edit August 2023- At all Toyotas they are no longer $10. One Quart is $16.99

Thank you! I bought a Prius several months ago and I wanted the fluid changed. The local lube place said that I would have to go to the dealer. I don't have two hundred dollars to throw away so I checked on youtube. The first video tried to make it look tough but yours was excellent!

This video truly helped me do this so thanks a million. Just did mine at 107k miles in January '23. Along with the inverter coolant change, and inverter pump which had failed. There seems to be some discrepancy about the transaxle fluid capacity for this vehicle. Haynes manual states that the fluid capacity is 3.8 quarts. I Googled it and got 3.9, and then also 4. So, initially in January I used the overflow method with the car level and was left with about .25 of a bottle of OEM Toyota ATF WS. In May I addressed the issue differently and filled it with the front of the vehicle elevated on ramps. That way I speculated that the fluid would rest at the rear of the housing (like tilting a glass of liquid backward). This way there is no overflow, and you can fill to spec. I may redo this soon for a "flush". 6k miles later no major issues, and magnetic catch still very clean. Not much color change either in fluid after 6k.

The tubing is a genius idea and it worked perfectly - thank you sir!

I would've drain the cooling drain plug instead of transmission fluid if I never watch this! Life saver tomorrow I'll be changing it.

2 years later is everything still good need to do this to mine

Awesome! Now I learned from you and I’m ready to do my own transmissions fluid change. Thanks

That's awesome thank for making this video. Saved me $150

Thank you...simple and easy....great job .

Followed your instructions and succeeded easily. Thanks!

ANOTHER GREAT VIDEO!!!! LOOKS SUPER EASY!!

Thanks! Short and to the point.

I’m at 120k on my 08 Prius house. I think I’m going to diy too. Looks relatively simple thanks again friend.

Great how-to! Looks like your gloves do the same thing mine do.🤣

Around the last week of May finally got around to addressing the issue. I accidentally went to 3.9 quarts (was shooting for 3.8) from the original amount I had put in there which was around 3.75. So, I guess it is a happy median. Noticed a difference after accelerating from a complete stop. More so on downhill. Anyways, the issue is mostly gone now, but not completely so I am actually considering adding the rest of the fluid which would obviously be .10 quarts. To quote Chevy Chase in SNL - "I was told there would be no math" LOL.

Thanks man you nailed it, impressively explained video.

This is better than the pro mechanic videos!!

This was great. Thank you!!!

i have 2007 prius. bought it new. i have 96000 miles on it. 15 yrs old in june. not goin anywhere but back in my garage a night. i never have camped in it but i have a nice sin wave inverter in it and she's ready to rock and roll anytime. i have a hitch and easily tows a small trailer. put a cargo box on it. and creates wild storage. modified harbor fr 4x4 w/diamond plate floor and modified extended tongue for haulin kayaks

Thanks for the info, good video.

Gracias muchas gracias por tu video aprendí mucho

3:41 when men come back from deployment to see their baby for the first time

Thanks! Very cool. Hope your doing well. Enjoy your videos. Are u still in your Prius?

excellent video

Nice job. Looks like you blew through that glove pretty fast.

Real inspiring. Right after I finish my project in garage to sand/paint/finish hood, imma chg trans fluid. Thx! For some reason when I heard toyota locks their transmissions, I just figured I couldnt get at it... but this is doable also you think a flush is necessary

great diy video my man. question, any signs that you need to change the transmission fluid? was the transmission getting clunky starting up and off? and tell us about the after math. thanks man, much appreciated

How about using the funnel for the used oil next time ?

Fluid drain and fill made was in cold or hot operating temperature please

just learned to change oil, on my 2009, now for the transmission! 😊 the tubing looks the most tricky part, thanks!

Good vid thanks

Hello teacher, how many liters or how many bottles of Toyota Prius? Thank you

I need to do this in ours old one, it’s got 210000 kilometers on it,never changed gearbox oil

I have a 2008 with 150k miles should I change the fluid or just leave it ?

you made that look easy. wow 10.00 a quart...didn't see that coming lol. is it better to go out for a 20 min drive and heat up the oil before draining. always did that with motor oil. thins the oil for a better and more complete drain. also i used to drop the pan and clean the metal shavings out and replace the pan gasket.

How often do you change the Transmission fluid? really nice tutorial. I just purchased a 06 w/150K miles about 2 months ago, already put 5K on it and need to do oil change.

Thanks boss❤

Awesome blog bro thnx! Probably also use a gallon of 🥛for the Old

how did you find a place to do it? or how did you find a place?

What about the dash board my car stays at 0mph when I move

I watched your video on how to change transmission fluid on my Prius V with 190,000 miles. After completing the process of filling and pulling the hose from the fill hole I accidentally slipped the plastic sticker that was sticking at the end of the hose into the transmission( I did not remove the home depot prize tag sticker at the end of the hose thinking it can hold the hose in place at fill hole) . My concern is , will this plastic sticker cause any damage to the transmission if left inside. Or do I have to take that sticker out by draining the fluid again and ( if I am lucky ) I might see that sticker at the drain hole. My car is still in the garage and I did not want to start until I get that sticker out ( if that's really required). I am thinking of running the old transmission fluid that I took out , to run it down the fill hole again simulating the process of flushing or what other fluid can I use to force it into fill hole and make that sticker get near the drain hole. If the water was not destructive to the transmission, I would have put water hose into fill hole and try to push the sticker near to the drain hole. I'll try to suck that sticker by placing vacuum hose into the drain hole and see if it works . Any suggestions is greatly appreciated. I subscribed and Thank you.

Perfect

Any update on how your prius is running with the new transmission fuild? because I heard if you never change the fuild and the cars has high mileage, the new fluid can cause problems to the transmission. However I still would like to change mine which has 125k miles (I believe its never been change).

How many litres the transmission takes

Use the old transmission fluid to preserve outdoor wooden fence panels.

Thanks!

Would 5 ft tubing be enough?

Thanks

One question, when I'm doing this and take out the tube, how do I keep the oil from coming back out?

Those washers on the plugs are crush washers and should be replaced to avoid leaks.

How has the transmission felt since the change? I am at 172k and I am thinking of doing it. Many other vehicles have you switch into reverse park ect. after changing it. Anybody know of this as a procedure needed on the prius?

Is there a transmission filter of some kind that gets changed too?

How many liters is it?

I thought you were supposed to use differential fluid in there. There is no torque converter and no clutch plates. Am I right?

no trans fluid filter?

Hi thanks for the good video. Today I called a local Toyota dealer in Helsinki, Finland and asked how much would it cost if they change the transmission fluid. He said you don't have to do it at all, it is not in the maintenance schedule at all. It should be good for ever!

I have a prius with 275,000 miles its running good but i believe the transmission oil has never been changed. Do you recommend i do it? Im afraid if i do the transmission will start acting funny

how many miles did yours have when you did the service?

Toyota recommends changing the washers every time. And removing metallic debris from the magnetic plugs. I think 24 footpounds is how much torque each plug needs.

I literally cant even loosen the tranmission fill plug. Its so tight wtf do i do help plzz 😪😪

Question, Why you didn’t change the transmission oil filter ?

It now costs $325.00

How prices have changed in the last year !

Very nice job

To clarify, i have Toyota Prius 2008 with automatic transmission, 190 000 km driven.

Was this for the inverter ?

A year and a half later they want $100 for 1 gallon for the tans fluid... Lame.

Did you notice a change in mpg after this?

The dogs face scared the F out of me

How often do you do this? Miles? Cajun

Great video thank you!

Always remove the fill plug first and then the drain plug. If you drain it and then find out the fill plug won't come out you are going to have a real bad Day

There's no trans filter?

Appreciate your content but please by a tripod for your camera. All that moving around was very distracting and takes away from your video content.

my 2007 has 210k miles and never changed the oil.

People asking about drain intervals etc. A toyota eCVT prius transmission has "lifetime" fluid. We all know thats hogwash . An eCVT hybrid transmission does NOT have a torque convertor, solenoids, valve body, push belts, variable pulleys high pressure pump etc like a normal CVT. It has gearsets , a large chain, bearings and 2 motor/generators and a simple oil pump to circulate oil to the bearings and gears and provide some cooling to the M/G 1 and 2. For piece of mind change the oil every 60000 miles/ 100000 km with the Toyota WS fluid. Simple and it should keep going for the "life" of the car. Extreme abuse excluded of course !!!!

Friend i really hope u didnt overfill(or underfill) your transmission. You really should have measured what drained out then replaced it. The transmission holds much more than what pours out durring a normal "drain & change". Most of the fluid is stored in the torque converter, but some still resides in the valves & channels. Im not exactly sure if a prius has separate transmissions for the electric & gasoline motors(it might)...but on a matrix/Corolla 1.8ltr engine, the trans actually holds about 8 quarts, though only about 3 to 3&1/2 drains at the plug. So measuring it is crucial. All that asside though, i like and appreciate your videos they are great. I have a 09 Pontiac vibe(aka Toyota matrix). But after watching your vids im looking to swap out to a prius. Having the all the power you'll ever need to run higher wattage appliances, without needing big batteries & solar is awesome. Plus having the climate control system is crucial for hot days & cold nights...especially with a dog in the car. Keep up the awesome videos...& keep on rollin!

Wow yours was pretty nasty. wondering what i will find in my 210k mile abused prius...

Has anyone here heard of a whiny CVT on the Prius and replaced the transmission fluid and that resolved the issue? I’ve got a 2002 model with 97000 miles with a whine that just popped up and a local repair shop is now telling me I need a rebuilt CVT. I’m calling BS.

$200 for a 10 minute job, heeelll no, thanks for the video good sir

So i just bought a 2004 prius with 170k miles and i went to go change the transmission oil, They didn't want to do it because it was over a 150000 miles and he told me just leave it the way it is if there's no problems, any suggestions from anyone here ???

Where do you poop?

Did you seriously think that the drill might work?

My 2005 Prius has 277,000 miles. I bought it at 178,000 miles and haven't done this yet. Doing asap! Since I purchased though to keep it running it did need a new hybrid battery and then a new combination meter. It had fried itself. Always and I mean always have these repaired at a reputable Toyota dealership. My local shop didn't diagnose the combination meter it took an experienced Prius guy at a Toyota dealer. If it wasn't for that car would've been scrapped.

Good thing you wore gloves lol

Excellent, thank you very much gentleman. 👌👍