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after draining and refilling the transmission fluid.. (thinking the units were separate)
i was looking for the differential filler plug and foud what i though was it. I unscrewed a 17mm bolt that was located on the drivers side of the diff. Upon unscrewing the bolt, a good amount of diff fluid came out, like 2 qts or so..
I thought that could not possibly be the filler plug. so to confirm, i then put more fulid in the trans dip stick and surely, it was comming right out of that hole where the bolt screws in.
(i never unscrewed the 10mm hex drain)
So my question is. are the differential and transmission separate? or is it that i just cannot find the refill plug for the differential?
EXACTLY the same thing happened to me after draining the tranny and replacing the trans filter. I asked the same question on this board and didn't really get the answer. I called several tranny shops and of course they said I'd need to bring it in, and probably need a seal between the tranny and diffy costing over a grand. Today, I took the Camry to the dealer for a timing belt replacement. I asked the service mgr about the fluid incident and he comfirmed my suspicion, that the two units SHARE the same overflow vent tube and an overfull trans will fill the diffy in this manner. Being that both are vented, he said it is unlikely that I will blow any seals. I have not checked the diff level since the incident, but am planning on it in a few days. I did put 4 qts of fluid into the tranny checking it with the motor running and shifting through the gears. Stopped adding when the level was at the cold full mark. I'll keep you posted.
i take it we have the same engine and trans/diff? it's instresting how everyone seems to say that the trans and diff are separate.. and both have their drain and fill plugs.. but yet they share the same fluid. The dip stick even has a sticker saying to check the diff fluid separately...
if this is infact true, it would defintely be a bad design since there is no way of checking the diff level without draining a bunch of your trans fluid.
Check out a Haynes manual for your year car (1996). Page 1-21 picture 19.2 shows you where the fluid check and refill plug is. The fluid level for the differential is different then the fill level for the transaxle.
__________________ It worked fine until I fixed it!
Originally posted by csaxon Check out a Haynes manual for your year car (1996). Page 1-21 picture 19.2 shows you where the fluid check and refill plug is. The fluid level for the differential is different then the fill level for the transaxle.
read my post.. i have the manual and i've read it.. unless i unscrewd a random screw that leads to the tranny.. i think the two units are connected.
Originally posted by neck it's instresting how everyone seems to say that the trans and diff are separate.. and both have their drain and fill plugs.. but yet they share the same fluid.
The tranny (automatic) and diff are drained and filled seperately.
And yes they both use the same fluid (Dexron II/III ATF).
Quote:
if this is infact true, it would defintely be a bad design since there is no way of checking the diff level without draining a bunch of your trans fluid.
The diff fluid level is checked through the bolt / fill hole on the backside of the differential.
Originally posted by 88 LE The tranny (automatic) and diff are drained and filled seperately.
And yes they both use the same fluid (Dexron II/III ATF).
The diff fluid level is checked through the bolt / fill hole on the backside of the differential.
OK, I looked at my manual, your are right , the diff uses Dexron III ATF - I never knew a diff would use that, then again, this is my first Camry. So the diff has 2 separate plugs right? One for drain, the other for fill? Where exactly is it? Help! I have a gen4 Camry. 5sfe engine automatic.
Originally posted by goretro77 OK, I looked at my manual, your are right , the diff uses Dexron III ATF - I never knew a diff would use that, then again, this is my first Camry. So the diff has 2 separate plugs right? One for drain, the other for fill? Where exactly is it? Help! I have a gen4 Camry. 5sfe engine automatic.
On Gen4 5sfe auto, the differential drain plug is on the bottom of the differential (a bit farther back from the tranny drain plug), the fill plug is facing the rear and you will need a hose and funnel or a $3 buck attachment hose (sold at AutoZone and the like) that you screw on the oil bottle - works great. the fill line/dipstick for the tranny is in the engine bay.
The diff and tranny fluids on this car are separate - no overflow from one to the other (unlike i4, v6 I believe have them connected)
goretro77 "CAUTION" Be sure you can open the fill plug first! If you open the drain plug first and then find you can't open the refill plug for some reason you'll be out of operation temporarily!
__________________ It worked fine until I fixed it!
Originally posted by csaxon goretro77 "CAUTION" Be sure you can open the fill plug first! If you open the drain plug first and then find you can't open the refill plug for some reason you'll be out of operation temporarily!
leme take a picture today of my diff.. that way you guys can tell me if i got the right fill plug.. what i unscrewed was the only 17 mm bolt.
Originally posted by Hossy V-6's have seperate drain plugs that year but they both fill through the dipstick tube. 4cylinders still had a seperate fill plug.
your talking about the 96' V6.. right? cuz thats exactly the information i was looking for.
Thanks for the tip about taking the filler plug off first. Always good practice to do that!
Anyone know if I'll need to use a plastic tube rigged to go on the end of my ATF bottles or can I get away with one of those screw on spouts that goes on the plastic container when I attempt to fill the diff? I have the spout, it's about 4 inches long with a very slight bend to it - but if I really need a plastic tube I gotta look for it.
Also, 88LE - are those pics from a v6? Apparantly I will need an allen socket - what size is that? I have a 97 Camry 4 cyl. 5sfe with automatic. Thanks in advance. going to try the fluid change for the diff this weekend.
Originally posted by goretro77 Anyone know if I'll need to use a plastic tube rigged to go on the end of my ATF bottles or can I get away with one of those screw on spouts that goes on the plastic container when I attempt to fill the diff? I have the spout, it's about 4 inches long with a very slight bend to it - but if I really need a plastic tube I gotta look for it.
You need a piece of hose. Theres not much room behind the diff for a bottle + spout.
What I do is use a funnel with about a 2 1/2 - 3 foot clear hose shoved onto the end of it. Jam the other end of the hose into the differential and fill it up till the fluid backs up into the hose.
Quote:
Also, 88LE - are those pics from a v6? Apparantly I will need an allen socket - what size is that? I have a 97 Camry 4 cyl. 5sfe with automatic. Thanks in advance. going to try the fluid change for the diff this weekend.
The pics are from a 4 cyl. (3S-FE).
You need a 10mm allen / hex socket.
Make sure the car is level when you fill the diff. Otherwise it won't fill properly.
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It worked fine until I fixed it! 
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