transmission and/or differential? - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

wheredoesthisgo · 10-01-2009, 06:58 PM

Hi all, i have a 93 corolla that i did a top end on at 125,000, then at 180,000 dropped 1000$ into the AC and struts. A week later i was blessed with a scraping noise coming from the tranny. (automatic) not grinding more like metal to metal scraping.
I pulled out both cv joints and its not that. I thought i read somewhere that there is a differential on these that need to have tranny fluid in them. I changed the cv axles on this a while back and am sure the shop pulled them out when they did the struts too. Does anyone know if its possibly just low on fluid (in the diff)? The tranny shifts fine. Where is the fill plug? Any one have this problem before? I didnt drive it much when it happened, pulled right over and towed home. Now to be straight I know where the tranny fill plug is, just not to sure about a diff (or even if it exists at all). 93, 4afe, automatic no OD. This little energiser bunny doesnt blow a bit of smoke but at 180,000 not sure i want to put in a 1800$ tranny. Thank you in advance.

Bitter · 10-01-2009, 07:48 PM

you do have a separate differential, though by the time its making noise its already damaged.

wheredoesthisgo · 10-01-2009, 08:14 PM

Thank you Bitter, does that mean the whole tranny has to come out? Can you just service the diff?

kevmac · 10-01-2009, 08:55 PM

the two yellow painted valves are trans and dif. The dif fill is maybe 6 inches up the side wall. It is a somewhat difficult nut to get to with conventional tools. I recall 17mm nut but not sure. Get it off and stick one of those auto parts store fluid pumps ($5) on a 5 gallon trans fluid container to fill until fluid runs out. Take a good look, you can't take the dif out without the tranny and a lot more.