A good example of the reservoir type of transmissions with this system is the system most Toyota front wheel drive cars use. The transaxle is a combination of the transmission and differential assembly in the same case, hence, transaxle. At my shop we regularly repaired damaged differentials in Toyota’s. Most of the time when the differential breaks, it literally explodes. Meaning there is a pile of metal dust when the transmission is inspected.
The plug that has to be removed on a Toyota transmission to check the diff. lube is obscured by a transmission support on the back side of the transmission. Which,
A. makes it hard to even see and
B. many times the brace has to be removed to check the lubrication and refill it. So a lot of lazy mechanics don’t check it.
At my shop we painted the plug Yellow when we serviced the transmission or rebuilt the transmission. We also instructed our customers, and actually put the car on a lift to show them where the yellow plug is. This way if they get the transmission serviced somewhere else, they can ask the technician to check the fluid that is behind the yellow plug.
What usually happens is that the differential section develops a drip. Well a drip that goes on for months or years may only leave a drop of lubricant here and there, however at some point the fluid runs dry and the differential goes south, which most of the time takes out the whole transmission. In many instances the transmission case is ruined. Which makes a used transmission necessary.
Another point of interest is that in this type of system, a gear or differential lubricant is used. As in a rear wheel drive car with a rear differential. What I’m saying is that it does not use automatic transmission fluid. We recommend synthetic fluids only. Go somewhere else if the shop you are at does not use pure synthetic fluids and lubricants.
This information is provided to our readers as a courtesy by GotTransmissions.com. If you need a low mileage, used Toyota transmission or any transmission give us a call @ 866-320-1182 for free quote and some education from a transmission specialist. Our goal is to provide you with the transmission that is in your best interest. There are plenty more articles of this nature on our blog, please take some time to read and educate yourself
