Trans axel failure

toyota
camry
#1

I have a 1990 Toyota Camry 4 cyl. automatic. I noticed a temporary slippage on a hill which cleared up quickly. Approximately two days later, on a hill, I had a bang come out of the trans axel and I lost all plower to my wheels. The motor runs totallly free. There lis no transmission drag on the motor at all. Could this motor have come loose from the transmission? Thanks for your input.

#2

I am not familiar with your transmission set-up but many FWD cars use a chain driven trans-axle. Perhaps the drive chain broke. That might be repairable…

If the transmission itself has failed, in a 1990 model car, that’s usually the end of the line…They can not be economically repaired…

#3

Check the fluid first. The bang may be another issue and if you’re real lucky it may be something like a halfshaft giving up rather than the differential side gears or something like that; meaning a new transmission and decision time.

The shafts are simple enough to check.

#4

If the engine had separated from the transmission you’d be able to see it.

Check to see if one of the drive axles or CV joints has broken. That would be the most likely explanation.

#5

I agree–as I usually do–with ok4450.

It is much more likely that the problem is related to low fluid in the transmission, or simply to wear and tear on a 20 year old transmission that might not have been serviced as it should have been. Were the trans fluid and filter changed every 3 yrs/30k miles over the past 20 years? If not, it is rather amazing that the transmission lasted this long.

Sure, it is possible that the “motor came loose from the transmission”, but it is far more likely that this old transmission has simply come to the end of its service life.

In medical schools, when med students are taught about the logic involved in diagnosing illnesses, they are told, “If you hear hoofbeats in the distance, and you live in the US, it is much more logical to assume that the noise is coming from approaching horses, rather than from a herd of zebras”. In other words, first try to rule out the more common causes of the problem before you start delving into the more exotic and less-likely scenarios.

In your case, simple failure of an old, worn out transmission represents the herd of horses, and separation of the engine from the transmission represents a herd of zebras.

#6

Well USUALLY when a drive shaft comes apart you would hear grinding noises when put in gear. I’m putting my money on a hard part failure inside the transmission. I would still check the fluid level though as always. If its low, top it off. The bang you heard and not being able to feel clutch engagement is not a good sign.

transman