RobH

Alright. You guys tell me. I don't know anything about drivetrains, but I have a significant noise eminating from what sounds like the transmission. This whining noise occurs when the car is accelerating or decelerating, but disappears when you are just inbetween.

This is on a 97 ES300 with ~140k miles.

I stopped in at a Toyota dealership (no Lexus dealer close where I was) and asked their so-called top service tech about the noise. He was nice enough to go on a ride-along, and quickly told me it was the differential that was making the noise, citing that the parts eventually wear. However, he said there is no need to replace it at this time. It may continue to make noise but there was no catastrophic failure on the horizon. He said the solution, if I can't stand the noise, is, for a car with as many miles as mine, replacing the transmission rather than just the differential. Apparently, the differential is buried within the transmission, right? Oh, it's only $3k. For that, I might just turn up the radio.

Ok. That was about 4 weeks ago. The noise has gotten significantly worse. The car is running fine, and I don't notice any downgrade in performance. But I have this funny feeling... I used to only hear the whining at speeds above 40mph, but that threshold seems to be creeping downward.

Any ideas or experience with this? I searched through some of the threads but couldn't find this exact situation.

And here's how dumb I am... Is there specific differential fluid for this car? I have recently had the transmission serviced, but was not really thinking about differential fluid. The car does not seem to ever leak fluids, but could the differential fluid be low?

Thanks for any insight.
-Rob

csaxon

The differential fluid should have been changed with the transmission fluid. Amazingly, the differential fluid is overlooked because it's a seperate plug and fill hole from the transmission drain hole for your model car.

Pianoman72

Am I missing something? The ES is FWD. differential is on RWD cars, right?

csaxon

A differential controls that rate of gear driven drive wheel rotation during turns. An inside wheel turns at a different rate than the outside wheel. Front wheel drive or rear wheel drive they both use some form of differential gearing to compensate for various rates of turn. It's on the drivers side of a '97 Toyota/Lexus front wheel drive.

HarrierAWD

Or worse, the tech might have drained the differential fluid, but neglected to put new fluid in, or put the wrong kind.

RobH: Was the tranny serviced at the same Toyota dealership? Or at El Cheapo?

VVT-i

The differential on the ES300 used the same type of fluid and the same filler as the transmission, I mean they are one unit(trans and diff). You can seperate them, but it a lot cheaper to replace a complete unit. You can drain the trans and diff., then fill it up from the trans dip stick tube.

RobH

The tranny service was several weeks after the whining noise started, so I don't think the two are directly related.

I originally thought that the sound was coming from in front of the passenger side, sort of from the right drive axle, but the tech told me the differential is basically in the center of the vehicle. It only sounds like that due to the other engine components that shield the sound in the center and the left.

Of course, it's hard to diagnose without hanging my head out the door while going down the freeway... so I just took his work for it.

I guess I'm looking for a "best case" and "worst case" scenario regarding the differential.

RobH

Anyone else? Still trying to figure out what's going on...

RA40

iTrader: (6)

The correct fluids we filled?
If it has been a spell since the service, I am thinking, have it drained and checked for wear items in the fuild...metal and like by checking the tranny screen. Short of this, you may be looking at a replacement.

RobH

Noise started before the service, so the two aren't linked. I'm not worried about the current fluids at all. Just wondering about the possible wear to the differential as indicated by the dealership.

Again, they said it's not going to cause a problem, just noise. But since when is a strange noise in the mechanics of a vehicle not a problem.

In reality, I'll probably drive it as is until I'm leaving a trail of gears and metal shavings as I go. Of course, I'll never hear them falling out because I'll have my stereo cranked up to cover the whining noise...

Everyone -- Honk and wave at me on the side of the road in Dallas as you go by.

cuttingedg

sounds like you need a transaxle unit.

JJG2005

I know this is an old post... but has anyone ever figured out anythign with this issue? My 97 ES300 started to make a high pitched whining noise yesterday... but this morning it didn't. My PS fluid was low and I topped it off... but it did sound like it was coming from the drivers side of the engine bay. I'm hoping it was just my PS fluid and nothing more, but at 135k I'm a bit worried.

RobH

JJG:

Ultimate resolution on mine was a new transmission (ouch!) last Spring. Eventually started slipping and slamming into gear until it finally let go completely. I took the advice of a Toyota dealer and just kept driving it until it finally quit. New transmission was just south of $2k. Good luck with yours! I got about a year out of mine after the noise started. Maybe you'll do better. Still better than a car payment.

-Rob

koolaidman

first off u have a transaxel with means
automatice transmission with differental builded on

second. the so called diff fluid some1 mentions here. is the same fluid in the transmission.

3rd. time for a new trans when it goes