I have a Camry 1995 V6 1MZFE with the A541E gearbox. 210k miles on car, 120k on gearbox after a Toyota remanufactured replacement fitted 10+ yrs ago. It has begun making a gearbox bearing style hissing distress sound in first gear. It happens even while stationary in D and gets worse as power is applied against the brakes. No trace of sound in R. Underway in 2, sound is not detectable either. I think there is a problem in the input section of the gearbox around the oil pump somewhere. Since it doesn't do this in R, it doesn't seem to be the torque converter, and neither does it have the classic sound of converter bearing whine.

I'm assuming the g/b will have to be replaced. I am looking at a A541E from a donor 1998 Lexus ES300 and also a 2000 Solara both with a later variant A541E. Would this fit my 1995 car? If there are slight differences, could I swap ancillary parts from my unit to the replacement as one would do wtih replacement engine ancillaries? There seem to have been slight modifications in the later years. Looking online I've seen electrical connectors and the number of pan bolts being mentioned. But it's extremely hard to get an idea if these are important differences or not. It's nearly impossible to find suitable 1995 era gearboxes, and they typically last less than half as long as the extraordinarily durable 1MZ! After doing valve clearances, the main Toyota dealers told me my 1MZ is in excellent condition, and the car is used for long distance travel of over 1500 miles each way.

Many thanks in advance for any light shed on the gearbox.

 

Trans years and models used in. The 1995 appears to extend to 1996 only.

97-01 Camry

97-98 LEXUS ES300

99-01 LEXUS ES300

99-03 SOLARA

Toyota may have changed the speed sensor setup from 2 to 1 sensor after 1996