98 camry 2.2 4cyl 244,000 miles original owner.
1 1/2 year ago-outer differential seal(drivers side) leaking and replaced.
started leaking again and replaced a few months ago and that one started leaking shortly after with increase in leaking leaving about 5 inch cirlce of tranny fluid from the differential after every time I drive now.

I took it to a different shop-one that specializes in frames-axles etc. they put it up on the lift and called me in and grabbed the axle beteween the c/v joint and thge differential box and moved it back and forth about 1/2 to 1 inch. They said its not supposed to do that and that the bearing in my differential box is bad and thus my differential box is going bad. They said the axle is fine. They do not do tranny work and said no charge and sorry to deliver the bad news. They recommended driving it till it dies or go to a tranny shop if I want to pay for a rebuild.

Went to a tranny shop and thye were busy and would not give me a # number without looking at it which cost $. I left.

I called multiple tranny shops. The ones that were patient and willing to expalin to me about this differential-tranny said that the whole tranny-diff unit will have to be pulled out of the car inspect and basically, if they can get in the differential box without having to open up the tranny they can just rebuild the differential box as they are separate units connected together, but they may have to open up the tranny to see if the bad differential box has caused damage to the tranny etc.

All the pleasant shops had consistent information. They all said that eventually it will fail if not fixed and adding thick gear oil or Lucas oil will not even delay the failure if the axle is sliding back and forth that much.

So form what I am being told I might be able to get away with a differential only rebuild quotes $550 -850 or may need a total tranny-diff rebuild quotes $1100 to 2150.

This sucks, but maybe my reality, so I have to make a decision. I am debating the value of the car vs the massive expense of buying a new car or new-used car that will just depreciate in value.

My gut says pay for the repair even if it means a rebuild and go with the lowest cost at $550 diff, $1100 diff-tranny with 12/12 waranty.

Does the information I am being told sound legitamate or is this just standard trany shop talk to get me to pay the shop owners mortgage this mointh?

Any thoughts on if this a wothy repair for a 98 with 244,000 miles in fair cosmetic but very good running condition, original owner.

My wife says it may be time to let the camry go and that I may be blinded by by belief I can get 300,000 miles out of my baby of 13 years.

Any help appreciated. Thanks!

 

If the prices quoted includes labor they are very reasonable in my opinion.

The trans has a separate box for the diff, seldom find folks just rebuilding the diff. Most likely because the trans needs to be taken out for diff work, with the trans out why stop at the diff when rebuilding.

Also many owners opt for a cheaper used trans, there should also be third party rebuilds available.

If a decent shop is doing the rebuild, suggest going this route with a total rebuild of your trans as you know what you have when you started out. This unless the trans is somehow beyond economical repair.

A used trans is always a gamble.

If the trans is rebuilt make sure the shop installs a new torque converter or replaces the one way clutch in the old converter. This may cost more but failure of the clutch can and does result in the car not moving when in gear. The trans would need to be removed to fix this problem. This problem is much more common the diff failure.

As to buying a new car, etc. Of course you can add up the cost, price of car, sales taxes, license fee tabs may be more, insurance, depreciation, etc and weigh this against the repair costs. Sales tax alone may cover most of the repairs.

Since you owned the car since new you know past repairs and current condition. Determine the engine condition as this would be the other major expense if it fails. The 2.2L is a great engine and with regular oil changes should go 300K if not hot rodded, overheated from lack of coolant or run out of oil (all of these happen).

The other issue is condition of the body, some areas of country use a lot of salt and the car rusts out before mechanical parts fail.

The issue with high mileage cars of course is they can nickle and dime the owner especially if a shop (as opposed to the owner) is doing the work do to high repair costs.

Not sure your blinded, new cars are expensive. It is often more economical to keep the old one running and getting another 60K is not unreasonable.

A few other things to keep in mind.

The trans and diff have separate fluid chambers. If the diff is leaking the trans fluid will not replace it. The trans and diff use the same fluid.

Suggest changing the diff and trans fluid every 30-40K. Dirty and worn out fluid (from heat) is the no 1 cause of trans failure.