Hello, I own a 1989 Camry, 4cylinder front wheel drive. (I think it is a 2.0L?) The transaxle just gave out. For months now it has been leaking from where the engine meets the tranny. Something about the bearing being oblonged over time? Im not 100% positive about the cause of the leak, except that it was definitely coming from the area I mentioned and not from the pan. The tranny would take a long time to shift into the next gear, and sometimes I'd have to jam the gas for a second and then let off for it to shift. I kept periodically refilling tranny fluid over this period of time. The problem got worse and the car had a harder time shifting, and a lot of the time it would like to start out in 2nd gear instead of 1st from a dead stop. Today the tranny just stopped working. Even with the engine at a high rev, the car would only go about 2 or 3mph tops, and just forget about hills. What exactly does it sound like the problem is???

Im taking the transaxle out next week. I want to rebuild it. I do all my own work and I have rebuilt/repaired manual transmissions, and in school we worked shortly on an automatic transmission, but that was a while ago. Still, I've never worked on a transaxle, but I can repair anything with proper instructions. Is it really that complicated? Is there a step by step somewhere in this forum? Is it even worth rebuilding?

 

First find out what model trans the car has. Unless the car has 4-wheel drive the early Camry had an A140L and A140E. The "E" series was a later model having electric shift solenoids controlled by the computer.

The trans should have an ID plate attached to it. Location should be on top of the trans bell housing behind the drivers side of the engine. Look also on the drivers door edge for a sticker that may list the VIN number along with the trans model number.

A rebuilt kit for the A140 L and E series is available for under $200; a Google search will turn many sources.

The problem could be the torque converter or the one-way bearing/clutch inside it. To access this area requires pulling the trans.

To rebuild the trans is a matter of time and parts costs. Often it is cheaper to find a used trans out of a car being parted out.

If you do rebuild you should get a detailed manual. Haynes or Chilton will NOT cover this area.

I suggest you talk to your instructor who may be able to locate parts at discount prices perhaps through school contacts (or areas to look for used trans) and give advice on if rebuilding is the way to go.

If learning about cars might be worth it to rebuild just for experience. Auto trans are not like manuals, they have a lot more parts! A service manual with detailed info would be required.

Send a private message to me with an email address and will reply with detailed service info. The file is 19mb thus make sure your email provider can handle this size.

If it is the torque converter clutch you may be able to replace it or get a complete converter. But again this costs money. I don’t know if the trans overhaul kits contains the torque converter clutch.

Review the info with your instructor then decide if you want to take on the task.