I’m still waiting for parts for my 1990 Corolla - I have owned & driven the car conservatively for 29 years, has 218k miles. I am currently on my 3rd transmission. Every transmission started leaking apparently around some kind of shaft. My mechanic recently replaced a seal around this shaft but it still leaks because the shaft is worn . He is currently searching for a replacement shaft but is having trouble finding one because the car is so old. My questions are : does anyone know a reliable source of parts for my Corolla? - And why does this transmission have so many problems? Scotty always says standard transmissions last for years , the fact is my vehicles with automatic transmissions that I really haven’t serviced very well run great , but my Corolla has been plagued with transmission problems. - If I do manage to get it fixed again what can I do to maintain the transmission other than maintain the fluid level which I have done faithfully in the past. Also, I know they sold millions of these cars , why are parts so difficult to find? - thanks for the help
Well that car is 30 years old you can really expect parts to be harder to find my father had a 1997 Corolla and guess what? It fell apart with 170k miles. That is the only experience with Toyota our family had. It would overheat it would stall it would not start all these problems. Is this the Toyota reliability everyone is talking about, or did everyone with a 90s Corolla buy a lemon? I heard the old ones could go 300k miles easily but I hey I don't have any more experience than that.
Thank you kerem
You should investigate if a machine shop can repair that shaft for you. They can weld then lathe the shaft to factory specs if they are capable. Something to think about unless you already have tried this avenue.
Thank you, I might have to go that route I have heard for years how easy it is to find parts, but apparently that is a myth , I appreciate your help , Merry Christmas 🎄
Okay good luck and I think you will get this done....In regards to your other questions..Parts are equired to be available for a max time of ten years unless those parts are used in other models afterwards. But who knows the same old part could be renumbered to the NEWER car and priced up...You would not know its the same part unless you had a cross reference or specifications material to look up. Sneaky way to make money. I looked up your trans on eBAY for sale...none at all. I am sure someone has one but they probably have resigned and pitched it into the can. Well anyways...Best to you for the Holidays and take care.
Thank you Dion
Checking the fluid level is not enough if you really want a manual transmission to last.
You should replace the fluid every 40000 miles. It's not complicated to do.
There's a fill plug and a drain plug, open the fill plug first, then the drain the fluid, pour the right fluid until it comes out of the fill plug. Done !
On manual transmissions, there is an oil seal around the input shaft. If it leaks, fluid goes into the bell housing and the clutch may end up slipping. The seal is cheap, but it requires taking apart the whole transmission.
To get parts like your input shaft, I use Amayama.com => https://www.amayama.com/en
They get genuine parts directly from car manufacturers in Japan.
You may have to pay customs fees, but it is still way cheaper than from a dealership.
Thank you Pete
See if anyone makes a quick sleeve for your shaft.
Thank you BC