mystery of corolla differential runs dry

Maybe, maybe not. If you ran it that far and it had enough friction to measurably reduce your gase mileage, then you almost certainly got it hot enough to heat damage the gears or bearings. Good luck!

Matt

Does a 95 Corolla with overdrive have a separate transaxle oil thing than the transmission fluid?

I had them change the fluid and they said it was all one big thing, so it wasn't really possible to change the axle fluid or whatever it is.

You have an A245E transaxle, which does infact fill completely from the dipstick. Depending on the year and application, that trans may have a differential drain plug, but it still fills from the dipstick.

Toyota MDT in MO

Thank you very much.