95 Camry Differential

Auto)

I don't know about the 95, but my 94 has a different place where the differential is drained and refilled. In fact it's a pain to refill, you have to use a long skinny tube from top or a pump with a bendable tube. The fluid is the same.

I can answer based on the 1994 4cyl.:

Yes, and mine has a printed warning to that effect on the transmission dipstick.

This is (2.2, Auto)

No. There is a separate fill plug on the back of the differential, similar to a manual transmission - you fill to the bottom of the hole.

Also is the fluid type

Yes. ATF. I still don't understand how light weight automatic transmision fluid can be specified for the differential, but that is correct. You should be able to confirm this and find fill quantities in the back of your owner's manual. Should be 1.7 US qts. for the differential and apx. 2.5 qts for trans. drain and fill.

The reason light oils can be used is transverse engines and trans is because there are no hypoid -helical bevel gears in operation. All these gear characteristics (hypoid: meaning the pinion is below the axis of the crownwheel,..helical or spiral cut bevel gears means the teeth of the pinion make contact with a sliding engagement with the crown wheel teeth because of their angle of cut. This sliding or progressive engagement of each tooth with its mate on the crown gear means the oil film has to be very shear resistant, hence the heavy grades. This type of design is also much stronger and quieter than a plain bevel straight-cut gear set as found in early car diffs.

If you get hold of a rear-drive differential-centre (found in banjo-case diffs not Salisbury types), and slowly turn the pinion, you'll notice each pinion tooth takes a considerable time to commence and then exit contact with the crown tooth involved. In contrast such as in a hand-drill, you'll see straight-cut-bevel gears have total contact instantaeously with each mating crown-gear. This can lead to teeth shearing off if not designed large enough.

Jason