Which one is the differential drain plug?

you're right. Don't unscrew the differential bolts.

The differential dra> I've a Haynes manual for my 2000 V6. It provides a general location

Does the V6 share liquid with the tranny? I thought only the

Why would Toyota design with a separate reservoir for tranny and diffs, anyway? And why would they have the fill plug WAY in the BACK of the differential? At least put it somewhere it could be accessible... like near the tranny fill hole... geez...

I notice a hex bolt at the location where the Haynes manual indicate is a filler plug, so I assume this is a filler plug.

According to my Haynes manual, only the 1999 and later Lexus ES300 transaxles don't have a separate differential housing.

I don't know why Toyota design them to be separate. Maybe because Toyota transmissions are very dirty (metal shavings) and they don't want it to affect the differential. Especially when the differential seal can fail and the fluid will drain into the ATF area leaving you a dry differential!

The V6 should have a separate drain for the diff (the 10mm hex allen plug), but shares the same fill through the dip stick tube.

The I4 has separate differential fill/drain plugs (one is hex drain, and the other is regular 17mm? plug).

Replace the strainer if you remove the pan (like with a Fram filter kit). And notice the black powder coating on all the parts will stay for a longer period of time.