95 corolla drivetrain problem

I have a 95 corolla with 150K miles that is making a hollow clunking noise when accelerating/decelerating. It has to be one of 3 things but so far after taking it to 2 shops and replacing motor mounts no solution found so far.

1) Motor Mounts - Been there, done that. Didn't fix the problem.
2) CV joints - good possibility but the boots are still intact and I'm not getting the clicking noise that everyone talks about. I do however get a shutter going up hills and braking at higher speeds (say >40 mph).
3) Differential - Haven't found much info on how to diagnose this one but I did read somewhere it could be causing the noise. Not even sure how to fix it if differential gears are the problem. Transaxle shifts normally.

Thanks for any insights.

Did you check your wheel hub and bearing. I had the same problem on my ae92 and my subaru. wheel bearings where bad.

Haven't checked that but will. Thanks.

My 96 Prizm had the same vibration problem and it turned out to be a failed cv joint on one of the drive axles at the end that connects to the transmission. You will not hear the clicking sound heard with a failed outer cv, but you will hear the clunk you describe. The axle was rebuilt for and this solved the problem. Cost was aroudn $325.

That's my best guess also. Did you get both axles replaced? How did they determine that was the real problem? Were the inner joint boots cracked? My boots are still good but they have lost some grease. Thanks.

That's my best guess also. Did you get both axles replaced? How did they determine that was the real problem? Were the inner joint boots cracked? My boots are still good but they have lost some grease. Thanks.


I had ruled out engine mounts and wheel bearings after checking those out. I suspected the drive axle after a friend tipped me off. I figured an axle would have some excessive movement if it were the problem. I reached under the car and grabbed each axle one at a time, trying to move it up and down. The driver side axle was solid at each end. The passenger side had significant vertical play near the transmission and I was able to duplicate the clunk I heard while accelerating and decelerating. I felt around the inner boot, and could not sense a breach. The boot near the wheel was fine. I took the car to a good Toyota shop and described what I found and they agreed it sounded like the axle was bad. I had only the passenger side axle replaced. Since it was fixed last week, the car rides as good as new.

Thanks for the reply. I feel confident now that my car has a bad right axle also. Just like you said on yours, mine also has more play on the passenger side. The transmission shop I use said it's really not anything to worry about but I don't think I can stand to listen to it much longer.

I had clunking noise on left front thought it was CV joints but they were in great shape with 175k on it.

Check the wheel bearing especially the inner sleeve of the bearing where it slides over the hub, it's actually 2 pieces that make up the inner part to the bearing, on my car inner the part where the axle goes into the hub was spinning on the hub shaft & had wore it down so much that when i pressed the new bearing on it woukd spin also had to replace the hub.

hate to bring up old topic, but i cannot remove the driver's side cv joint, it is stuck inside the transmission with no luck, ive tried prying, and pulled my fool brains out, but no luck, any help?

I wish I had some suggestions. I ended up taking mine to a local shop to get it replaced (passenger side). It did fix the clunking problem I was having so I'm glad about that. Try posting a new subject. I'm sure someone here can help.

Concerning stuck CV axles...
I recently replaced both CV axles in my '94. They were hard to pull out of the transmission. On the drivers side, I pulled apart the inner CV joint by giving it a good yank, then I put a three-jawed puller around the inner cv joint housing (there are grooves around the outside that the jaws can grip). I put a chain through the puller and looped it around a bumper jack that I put on its side up against the transmission. It came right out after a couple of cranks on the jack. If this does not work, and you are putting substantial pressure on the chain, then I would try to whap on the inner cv joint housing with a hammer as pull is applied with the jack.
On the passenger side, I wrapped a rope around the inner joint housing and tied it to a comealong attached to the bumper of a truck parked next to the car. If you try this approach, be careful because you could pull the car off the jackstands before the cv joint axle comes loose. With the comealond tight, I took an air chisel to the inner joint housing, and with a little vibration, it popped right out.
And I thought that these axles were supposed to pop out with swift yank of the arm!
Good luck.

Watch that differential. When you talk about vertical play with the CV, that sounds exactly like a symptom of a bad differential. If that goes out it can bring down your whole transmission.