Pawlik Automotive Podcast May 4, 2026

2014 Toyota Sienna Transfer Case

Annotations will appear as you listen

0:00

5:35

Car

2014 Toyota Sienna

They’re working on a 2014 Toyota Sienna minivan. This one had drivetrain noises, and the shop traces the problem to the parts that help the van send power to all wheels.

Term

They’re describing unusual sounds coming from the car’s power system. Those noises can come from parts that transfer power to the wheels, and the type of sound can help the shop figure out which part is worn.

Term

hoist

A hoist is the car lift in a garage. It raises the vehicle so the mechanics can access and test parts underneath more easily.

Term

all-wheel drive

All-wheel drive means the car can send power to all four wheels. Here, it helps the mechanics test the drivetrain while the car is lifted so they can pinpoint where the noise is coming from.

Part

right rear wheel bearing

A wheel bearing helps the wheel spin smoothly. When it wears out, it can make a loud growling or humming noise, and mechanics have to identify it before replacing other parts.

Term

transfer case

The transfer case is a component in AWD vehicles that sends power to the wheels. If its internal bearings wear out, it can make loud grinding or humming noises, which is what they’re diagnosing here.

Term

transverse mounted engine

A transverse mounted engine means the engine sits sideways in the car. That layout changes how the drivetrain parts fit together, especially the parts that send power to the wheels.

Term

transverse to longitudinal

This phrase means the car has to redirect power because the engine is mounted sideways, but the drive system needs to send power front-to-back. Gears inside the drivetrain handle that change.

Part

angle gear unit

An angle gear unit is a set of gears that “turns” the direction of power. It helps the car send power from the engine to the rear wheels even when the engine is mounted sideways.

Concept

used unit

A used unit means they replaced the broken part with one that came from another car instead of buying brand-new. It can save money, especially if it’s low mileage and in good condition.

Part

engine cradle

An engine cradle is the heavy metal frame that holds the engine in place. On some cars, you have to lower it to get enough space to remove drivetrain parts.

Part

engine transmission assembly

That phrase means the engine and transmission are treated as a single mounted unit during the job. They’re moved together to make room and to avoid disconnecting things that would be too difficult to separate.

Term

drive shaft

A drive shaft is a spinning metal shaft that carries power from the transmission/transfer case to the rear wheels. If it’s damaged or out of balance, you can get shaking or vibration.

Term

catalytic converters

Catalytic converters are parts in the exhaust system that help clean up engine exhaust. They can be located near other underbody parts, so mechanics sometimes have to work around them.

Term

steering rack

The steering rack is the mechanism that turns your steering wheel into the motion that actually steers the wheels. It’s a mounted part under the car, so it can be in the way when working on nearby components.

Term

differential

A differential is what lets the two wheels on the same axle spin at different speeds, especially when you’re turning. Without it, the drivetrain would bind up.

Term

trans axle

A transaxle is when the transmission and the differential are packaged together in one unit. It helps simplify the drivetrain layout, especially on certain drivetrains.

Part

bearings

Bearings are the small internal parts that help moving components spin smoothly. When they wear out, they can start making noise and may lead to bigger problems.

Term

fluid change

A fluid change is when you drain out old, dirty fluid and put in new fluid. In a transfer case, clean fluid helps the internal parts last longer.

Term

100,000 kilometers

They’re suggesting you change the transfer case fluid about every 100,000 kilometers. Doing it on schedule helps keep the internal parts lubricated and reduces wear.

Term

fill plug

A fill plug is a screw/bolt you remove to add fluid. It also helps determine the correct fluid level, so the vehicle needs to be positioned correctly while you service it.

Company

Pawlik Automotive

Pawlik Automotive is the repair shop the hosts suggest you contact. They’re described as having lots of experience working on different kinds of cars and repairs.

LIVE

Hi, it's Mark.

I'm here with Bernie Pawlik, Pawlik Automotive in Vancouver, Vancouver's best auto service

experience.

And we're talking cars.

How you doing this morning, Bernie?

Doing very well.

So today's guest is, might seem like deja vu.

It's a 2014 Toyota Sienna van.

What was going on with this particular vehicle?

So this van came in for some drivetrain noises.

We did some diagnostics on it.

Road test to verify the customer's complaint.

There was some growling humming noises as we sped up.

Put the vehicle on the hoist.

Being all-wheel drive was excellent because you can run the vehicle on the hoist.

We can listen to the various drivetrain components with a stethoscope and found that the right

rear wheel bearing was noisy, which we talked about in a different podcast.

But this particular one, we also found the transfer case was very loud.

There's a lot of noise coming from the transfer case bearings.

And that's what this podcast we talk about replacing the transfer case.

OK, we'll get into what the transfer case is in a second, but let's just go to some pictures.

So here's our guest today.

Today's guest.

And what kind of, remind me, what kind of mileage did this have?

238,000 kilometers.

So quite a lot.

The vehicle actually looks in really great shape, but it has a lot of mileage on it.

Been well used.

And that's the transfer case.

That's the old one that's sitting on the floor.

So the transfer case basically transfers the emotion from the front of the vehicle

to the rear axle.

And this is a transverse mounted engine.

So it has to actually change the rotation from side to side.

Am I thinking right?

Transverse to longitudinal.

There's some gears inside there and Volvo, they called an angle gear unit,

which is probably a good description.

We ended up going with a used unit.

It was a much cheaper option than a new one.

And there's plenty of low mileage used units out there that will last a long time.

So that's the option we went with the customer.

So what we're looking at.

Yeah, this is all OK.

Why are we looking at an engine sitting on a cradle?

So this is how you get the transfer case out.

There is no easy way to remove the transfer case on this.

Basically, the engine cradle needs to be dropped with the engine transmission

assembly all in one.

Then the engine has to be lifted off and separated from the transmission

or the transmission separated from the engine either way.

And then the transfer case can be removed.

So that green arrow is pointing to the transfer case, that picture we just looked at.

You can barely see when you look at this picture.

That green arrow is pointing somewhere onto the cooling fins back here.

That's right.

Yeah, exactly.

Yeah.

And this is the end.

That's where the drive shaft to the rear goes.

Yeah, we have a rubber glove on there just to keep oil from pouring out.

There's another view with again, the green arrow is pointing to the transfer case,

which again, is just buried way in there.

What we're looking at above that arrow is one of the catalytic converters.

And then the steering rack sits right above the green arrow.

I believe that stays in place on its mount.

There's another view.

It's an awful lot of work to do it.

So this changes side to side motion down the vehicle to power the rear wheels.

So then there's also, when part of this, there's a differential in the front

and a differential in the back.

Exactly, yeah.

And the front differential is part of the transmission.

So it's a trans axle.

So if this was a two wheel drive vehicle, it would not have this particular unit here.

It would just be the transmission in the front and wouldn't have this

plus drive shaft, plus rear differential and axles.

Now, all wheel drive adds a lot of complexity to a vehicle.

How common is this an issue with vehicles?

We do them from time to time.

These angle gear type transfer cases do tend to wear out.

We do a few a year.

So eventually they do go bad.

There's bearings inside that wear out.

And that's what causes the noises.

And differentials last a little bit longer in your experience?

Generally speaking, yeah.

But they do go bad on certain vehicles, too, from time to time.

Hit and miss, of course, mileage is a key in this one here.

If it was a lower mileage vehicle, the transfer case would not be bad.

Maybe a fluid change or two over the history of the vehicle

might have made a difference.

We don't know the history of the vehicle, but changing the fluid

every 100,000 kilometers is a good thing to do.

OK, there's a question.

How do you change the fluid on this given that in here?

Well, it's actually not that difficult.

If you go back to the last picture, we're actually looking at the bottom

of this transfer case and you can see a sort of oily bolt.

That's how you drain the fluid out.

So that's actually upside down.

The fluid drains out and then there's a fill plug on the side.

It's fiddly to get to.

And there are some transfer cases and some

differentials are very difficult to change fluids in that some cars

are just not designed for changing fluids.

This one is, but it's a little finicky.

Probably not something you're going to attempt in your backyard.

No, it's actually draining.

It is probably not the hardest thing if you have a socket and extension

and you put it up on a if you put up on a ramp, it's going to be on an angle.

So you're not going to get it to drain properly.

You'd have to jack it up if you're going to do it in your backyard.

The car has to sit evenly.

We'll leave that for the do-it-yourselfers to figure out.

And there's a lot of smart do-it-yourselfers out there.

If you're having issues with your transfer case or your Toyota Sienna,

the people to see in Vancouver, BC, Canada are Pawlik Automotive.

You can book your appointment at pawlikautomotive.com.

You can check our many videos.

We've been doing this for 13 years on all makes and models and types of repairs.

Enjoy. If you're not sleepy, watch them.

We'll put you to sleep as well.

You can book your appointment by calling 604-327-7112.

They'll talk to you.

They'll find out what's going on.

They'll get ready for your appointment.

You have to book ahead, though.

They're always busy at Pawlik Automotive in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Thanks so much for watching and listening.

Thanks, Bernie.

Thank you, Mark. Thanks for watching.

0:00

5:35

2014 Toyota Sienna Transfer Case

About this episode