Transmission or clutch? Help a fella out

Why do folks always leave out the important details? It boggles my mind.

Suddenly lost all gears, and the rear end made a big bang are two completely different events. Similar results, but when you hear a very distinct noise from anywhere beyond the transmission, odds are REALLY good that it has nothing to do with the transmission and a lot more to do with where the big bang came from.

 

Put it back in 2wd, set the hand brake and with the aid of a helper have 1 person watch the drive shaft while the other works the clutch, use your head so nobody gets hurt.
If the driveshaft spins and the truck doesn't move you just located the problem.

Dealerships aren't generally a good choice for an older vehicle. You will probably be better served by a trusted independent shop, save some money too.

Personally I wouldn't rebuild the rear, replace it with one from a wrecking yard.

If you are curious you can remove the fill plug, dip a small stick like a tongue depressor in there and see what the oil looks like. Your finger will work however there might be metal shavings in the oil.

 

I have never seen a exploded differential that the gear oil was not dripping out.

Then my exploding differentials had quite a lot more horse power in front.

holes in the housing were normal.

 

Mmmm, no. I think you’re talking about a GM/Ford/Mopar product, no removable diff cover on a Tacoma.

The advice you’ll get here is sound, you’ll know when a diff is toast, you’ll feel the failure through the gas pedal as it transfers through the drivetrain. Sheared spider gears, it’ll sound like a pop can full of rocks after the pop.

Difference with sheared ring gear teeth is it’s possible the diff will still engage on the teeth remaining on the pinion and ring gear and stop when you hit the sheared teeth, so moving back and forth with front wheels active will allow you to get the rear end working a bit.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/ring-and-pinion-gear-teeth-sheared-root-cause.582349/

Spider gears connected to axles only turn when the axle/rear wheels turn. No move = sheared spider gears as far as I can tell, though the rules apply same as ring and pinion, if you move the axle with the sheared spider gears it will engage until the axle turns enough to hit the sheared spot.

You could in all practicality remove your rear diff and replace the spider gears if that’s the problem as long as the ring gear and pinion are set up correctly and aren’t damaged.

 

Thank you for supplying images and helpful information, Ive been told quite a few different things but its been mainly "check the ring and pinion" or "replace axle with 3rd member included."