Changing Differential and Transfer Oil on 5th Generation

I did purchase toyota washers for plugs. I did not replace the washers and because the washer looked good I reused it... no leaks. 3 years old now.. if the washer is corroded or damaged then replace it so have some ready for use. I do not install the covers when I do the oil changes. leave them off a few days to check for any leaks...

very odd that my 2000 silverado has the same washer on the oil drain plug. 175K miles ..no problems.

 

Toyota recommends engine oil be replaced every 10,000 miles under normal driving conditions. Diffs, transfer case, and trans oils are essentially "lifetime" oils unless used under extreme conditions. They do not recommend changing them at short intervals under normal wear and tear.

 

Yea, it’s probably my old school paradigm. My previous Toyota (which I’m still driving after 250,000 miles), is a 2003 Tacoma 4x with manual trans. I guess oil and engine technology as changed a bit over the years.

I just wonder, the guys selling oil changes say 3000 miles, and the guys selling cars say 10000+ miles. Truth is, foreign particles still get in the oil through wear, combustion byproducts, or moisture (every gear case has a vent of some kind). I’d just as soon keep as much of that junk out of there for as long as possible. Changing fluids is cheap insurance.

 

I struggle with the thought of it being a lifetime oil as well. Part of me want to change it out at say 100,000 miles and the other part says fvck it......let's see how far this bitch will go.

I mean how many people do you know that have had problems with their 4Runner motors, diffs, transmissions, and transfer cases? Definitely not a systemic problem among these vehicles. And Toyota does extensive, long-life testing on them to make sure their oil change interval recommendations are appropriate.

Of course you will get the naysayers that insist Toyota tells us this because they want to sell you more vehicles, but that is contrary to the Toyota philosophy of providing the customer with the most reliable vehicle they can. Because if they do that, many will be customers for life. And Toyota has proven this time and time again with reliable, long lasting vehicles.

 

Ya I’m using my neighbor’s lift. I’m too fat to get under it. From being on this dam site all the time.....

 

the long time owners of these vehicles do not keep the drive train lube in for ever.
rear gear oil diff has break in first 800 miles oil over heats turns dark/black.. if off road use 4wd often gonna have to do the front diff also. transfer case lube many recommend 30-40K miles. transmission fluid requires replacing 100k-130K miles. many did not do the tranny fluid changes at the 130K .. at 170-200K miles they had torque converter shift problems had to do the tranny flush method .. then it was fixed..

these owners keep these for 20yrs .. pass them on to family members.. that is why these have a very high resale value... GM low resale value .
older runners it was rust belt frame issue.. runner still runs but the frame is gone.

 

I never did either, til I started riding motorcycles and got in the habit of changing them. Aluminum cases made for the possibility of case cracking if the washer had any imperfections.

Probably not needed but they’re cheap enough

 

What fluid do you guys recommend for front, rear and transfer? Plan on doing mine in a couple months

 

Most vehicles have (or should have) magnetic drain plugs. The first time you pull that plug and see that spike hair-do of iron filings on the plug, you’ll be glad you changed the oil. Fine filings (like what you’d get running a magnet through sand) is normal (especially for the first time). However, little tiny pieces, that might be a different story.

 

I used mobil synthetic 75-90wt gear oil.. reason I used this is because the gear oil is highly recommended and the owners have used this in the frt/rear gear boxes for 300K miles..
now the transfer case requires toyota transfer case oil .. this is a special oil that has the additives in it to reduce wear ..

toyota transfer case fluid

 

I agree with the Toyota testing and reliability reputation (this is the 4th Toyota I’ve owned). They can run them through the wringer for many thousands of miles, but they can only do it in a relatively short period of time (vehicle has to go onto production sometime). What I wonder about is real world, long clock time, testing (a thousand short trips, low miles per year, parked in unfriendly weather, slogging through fun off-road junk, sitting some more, repeated powertrain temperature cycles with air inside the cases expanding and contracting and sucking in humid air, internal condensation when they cool back down again, etc.). Those are the conditions that are hard on the lubricants.

 

Thanks!

 

Here’s what the dealership uses....

 

I use Redline 75w85

 

Sometimes cheaper is better. I tried using expensive Motul oil in the GSXR and it was having shifting problems. switched back to a basic synthetic and it shifts perfect...

 

my dealership uses mobil syn 75-90wt in 50 gallon drums bulk ..for the diff's ..

 

I think I used that, the last diff change. No metal shavings at all. O’well my rear end will prob start crunching now.

 

Royal Purple Synchromax is also recommended for the transfer case and it is a lot cheaper and way more readily available than the Toyota stuff. I have Synchromax in my transfer case

 

I pretty much stick to the severe duty maintenance schedule in the owners manual but with my use I definitely fall into the severe duty parameters. Towing, frequent stop/starts, off road, dust, etc.

 

I found this interesting because when I changed diffs and transfer case fluids, I went to the Toyota dealer for the transfer case fluid recommended. But they don't stock it or use it. When I asked the service manager what they would use if they got a transfer case fluid change request, he stated regular 75W-90 gear oil. He said Mobil 1 would be fine. sigh...

 

Just use the Royal Purple Synchromax. It's compatible

 

I worked for Toyota, trust me 50% of the managers get their position because of who they know not what they know, and they do not keep themselves updated on vehicle requirements. Gear oil might be okay to use, but if your going to be keeping your 4runner for a long time, why risk potentially damaging a important component in the transfer case just to save a few bucks.

 

why would a dealership use the wrong transfer case fluid ? because they will want you to buy another new runner when the warranty ends on the drive train failure .

 

dumbest shit I heard today.

 

Good call, mine (rear diff)was replaced at 18K under warranty.

 

Transfer case is as easy to do as the rear
My front diff done at 20,000 was worst than my rear. Its a bit of a pain but if you do it during an oil change while the skids are off... its not bad

 

I think we all have slightly different opinions on when we should change our fluids and what kinds of stuff are okay to use. Well, with that said, here's mine:

 

Good stuff Doug!

A lot of work went into that.

 

This really is one of the most helpful articles I've found in a while. Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to create such a masterpiece. I'm sure many people other than those who responded in this thread have taken your advice and are completely satisfied with the result. What a pity that such information is now very difficult to find, but I hope that you will continue to delight us with excellent topics, full of quality content. By the way, I'd like to add a little about oil - to make oil selection easier you can use http://cararac.com/, I often use it when my friends don't know what's best to choose for their cars. I think it might be useful to someone on this forum as well

 

I did my rear differential gear oil change on my 2005 (105,000 miles) with 3 quarts of Valvoline 75-90 (conventional). Just drain and fill. No drips.

Took 15 minutes in the driveway.

I will do it again after another 70,000 miles.

Parts store didn't have synthetic. Personally don't think synthetic gear is any better.

My 4runner doesn't see highway driving with higher temps. I'm in Nassau Bahamas.
3 mile trips are long for us. Bet I get to 500,000 miles.

Color of the old gear lube was jet black and it lost its viscosity.

Now at 155,000 miles.