5th gen 2WD clarification help

So much of the information is geared to the four-wheel drive versions. Information repeated over and over has got me concerned if I'm missing something. If I am, I don't want to mess up and ruin this car that I'm going to rely on for the rest of my life.

Well, I went cheap and have a two-wheel drive 2014 SR5...

2WD vs 4WD
•On the propeller shaft, I only saw a single zerk grease connector on each end at each spider joint and I don't see any of the signs of a expanding propeller shaft. Is there a slip yoke on the two wheel drive?

•I did not see any markings indicating that the rear differential had anything to do with a slip or a limited slip differential. All of my online references indicated there are certain markings and I couldn't find any. Does the two wheel drive have a limited slip differential?

Thank you for the straight answers...

 

I’m with you in that one. I only found 2 zerks fittings. I’m going to check again. Maybe gotta move the shaft a bit by moving car forward or back to see if there is any hidden zerks.

 

Can you provide a picture of the drive shaft underneath your vehicle? I'm willing to bet you may not have a slip yoke. Its very obvious if it has one.

 

According to t4r garage YouTube in his comments it says just 2 fittings on the prop shaft. 2wd don’t have expanding slip yoke.

 

I don't believe any 5th gen 4Runner has an actual limited slip differential. It's more of an electronic one, and is a function of the traction control.

Just going to edit to add that there's not a mechanical unit inside the differential case, so it does not require any special additive fluid. The limited slip works by applying the brakes to the wheel that's spinning, and the hopes of transferring torque to the wheel that has grip.

 

Weird…So, if it doesnt have a slip yoke, does that cause binding by pushing on the rear axle, as the suspension goes up an down? I wonder if lifts on 2wd models would be a bad idea because of this?

I just greased the zerks on my OR. I looked at the slip yoke on the front driveshaft…. Then I was like . Why would it even need one? That shaft is connecting two solidly mounted things…

 

I believe the 2wd technically has a slip yoke but just integrated into the trans, not on the shaft itself. It has to have something to prevent it from binding up.

 

Not sure if the OP is interested anymore. There was a flurry of posts back in early February, nothing since.

 

I got my answer from my service advisor when I was getting my compression/leak-down testing done. The car was a bit more neglected than anticipated, as I have learned after its purchase. Amazingly, the thing tested out really, really, really well. According to the dealership, who only charged me $300 for the work when other dealerships and independent shops wanted upwards of $600 to $700, it tested out within new vehicle specs with 84k.

I have gravitated to other T4R sites because of other projects (underseat lighting and a front/rear dashcam installation) where those participants have shared some useful details. The 4Runner is an old man's project car as I have learned. I'm getting take-offs from a cool ex-law enforcement retiree who is building a zombie apocalypse survival vehicle.

I did lube the spider joints with that super red tacky Lucas stuff (NLGI #2), changed the differential fluid and did it drain and fill on the transmission, 3.5 quarts out. The differential fluid was so spent that it smelled like vomit. 84k and probably never had it done. I'm guessing the same for the spiders as what I pushed out was black and a little gritty.

.

 

This is a helpful perspective. Especially as 75W-90 has been very scarce on store shelves in Southern California.

While I did put in 75% conventional/25% synthetic with LSD additives, I was going to change this out early because the previous fluid was so spent and, in the back of my head, I'm not sure if I put the magnet-equipped plug at the proper (drain) location. I don't know if there's a special marking on it or not. Probably is, hope there is.

 

I have a similar question/situation to the original poster. My 4runner, a 2023 2WD SR5, has about 15k miles on it. I wanted to do the "propeller shaft lubrication" item myself listed on the maintenance schedule.

I was surprised to see only 2 zerk fittings. I figured there would be 3 - half of what a 4WD 4runner has.

I connected a grease gun to the two zerk fittings that I located, one on each end of the drive shaft and pumped grease until I saw fresh grease oozing out of what I believe are the spider joint seals, and then cleaned away all of the excess. I used a lithium based nlgi 2 grease - valvoline red multi-vehicles chassis grease.

Is there anything else to do for this maintenance item and based on what I've said, does it sound like I did it correctly.

Based on what others have said and comparing what I saw with images/video taken of 4WD 4runners, I don't think the 2WD 4runners have the same type of slip yoke. I could not locate a third zerk fitting. Is there something I'm missing here?

I've attached two close up photos below, albeit not super well lit, of the two zerk fittings I injected grease into. Please advise if you think this looks correct.

 

^Correct, no slip yoke on 2WD models. The driveshaft slips in and out of the transmission tail housing to account for length changes as the axle cycles up and down. Instead of grease, that interface is simply lubricated by the transmission fluid.

 

If it's lubricated by transmission fluid, should that be changed at the 15k miles interval?

Also, is it possible to put too much grease in the spider joints? I've read that if the 4runner has a slip yoke to be careful with how much grease you apply, but with spider joints - is it okay to pump until you see fresh grease and then wipe away the excess? Is there any danger in the seals being damaged on the spider joints?

 

That's the process everyone uses when greasing the spider joints, yes.

 

Change the transmission fluid at 60k / 72 mo. according to the maintenance booklet. The shaft seal on the transmission tail housing on 2WD models can wear out early because it sees both rotary motion and sliding motion, but you can't prevent that through maintenance; just replace the seal if you see it leaking.

What you described is the correct way to lubricate U-joint spiders.