Hi All,, I am about to do my own maintenance. It will be my first time but Ive watched quite a few videos and want to give it a try. My rig is built up full armor 2.5" lift running 35's if it matters.

I went to the Toyota dealer to ask what diff fluid but they were not sure for my 97.

Can anyone tell me what fluids I should get and have spares of and should I be able to get them at a auto store like Pep Boy, Oriely or NAPA? I am abut to replace some axle seals and will need to top off or drain and refill the diffs but not sure what fluid to use.

1) What diff fluid brand and weight
2) What weight and brand Oil for the V6? Do you run synthetic? Do you run a certain Filter or OEM?
3) Brake fluid? Do I just get Dot 3 or something else?
4) What transmission fluid for the Automatic transmission?
5) Radiator. I bought the OEM Toyota red radiator fluid. It was expensive but It had great reviews. Is this what you all use or do you recommend something different?

Sorry for the noob questions. I imagine the auto parts could tell me but I figured it would be best to get it from your experiences. Thanks for the help.

Open your owners manual (or download it from Toyota if you don't have a physical copy) and see what's listed for those. Or, you can grab the service manual on this forum (handy for knowing the torque settings of the plugs you'll be re-installing) and do the same. Given that it was made 20 years ago and standards change, anything that's of a rating newer will be suitable.

Generally speaking, that you have fluid in those places is the most important, that you have the right Type is next most, and that it's the right viscosity is third important. Nothing else past that really matters beyond arguing on the internet. It's dang near impossible to buy "bad" fluids in the USA today. Splurge if it makes you feel good, don't if your wallet won't allow, or find a middle ground if that makes you feel best.

Believe in yourself. Better to learn this on your own than to have someone spoon-feed it to you. All of the information you've asked for is at your fingertips.

If everything is stock just get whatever you like from the parts store that’s the correct weight for your diffs, if you have aftermarket lockers then use what the manufacturer recommends, I run 75-140 gear oil in lunchbox lockers for example. It’s more important that you change the gear oil on time and address leaks than what brand you buy.

Answers in bold and underlined. You might also consider replacing spark plugs (30k mile service interval) and spark plug wires (I do them every 60k miles) while you're doing maintenance. As always if you haven't changed your lower ball joints in the last 10 years/100k miles (for stock vehicles so probably 5 years/50k miles for lifted vehicles) then replace them with OEM ball joints and ball joint bolts before they break and cause a lot of damage and possibly injury/death.

I'm an OEM kind of guy. I find oil filters and brake fluid are pretty cheap from the dealers. Coolant is expensive at the dealer but it's the best choice too. Spark plugs are another dealer item that's priced well, and you should get the correct ones from them.

Just get good quality in the correct weights for the rest. I'm an Amsoil fan but won't go on about that, it's expensive stuff.

I just went Synth. Mobil1 for engine oil and Valvoline for transmission fluid. I feel like I broke a rule somehow - my first time using the stuff......

I know people that used Walmart SuperTech and fram oil filters and it never caused a problem.

I use their synthetic gear oil. Motorcraft FL400S oil filters and Pennzoil Platinum oil. Never done me wrong. All my vehicles were retired because of rust with well over 200k miles.


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Yep, nowadays, I'd say all oils with API ratings and whatnot are perfectly good.

Since our trans have a drain plug I really don’t care much about synthetic atf for them. Doing a drain and fill every 30k miles doesn’t bother me. I also have a magnafine filter in the trans cooler line I change yearly.

I have a spare trans for my rig. It’s got 290k miles on it. I’m riding this one until I get codes or it fails. This Asin trans is a well built unit. Same goes for the AW4 in the Jeep Cherokees. They use similar parts and the reason they are on the road as long as our 4Runners. The clutch friction plates are the same between the two and the biggest ware item in the trans.


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Yep, I'm also filtered, cooled, and giving my original (250k) transmission a taste of something different because I love it. Super easy to drain-n-fill. May they all live long and prosper.