The owners manual says that we should first change the transmission fluid at 100,000 miles then every 50,000 miles thereafter. Even the service pages from the Toyota $10/day website say the same.

I am at 67,000 miles and am having my transfer case rebuilt under warranty. The service guy says that when they removed the transmisson cooler line the fluid was dark and should be changed. I don't tow anything more than the occasional dirt bike trailer, so there is no reason for premature aging of the fluid. But if it is dirty I want it changed. $42/gallon for the new stuff. They will probably use 3 or 4 gallons to flush out the old fluid and refill.

Too bad we can't lift a dip stick to check the condition of the transmission fluid ourselves. I would have done the flush at 50,000 miles had I known it would not go the distance Toyota says it will.

Y'all might learn from this lesson and have your transmission fluid looked at, before the 100,000 mile replacement time.

You must be a pioneer out there with that high of mileage on that transmission. Your information and warning is a heads up for those who plan to run the 5-speed 4runner to really high mileage.

My 05 v-6 manual says lifetime ATF but recommends 60K miles change if towing.

I tried to get a dealer flush with the WS ATF at 30K and went through hell with them. The story is really too long to relate. They never did figure out how to do this (or maybe didn't want to do this) and we finally settled with me getting 16L of the WS fluid at a discount.

I will be flushing myself when the weather gets warmer.

How did you know the transfer was going bad?

Rebuilt under an extended warranty, or good faith by Toyota?


I guess you are on good terms with the dealer if they don't care about the lift. I worry about lift & drivetrain warranty work.

In this thread a transfer case cost $3800 and can't be rebuilt.

Can I ask why did the transfer case need to be rebuilt? And what kind of oil were you using in it?

Thanks

A small O ring deep inside failed. The clue as to the problem was a very small amount of gear fluid on the transfer case controller box. I thought it was the gasket between the controller and the electronic box, but they said no. They had to completely rebuild the transfer case. $900+ in parts and over 8 hours of work. Sure glad I bought the Toyota Gold warranty.

I was using Amsoil gear oil. I'm replacing the fluid here and in both differentials with the new Amsoil Severe Duty gear oil.

Just because the fluid is dark doesn't mean anything! You need to send in a sample to be analyzed. Why would assume hundreds of dollars worth of fluid needs to be replaced?

Koz

I have to go by what the mechanic said. When they unhooked the transmission lines to remove the transfer case and transmission they noticed that the fluid which drained from the lines was black and thick like gear oil. Not red and thin like new ATF. They were already making $1,700+ on the transfer case repair, so they weren

Hold on here. My 4Runner was up on the rack. My transmission was on the bench. Should I get a sample and mail it in to await days for a result? No, the $300 was worth it. I have my 4Runner back today. I don't have to be concerned about taking it back to the dealer until 100,000 miles now.

I would have changed the fluid also considering it was disassembled and had that mileage. I thought someone just said your fluid was dark and needed to be replaced.

Koz

To replace a very small O ring, they had to remove a lot of parts. It seems that the transfer case is not designed for quick, or easy, repair. I'm afraid that I was the one in a million that had a torn O ring from the initial construction. An interesting bit was that one of the seals Toyota sent for the repair was defective also. Fortunately, the dealer caught it and ordered another.

Today, the check engine light lit up. It is one of the two oxygen sensors, which cost $145 each. Good thing they are covered under the Gold Warranty.

The discussion about the $700 Platinum Warranty available, sure sounds like a good deal to me. Based on my experience, I would buy this warranty at this price. The Toyota is a very dependable vehicle, but insurance is something we all buy for our possessions. Parts and labor are so expensive that one need for the warranty will make the $700 purchase seem like a real good value.