Differential fluid change
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Baba Booey
New member
I would consider waiting until you have at least 10K to 15K miles on your 4Runner before changing the diff fluid. The gears will still be wearing in, and if you change it too early, you will likely want to change it again in order to get most of the metal particles out of there.
Perhaps you want to make the switch over to a good synthetic, but if you change it out too soon, your expensive synthetic will become "contaminated", which in my opinion defeats the purpose.
I would suggest waiting until the break-in period is near completion and then switching to a quality synthetic fluid that will remain cleaner for the long haul.
Perhaps you want to make the switch over to a good synthetic, but if you change it out too soon, your expensive synthetic will become "contaminated", which in my opinion defeats the purpose.
I would suggest waiting until the break-in period is near completion and then switching to a quality synthetic fluid that will remain cleaner for the long haul.
I never owned 4wheel drive before and I am very nervous about not knowing how to do the maintenance for it. I don't want to take it to the dealer because I am afraid they will screw it up. I like to do as much as possible, oil changes brakes things like that. I have never lubricated a Zerk fitting on any thing but a snow blower, and differential fluid changes are new to me so I am a bit nervous. Just trying to learn as much as possible.
The differential fluids on the V8 are synthetic.
The differential fluids on the V8 are synthetic.
pat161
New member
Just check your owners manual, that should give you some idea. You can't really miss the xfer case behind the tranny and w/ a drive shaft heading to the front diff. When changing the diff take note of the drain and fill plugs, the drain should have a magnet and should be put back as the drain, it will fit either place, at least it does on a 3rd gen. As far as synthetic, most will switch to that anyway, in my 02 I run Mobil1 75/90 in the diffs and Redline MT-90 in the xfer case. I would have done M1 in the xfer but I had a few gallons of MT-90 left over from my wrecked 00 5 speed, and as the xfer calls for GL-4 or 5 and others have used it I figured why not get rid of it.
)fireteacher
New member
i doubt it, you guys have some real low runners 
compared to mine, i can roll under it!
just remeber to loosen the fill plug first and watch out as that stuff shoots out at first. ( i can see you crackin your skull trying to get away from it!!) :biggrin2:
compared to mine, i can roll under it!just remeber to loosen the fill plug first and watch out as that stuff shoots out at first. ( i can see you crackin your skull trying to get away from it!!) :biggrin2:
Koz said:
I could not agree more, this job is tough enough to do with the limited clearance and stinky gear oil. I already bought one just so I will be ready in the future. This is one job I really would let the dealer do. But since they can't even change the motor oil without screwing that up, I decided to do it myself.
I can see it at the dealer now. They mix up the fill and drain plugs, and don't use fresh crush washers. So I have to bring it back, and the next time that I do it myself I will most likely find the mix up of the drain plugs.
The dealer usually is skilled and does a great job, but for fluid changes it is like the twilight zone at jiffy lube.
pat161
New member
I agree with the pump, but will take it one step further. I started with the pump in that picture, but I found that the tube style is far easier. Its the one with the metal cylinder w/ a long hose, you put the hose in the bottle and then pull a handle which sucks fluid into the tube, then you just push it into the diff from any angle at all. One hint is to remove the spare tire and release the e-brake to get the rear diff and make sure you have the allen style socket for the front diff, on my 00 and 02 both are 10mm but on my friends 98 one was a 10mm and the other a 12mm, or maybe it was 12 and 14 and not 10, but you get the idea, they were different on his 98.
ProMed
New member
How much oil do I need to purchase for the diffs and xfer case on my 06 v8 4x4?
edit- nevermind, just came across this from another thread..
Front diff - 3 pints
Rear diff - 6.5 pints
Transfer case - 3 pints
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It took six quarts of 75w-90 to fill up the 2 diffs and transfer case.
edit- nevermind, just came across this from another thread..
Front diff - 3 pints
Rear diff - 6.5 pints
Transfer case - 3 pints
---------
It took six quarts of 75w-90 to fill up the 2 diffs and transfer case.
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