Differential Service

[wibadger28]

I just bought a 2006 V8 Sport with only 57k on it. The previous owner never had the differential service done and I'm wondering if this might cause problems for me in the future. It wasn't used for towing at all. I plan to get this done in the next few weeks, should I get the front and rear differential oil changed at the same time? Thanks!

 

[guardsred944s]

Check this out:

View attachment 71r1smt(2).pdf

You can sign up for free on Toyota's website and see if this has ever been done at a dealership.

It says to check it. If you plan on doing this yourself it won't hurt to do it now and avoid the chance of the bolt rusting on. Someone reported a 1 mpg increase after doing both diff's and the xfer case oil swap (can't remember who). I would not say that you are at a risk though, the gear oil itself is good for about 100k.

 

[DC runner]

Differential service? As in the oil changed? That is good, not bad. THe PO seems a bit jumping the gun, but at 60 not too much.

Had all 3 of mine done at 110k when I bought mine.

 

[Ask10]

Yep, you're fine. My dad's truck I found hasn't ever had it done and it has 165k on it.

 

[wibadger28]

Thanks for the help. I've seen that some replace the differential oil every 30k. Is that just if it's used for towing? I have no problem doing it now along with the transfer case, but don't want to if it's completely unnecessary. I've just seen some say every 30k and others say much later.

 

[xxaarraa]

I think Toyota calls for it at 90k, but it's always worth doing it more regularly. Your truck will run noticeably smoother if you get fresh synthetic oil in there. The diff oil may have a long life but moisture gets in there and grime etc. causing contamination.

I live in the north east and go wheeling often, so I change every 20k. But even for a pavement princess in better weather, I'd do it every 60k.

 

[wibadger28]

Thanks for the advice. I won't be doing it myself, would you just a place like Jiffy lube to do it, or only at a Toyota dealership?

 

[KidVermicious]

Never ever go to Jiffy Lube, or any place similiar. If you're not going to do it yourself, then find a good dealership service dept or independent mechanic, get to know the guys by name, and never take it anywhere else.

You should do it yourself, especially if you're taking an interest in going off the scheduled service intervals. If you're going to be making your own choices about your truck's maintenance, you need to be educated about those choices, and it's hard to do that without getting dirty.

 

[wibadger28]

I just moved so am not aware of any good independent mechanics, so just made an appointment with the local Toyota dealership, hoping they're good. It'll be $150 for the front/rear differential and transfer case. Wish I could do it myself, but don't have the space.

 

[OrdnanceMarine]

I just moved so am not aware of any good independent mechanics, so just made an appointment with the local Toyota dealership, hoping they're good. It'll be $150 for the front/rear differential and transfer case. Wish I could do it myself, but don't have the space.

Sounds like a completely fair price to me. Like mentioned above, get to know whomever you're going to have work on your vehicle. Good mechanics can be difficult to find and when you find one then stick with him and recommend him to others.

 

[4RunnerFan]

Sounds like a completely fair price to me. Like mentioned above, get to know whomever you're going to have work on your vehicle. Good mechanics can be difficult to find and when you find one then stick with him and recommend him to others.

You know, I paid to have the front and rear diff oil changed out at the first recommended service interval (following towing recommendations). And, yeah, it was over $100. When I saw how they did it, I decided it was a job I could do myself in my own garage. Dino gear oil is pretty cheap. The hardest part was removing the drain plugs, which were torqued on too tight by the service department, so I took it back to said service department and asked them to loosen them for me. From then on I put anti-seize on the washers and torqued the plugs according to spec. No problems since.

I change out the diffs every 15k miles and the xfer case every 30k on our '08 Limited V6 4WD. If you're willing to get dirty, as KidVermicious suggested above, it can be a very satisfying way of saving some serious cash. If interested, there's a pretty good write-up in the Maintenance/Detailing section of this forum with part numbers (for washers and, if needed, plugs), tools required and details on how to do the job. 4Runner-changing-differential-transfer-case-fluids-pics-included

 

[krebszaoyad]

THe PO seems a bit jumping the gun, but at 60 not too much.

 

[OrdnanceMarine]

THe PO seems a bit jumping the gun, but at 60 not too much.

I think the first change is the most critical as all of the break-in byproducts will be present. After that I think it's far less of a big deal. Generally the best practice with a new-to-you vehicle if the maintenance history is unknown and the odometer is past what should have been the first change interval is to change it all out. Probably $200 in materials to do everything on the entire vehicle with the transmission being $100 of that.