Glad I’m not the only one that has been down this road before! I’m excited about the prospects of the one-handed yoga. Maybe I’ll wrangle one of the kiddos to give me a hand. Question is do I have them plug the drain or swap the gasket?
Front and Rear Diff fluid change
- Thread starter Mijfwb23
- Start date
Glad I’m not the only one that has been down this road before! I’m excited about the prospects of the one-handed yoga. Maybe I’ll wrangle one of the kiddos to give me a hand. Question is do I have them plug the drain or swap the gasket?
Jeffy
New member
I think I'd have them swap the gasket. I feel like trying to get them to plug a hole that's spewing oil could get very messy very quick.
1000MPH
Senior Member
Nah...My dealer doesn't even use it, probably most don't.
"*: “Toyota Genuine Transfer Gear oil LF” is filled in your Toyota vehicle
at factory fill. Use Toyota approved “Toyota Genuine Transfer Gear oil
LF” or an equivalent of matching quality to satisfy the above specification.
Please contact your Toyota dealer for further details"
Apparently even Borg-Warner Engineers disagree with their recommendations...
https://www.tundrasolutions.com/for...186-transfer-case-and-differential-gear-oils/
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But getting messy is half the fun! I guess my wife and driveway may not enjoy the potential magnitude of this mess.
2016 4Runner SR5
Senior Member
I'll run the stock oil, worth the $60 to me.
1000MPH
Senior Member
You can try the shop vac trick. Works on oils sumps not so sure it would with a diff.
I was thinking about doing the front and rear diff oil changes myself but I was shocked to see how much the oil was. For the required 1.6 qts for the front and 2.8 qts for the rear I'd need about 5x 1liter cans of the OEM 75W-85 oil @ $28/ea. Once I added this to the cost of 2 liters of 75W for the full time transfer case @ $60/ea. it all came very close to the $289 my mechanic said he would charge for labor and lube to do all three gear boxes. Is that about the price you are all paying for the oil? Doesn't seem worth it to DIY (unless my mechanic is using cheap oil).
Seems like Royal Purple or Mobile 1 is cheaper but I've read mixed reviews about the longevity.
Seems like Royal Purple or Mobile 1 is cheaper but I've read mixed reviews about the longevity.
2016 4Runner SR5
Senior Member
Mobil 1 synthetic 75-90 for the diffs. OEM fluid for the transfer case is the only correct fluid you should be using. Your mechanic is like using the same 75-90 in the transfer case which is not correct. Spend the money and do it right. Whole lot cheaper than replacing a $2000 transfer case when it blows up and it eventually will. Borg Warner makes the case, they say absolutely do not use anything other than the OEM fluid.
MTN4RNR
New member
For the record, I have had 75w-90 Redline in the T-case for about 24k now with no issues or side effects... That being said, I just ordered some of the OEM spec stuff from OEM Part Source because I am tired of this dreadful feeling that I might be doing something wrong to the 4Runner. Paid $57/L + tax/shipping versus the ~$105/L that 2 different dealers wanted.
Neither of them carried the 75w on the shelves, and I asked what would happen if there was someone who came in for a 4wd service and was waiting or expecting a same day turn around. One said that they didn't know. The other said that they would hold the vehicle overnight. Both of the dealerships said that they had the OEM 75w-85 in stock.....
Neither of them carried the 75w on the shelves, and I asked what would happen if there was someone who came in for a 4wd service and was waiting or expecting a same day turn around. One said that they didn't know. The other said that they would hold the vehicle overnight. Both of the dealerships said that they had the OEM 75w-85 in stock.....
2016 4Runner SR5
Senior Member
A lot of guys run the 75-90 but it's just not worth the risk. It does not meet OEM spec by any means, not even close. I actually met with my Mobil rep today since that's all we use at work. Mobil makes Toyota engine oil and I was told it's bottom of the line oil. It's Mobil so it's good quality but it's their absolute lowest quality they sell. They also said they absolutely do not recommend anyone run it for 10K miles and they hate that Toyota recommends it. It will in no way offer proper protection that long. Was an interesting conversation to say the least.
MTN4RNR
New member
Don't add something else to my "list of things that make me feel dreadful". HA! I have used the OEM spec 0w-20 since new and change every 7,500. Great.
Hoping that long term my naive decision 24k ago won't come back to haunt me. Many a night I wish I had left the t-case alone and just swapped the diffs. It was so clean when it came out... :wacko:
2016 4Runner SR5
Senior Member
I run the top end Mobil 1 oil with an OEM filter and drop it every 5K miles. First oil change was actually done at 2K. I changed it again at 5K and have changed it every 5K since then. I was told I was crazy for changing it every 5K but it of course will never hurt anything. As for the diffs, I dropped the oil at 11K miles and replaced with Mobil 1 synthetic 75-90 and actually gained about 1/2 MPG on the road trip I took the same day. Gear oil was ugly at 11K miles, I was very happy to get it out of there. I will do the diffs every 30K moving forward and I will continue to change the engine oil every 5K. Transfer case will be done at 50K along with the transmission and I will be using OEM fluid regardless of the cost. Fluid is much cheaper than a new transfer case or transmission. Ah, I grease the driveshaft u joints every 5K at oil change time and I replaced all swaybar bushings with greasable poly bushings so they get a pump or 2 while under there also.
MTN4RNR
New member
I will say... The fact that the OEM 75w is so "crucial" and no dealerships in my area carry it in stock really makes me scratch my head...
2016 4Runner SR5
Senior Member
Ask 100 people when the last time they serviced their diffs or transfer case was. I bet 99 of them have no idea what you're talking about. Both are overlooked, no one thinks about them. That's likely one of the reasons dealers don't stock the 75W oil.
MTN4RNR
New member
There's a lot of truth to that. One of the truths I hold near and dear when I think about potentially using the "wrong oil" in the T-case. It can't be any worse than the other 99% that don't do anything to their driveline or they have the work done at the local lube-n-go where I would almost GUARANTEE they don't use Toyota 75w.
I read that since my LE is all wheel drive I should change the t-case oil more frequently. I find it surprising that in the owner's manual there's no schedule for any running gear oil changes unless extreme use; otherwise it's just inspect. My mechanic's "manual" says to do the front and rear every 18 months which seem excessive.
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2016 4Runner SR5
Senior Member
Haven't done my transfer case yet since I'm only at 13K miles. When the time comes, I will use the same style hand pump I use on the quart bottles of gear oil. Just don't use the same pump otherwise you risk cross contamination as minimal as it may be.
oobaa47
New member
Same experience here.....went in for my first oil change and asked them to change the rear diff oil.....a few minutes later he says they don't have that oil in stock....wtf??
sandcrawler
Senior Member
that anecdotal information contradicts pretty much everything that’s ever been said about TGMO 0W20. read up on BITOG, for example. the only "ding" i’ve ever seen against it is speculation re: what group base stock(s) it may employ, but the fact is that Mobil 1 is widely regarded as the world's worst offender on that subject, having shilled Group III Mobil 1 as "full synthetic" in the domestic market for years while the ROW wouldn’t allow such shenanigans as it runs afoul of false advertising prohibitions.
feels like every "my dealer rep gave me the confidential, inside scoop on the 6th Gen 4Runner" thread ever to me. also, if you care about OEM spec in your transfer case, you’re absolutely ensured OEM spec in your motor using TGMO despite whatever the Mobil guy may have to say.
