Lubrication advice needed

I just bought a '97 Tacoma after a drunk took out my 310,000+ mile, perfectly maintained '94 22re truck. The first thing I did was to make sure all the fluids were at the right level and the propeller shaft was lubricated (can you believe I added almost 3 quarts of oil to the rear differential?). After doing this, I read things in the FSM that leads me to question some of what I did. Let me present my questions here:

1) The FSM states the spiders are to be lubed with Lithium base chassis grease NLGI No. 2, while the Slide yoke and double-cardan joint are to be lubed with Molybdenum-disulphidellthium base chassis grease NLGI No. 2. I used Super Lithium EP Moly Grease on everything. Is this acceptable, having both the molybdenum and lithium, or do I need to get two grease guns and limit each area to specific grease?

2) Differential/transfer/transmission oil is listed at 75W90 in the FSM. I was under the impression it is a good idea to increase the weight of the oil after exceeding 100,000 miles. Is there a problem with me using up the rest of my 80W90? Should I switch to 75W90 when my supply runs out?

3) The same holds true for engine oil. Should I stick with the FSM's 5W30 or switch to 10W30 or 10W40?

I don't have an owner's manual, and it is time consuming to look everything up in the FSM, so would anyone happen to have complete fluid specifications for my '97 2.7 4WD Tacoma XtraCab written on one page?

Also, I'd love to have a list of required/recommended maintenance tasks grouped by mileage/months.

I appreciate any help you have to offer.

 

I found the fluid specs and maintenance requirements.

Fluid specs: http://www.amsoil.com/mygarage/vehiclelookup.aspx?url2=1997+TOYOTA+TACOMA+1

Maintenance: http://smg.toyotapartsandservice.com/guides.php?xv=0&xy=0&xint_id=0&v=22&y=1997&int_id=41

I'm reading that 10W30 and 80W90 are recommended for high temp locations (I'm located in the high desert).

Some people say one grease can be used for all zerks.

Comments would be appreciated.

 

I've decided to go with Red Line Synthetic Max Gear Transmission Oil MT-90 GL-4 75W90 #50304, as GL-5 oil is supposed to eat up the brass syncros in the transmission. The best price I could find is on EBay $84.99/6 qts http://www.ebay.com/itm/251491401586

I'll use up my remaining 80W90 GL5 for the differentials and transfer case.

I'd still like to get input on people's opinions regarding the different lube requirements.

 

I replied to your PM.

Not sure about whether to use different viscosity for high-mileage, I've always used what the manual called for, regardless of mileage.

High temperature, is another story. I don't live in the desert, so don't have personal experience. I used to go offroading in the Death Valley and Randsburg area on a regular basis, but only in the early spring when it wasn't real hot.

I'd ask a local mechanic what he recommends. If I lived in, say, Ridgecrest, I think I would change my oil twice per year, and use a standard-viscosity for the winter and higher viscosity for the summer.

 

Your suggestion of using two different viscosities makes sense. Though it gets very hot in the summer, here, it also gets very cold in the winter. Thanks.

 

Let me enter in on the NGLI grease requirements...the Molybdenum-disulphidellthium is ideal for spine type joints (sliding friction with rotating loads), but the Lithium will work just fine IF you keep it well greased. So if you use the lithium on everything, you need to regrease the splines every oil change.

I keep both in stock...I use the Honda 60 moly on CRITICAL spline applications, such as BMW motorcycle drivelines.

And if the diff was 3 quarts low, I bet there is a leak somewhere...

Howard

 

Since the grease I use has both lithium and moly, wouldn't an every other oil change lube be adequate?

I don't see any signs of a leak. It could be the fluid under the truck was never checked on this vehicle, and it is 17 years old.

 

Lucky the diff didn't fail that low on lube...grease it when it looks dry. I had a 94 pickup, I bought new, got rid of it at 220k when the transmission started popping out of grease.

Howard

 

I figured my 22RE, which had 310+K miles on it, would last another 200-300K miles. Unfortunately, the drunk had other plans.

As far as greasing it when it looks dry, I have no idea what it looks like inside the zerks. I'm figuring on lubing it every 10K miles, unless I get feedback here that convinces me otherwise.

 

Lithium is the grease thickener. Molybdenum (metallic particles) is an additive mixed into the lithium grease to act as a second layer of defense in extreme-pressure applications (like the slide yoke) in case the grease is squeezed out. Molybdenum (more precisely molybdenum disulfide) attracts water, so the grease has less corrosion protection than "plain" lithium grease. Ideally you should use moly grease only where it is required, and "plain" lithium grease everywhere else.

75W90 will have less drag when cold. Front diff and T-case are not heavily loaded in daily drive (2WD), it's better to use 75W90 for fuel economy. Rear diff can use either. The transmission shift feel can change noticeably depending on oil grade, brand, natural vs synthetic, etc., so use whatever gives you the best feel.

5W30 would flow better when cold, improving wear protection at engine start.

All the Tacoma owner's manuals (and most of the maintenance booklets) are online: http://www.toyota.com/owners/web/pages/resources/owners-manuals#Owners-Manuals

 

Thank you for your input. That was helpful. One suggestion, though... the link I gave in my second post on top has a more useful guide to maintenance. The one you gave just has general information. It says: For scheduled maintenance information,
please refer to the separate “Owner’s Manual Supplement/Maintenance Schedule”, which isn't included in that pdf.

 

There's a tab on the Toyota page labeled "warranty and maintenance guides"

Fluid specs are in the "Specifications" section of the owner's manual: http://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/om/OM35705U/xhtml/OM35705U_OM0023.html?locale=en

Maintenance booklet: http://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/omms/97ALLMS_OM0002/xhtml/97ALLMS_OM0002f.html?locale=en
^The 1997 maintenance booklet is poorly formatted. Better to use the 2000 booklet: http://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/omms/SMG100_MS0001/xhtml/SMG100_MS0001_0001.html?locale=en

 

sub'd for reference

 

I just got Toyota's response to this question.

"Toyota cannot comment on any recommendations posted on the Internet blog/forums. Toyota can only recommend contacting your local Toyota dealer for diagnosis and service recommendations or you may visit https://techinfo.toyota.com, which offers a pay as you go service to service manuals, technical info, etc. We apologize as we are not a technical contact center, we rely on the technical expertise of Toyota dealers. Toyota dealers’ technicians are specialized in the diagnosis and repair of Toyota vehicles. They are provided with extensive training and have access to state of the art equipment to help in the accurate diagnosis of your vehicle."

I can't say much for a manufacturer who isn't willing to back up its product with accurate and clearly explained recommendations. I'd trust forums before I'd trust dealers. At least people are here to help others, not to just line their pockets.

 

For my 2012 4WD, the specs call for 75W85 for the difs, and 75W90 for the xfer case. But, like the OP, I also had some extra 80W90 lying around, so I used it. Then I started second guessing myself, and decided to experiment to "see" exactly what the difference was between the two. I bought a qt of 75W90, poured about an inch of each into paper cups.

At room temp 70F, they both seemed to flow almost identically. I doubt I could distinguish them if I didn't label the cups.

After 2 hours in the refrigerator at 34F, the 80W was noticably thicker.

After 2 hours in the freezer at -2F, the 80W was sorta like honey that had been refrigerated, and the 75W sorta like honey at room temp...there was a big difference.

So, I think I will be changing it again before winter. If I lived in a warmer climate, I probably wouldn't bother.