Front Diff and Transfer Case Oil Change Howto

So to sum up, I need

$30 75w-90 Synthetic Gear Lube - 1 Quart (Pack of 2)

75w-90 for front and rear diff and transfer case with no lsd additive? Plan on doing this on Saturday.

 

Correct. Page 538 of your Owner's Manual lists "75W-85 GL-5 or equivalent" for both differentials (75W-90 GL-5 is a suitable substitute), while page 540 lists "API GL-4 or GL-5... SAE 75W-90" for the transfer case. LSD additive is not listed/required.

 

Hey is this the same process for a 1st gen taco 4x4 manual ?

 

Yes, though I don't recall whether all the plug measurements are identical.

 

Thanks all good I’m just making sure they are in the same place, also the transfer case oil is separate from transmission oil And front diff oil?

 

Yes.

 

Cool thanks man

 

I spilled a half quart of 75/90. I had to use some 85/140 i had laying around. I still smell like gear oil a day later. In my head I hear, Get the Pump Get the Pump over and over. It don`t matter what oil you use, my advise is get the right oil for you and Get the PUMP oh and one more thing if I forgot to tell you, the most important thing, Get the Pump.

 

Did the front differential drain n refill w/ Redline 75w85. The old fluid looked dirtier than the rear differential. Didn’t use the pump - gravity fill from the engine compartment worked perfectly.

 

Thanks OP - subbed for future reference.

 

Where did you get the funnel to do this? I’m always worried the pump will break and I won’t be able to get the oil back in.

Eta: never mind, I see it a few posts up

 

For further knowledge, LSD additive is only needed in a differential that uses clutch based limited slip. The additive modifies the friction of the gear oil so that the clutch plates can slip when each rear wheel turns at a different speed.

Your 2014, like my 2015, has an open rear differential that lacks a mechanical limited slip device. Instead, limited slip is achieved by computer application of the rear brakes to prevent one wheel from spinning and going nowhere.

 

Thanks for the useful info and the photos...very helpful.

 

$7.48 for all the gaskets needed for Front/Rear diff and xfer case fluid change

$15 GENUINE TOYOTA GASKET KIT FOR TRANSFER AND DIFFERENTIAL SERVICE

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017V4BAXI/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_9?smid=A1N5C1IZJU9LZZ&psc=1

 

That drain plug on front diff is a whore, I stripped it out almost completely trying to loosen it. Stop what you are doing and get a new plug. PB blaster twice 2 days before. Its just a crap design with dissimilar metals, and a little 10mm hex key and a huge plug. So if you have a little left to grip the trick is to lightly tap the back of the head of the breaker bar with a very small 6 oz ballpien hammer while slowly gently loosening it. Then after a few minutes it breaks the seal you smash your knuckles but you did it. It got a little nickel anti seize before being reinstalled and torqued to spec.

 

Thats not good. Thanks for the info. I'll stock up on pb blaster.

 

What I found is that my brand new 10mm hex socket was wanting to pop out of the plug under the force of the breaker bar because the centre of moment was too far away. So what I did was slip a 10mm wrench over the hex right close to the diff and used a 24mm wrench (biggest I have lol) for extra leverage. Bent my 10mm but it was worth it
And yeah, lots of pb blaster.

 

Finally took care of this on my 2013 TRD OR, which is about to hit 106k. The transfer case oil was surprisingly clean and clear despite the smell, but the front was nasty as hell just as expected (I planned on finding some hurricane flood water in there). For me on the front diff I just cleaned away the grime from around them, then sprayed down the hex fill plug and drain plug with some WD-40. I let them soak in for a few minutes before cracking them open. The drain plug was stubborn, but after a few mores sprays of WD-40 and steady pressure on the breaker bar it broke free.

I guess I may be in the minority here, but I prefer nice thick dino oil for my diffs. I run Lucas Heavy Duty 80W-90 gear oil for everything on my taco and couldn't be happier with it, it's affordable and works great. Same for other cars I've used it in.

 

Thanks this is a great write up.

My local shop seems to have standard grease and "synthetic grease"

What are peoples thoughts on using synthetic grease for the differential? I would prefer to go with the type of grease that was manufactured with my vehicle and stick to OEM specs. I think the Toyota engineers did a good job and I don't want to change it.

Here is info from my manual with specifications for all 2001 Tacoma:



Also with the type of grease I found it has a type of squeeze type top with a nimple. Do I really need a hand pump if I can just squeeze it in?

Thanks




- Jonathan
Divesummit

 

I can safely say after reviewing 63 pages of information I have no idea what brand of Gear Oil to use