Rear differential fluid

There was no saving either of ours lol

 

Seeing how yours is an 06, it’s likely going bad. Mine was shot. I could drive down the road in a straight line, but could turn the steering wheel from 11 o clock to 1 o clock, yet remain straight.

 

What's the cost for that? $$$

 

The oem part is about $175. Can get aftermarket for about half that, but I opted for oem.

 

I think mine was identical

 

Some of the diff fluid will be down the axles.

 

Are you guys using a breaker bar or impact wrench to loosed the fill plug? I can't budge mine with a 1/2" ratchet wrench.

 

Use a long breaker bar and a good socket

 

If it's really stuck, back the vehicle up on to ramps; then get underneath with a long breaker. A length of pipe fit over the end of a ratchet will give you a long breaker. Once it's loose you can drive off the ramps, level the vehicle and go from there.

 

same with mine I got 2.5 qts. out and a lot of crud metallic buildup on the drain plug magnet. did mine at 49k miles first time I bought it used was never done by the previous owner

 

I encountered the same when I did my '15 Tacoma and my wife's '14 4Runner. Both owners manuals called for an amt. of gear oil that did not reach the bottom of the fill hole. First time I've ever seen this with any RWD vehicle I've done Rear Diff. service on. Interestingly, the Tacoma owners manual calls for 3.66 qts. for a "2WD except PreRunner". That amt. of gear oil(approx.) is what it took to reach the bottom of the fill hole on the Tacoma and just slightly less on the 4R.

 

Yep, breaker bar and a 6 sided socket. 12 point you risk rounding it off. Or I'll put my wrench/socket on it and tap it with a big hammer to crack it free.

But an impact would suffice if you don't have any luck any other way. Maybe a little heat on it too

 

Regarding the front diff: After reading horror stories about the stripped front drain plug, I sprang for a quality Snap-On 10MM hex socket and made sure to clean out the hex hole on the drain plug really well and make sure the hex socket was properly seated before getting after it with a breaker bar. It was on TIGHT but did come out without any damage. I can see where they would strip easily if you rushed it.

 

The biggest reason most people strip them is because they don't clean them out, that's what happened to me. Felt like the socket was in there but in reality it was packed with dirt so it was barely grabbing the plug, next thing I know it went from being a hex shaped plug to a round one. Also the metal they make the plugs with is super soft. I use a small chisel now to clean it out real good before attempting to take it off.