diff oil service

I have a 2007 regular cab 4x4 with 126,000 miles. Do I need to change the diff oils if I have no record of that? I've never towed with the vehicle and I engage 4WD on a monthly basis without any drama.

Thanks in advance!

 

How many miles have you owned without a change?

 

Since 89,xxx

 

If you have a LSD, then you should be changing your diff oil every 30K miles.

Toyota only put a "clutch type" LSD in Tacomas from 2005-2008, so if you have a LSD, it has clutch discs with friction material.

But even if you don't have an LSD, I would still change the oil. It's a simple drain and fill procedure that shouldn't take more than 20 minutes to complete. My tip: always remove the "fill" plug before the drain plug, that way you won't be stranded if you can't get the fill plug out.

 

If you have no record of ANY changes I would definitely do it. Theres nothing like peace of mind and when you figure for under $100 vs the alternative. Id change it

 

Assuming you purchased it used with 89 kmiles, to be cautious, you should assume none of the high mileage maintenance was performed.

In other words, change the Diff fluid. Then step onto the High Mileage maintenance schedule. Assume none of the maintenance has been performed.

Most of the work is simple fluid changes or sparkplug change. Some mechanical bits, like PCV change, but nothing complex.

You could go to the local Toyota dealer to have them make a hard-copy of the maintenance record. All you need is your VIN. This will show what work has been done at the dealer like recalls, TSB, warranty......

 

If you do not know the status on any fluids in your truck I would have them changed so you can have a proper maintenance record

 

It’s not a hard job. You can have both done in an hour or so. And for about $100 or less.

Some guys run synthetic. I have not myself.

 

This.

Change it.

 

OP, every 60k is fine as far as diff oil changes. 30k is overkill…

 

Yah I’d agree with that statement. I run 30k changes and am not kind to my boxes with a mix of towing, hauling 1000+lbs for months on end in the bed, and a combination of the two. My gear oil looks pretty good every 30k.

 

I agree, change it out. cheap insurance

 

That's the Toyota recommended change interval for a (clutch type) LSD in the 05-08 differentials.

 

30K is the recommendation for 05-08.

For the minor cost of a fluid change on the interval, to me, its really not prudent to lengthen the interval.


My Father had a saying, "Stepping over dollars to pick up pennies."

 

If you do it yourself, you can buy four quarts of Red Line 75W90 GL-5 Gear Oil, which has the friction modifiers in it, for $19 per quart from Summit. That's about $80 for the best oil on the market.

Red Line Synthetic Oil. 75W90 GL-5 Gear Oil (redlineoil.com)