Transfer case oil

Unless it was a dealership Amazon page you may have got duped. Aside from oil filters at Canadian tire and Walmart, i've never seen Toyota parts sold outside of the dealership

 

BAM wholesale

 

It's something I came across when researching this for myself when it was time for me to do my fluid change. I tried searching for it for a few minutes but no dice.

The source was the results of an oil analysis comparing the two fluids, and the additive package just wasn't similar or comparable. The person was surprised it was listed as a replacement fluid because it didn't contain the same things at all.

Now.. does that matter? Truthfully I don't know. I know that dealerships will just put the same stuff in the t-case that they put in the diffs when they change it for customers, and that this has caused issues with the t-case not shifting to 4wd when it's cold sometimes. That's likely due to the higher weight of that gear oil. The Ravenol fluid shouldn't have this issue, but will it be protecting and lubricating in the way Toyota intends.

I don't pretend to be an expert on that, but when the analysis results show a very different makeup between the factory oil and the other stuff I just think the safe bet is the factory fluid.

For someone else who mentioned that they didn't want to deal with the can - I changed it at the same time as my front/rear diff. I used a funnel to pour the can into an empty flex-bag from the diff fluid then used that to fill the t-case.

 

I will have to try to find that information...

Although, for me, I already bought it and hope that it will do the job it is intended to do. But the more information, the better for future decisions.

 

found this on another thread here. It wasn’t what I found initially but something similar.



one story, which may be why I go the OEM route: I had an E46 M3 where my rear limited slip differential totally failed. I sourced a new one for a reputable euro shop, and then it was immediately grinding again in the rear on tight turns. it turns out the shop put in close to the right fluid, but it was missing a necessary friction modifier. Did a drain and fill with the proper stuff and then it worked perfectly. So to me, the recommended OEM fluid is what will cause me not to worry about it once the change is done.

 

found a reference and posted it above before I saw your new post. There are a lot of people that have run that other fluid and I haven’t read about any issues so it’s likely 100% fine.

 

Limited slip differentials have different needs... as do some transmissions. If you put the wrong Ford tranny fluid into an older transmission, the clutches will disintegrate. The limited slip diffs require an additive that sometimes has to be added to the gear oil in order for the clutches to work correctly. I still have a bottle of limited slip additive from my Mustang days.

As for the transfercase... Toyota only specifies a 75W gear oil or equivalent. They don't specify anything special like an additive. Also Revenol lists their 75W as an equivalent and even list the Toyota part number. The reviews I have looked at all seemed to be happy with the fluid.

The other thing is 1 quart of Toyota fluid is $120. While I picked up 3 quarts for the same price... I will report back how it works out...

 

Interesting. I have not performed the fluid change yet. Let me look into this and I will probably return it. Yes, it was from Amazon. I tried to just pick up a can at the dealership and they did not have them in stock. Plus, they quoted me $137. I'll check out the other local dealership. I know I have seen them for $99-102 for eBay listings from official Toyota dealerships as well.

FWIW, this is the bottle I received.

 

I’ve been using this in my Tacoma and Lexus GX460.

 

If you can return it I would. Maybe just get some redline MT-LV and be done with it.

 

This came up exactly two months ago: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/transfer-case-oil.817223/

Looks like European packaging, Toyota P/N 08885-81081 (instead of 08885-81080 normally sold in North America).
German site selling it: https://ato24.de/en/toyota-transfer-gear-oil-75w-lf-1-l.html
UK site selling it: https://www.roughtrax4x4.com/1-litre-genuine-toyota-transfer-case-gear-oil-lf-75w.html
Note the much lower retail markup Toyota puts on the oil in Europe.

I'd run it, just to tell people you're running imported T-case oil from Germany.

 

Appreciate the insight and information everyone!

 

I'd stick to the Toyota OEM 75W. Yeah it's a little pricey, but so what? Also, the can is dumb, but if you transfer the fluid to an empty quart gear oil bottle it's fairly easy to get it all in the TC without spilling. I added a short length of plastic tubing to the spout and it worked well. One can will do the job since you really can't get 100% of the old fluid out when you drain the TC.

 

Way over thinking this thread. Ravenol or Redline are great oils and they both hit the specs.

Buy 2 qts. and crush washers ... drain, fill, and torque to spec on plugs.

 

I used the Redline 75w85 for my front and rear differentials. Good stuff. But I'm sticking with the OEM 75W for the TC.

 

Your money ... if you trust redine for your diffs, which I do and use, why would you not trust mtlv for your tc?

Nothing magical in toyota tc oil.

 

I run mostly amsoil but I choose oem to be safe.

 

my $0.02:
- Why take an unnecessary chance, get a can of the OEM stuff from the dealer and move on
- Just because the dealer is using bulk dino 75[whatever] does not make it optimal
- I believe there is a [virgin] used oil analysis of it on Bobistheoilguy.com IIRC it did have an unusual report
- I would NOT order it off Amazon... I tried once and was shipped the incorrect "LT" fluid, not the "LF" fluid

 

Old Toyota fluid and new fluid. Redline MT-LV at 30,000 miles.

 

Was 1 quart enough when you did this?