Changing differential fluid - A step by step "HOW TO"

so im savin like 30 bucks not bad

 

Great write-up. I changed my rear diff fluid today and it was a a piece of cake...besides the fill-plug not wanting to come off. Had to put the big vice-grips on it. Feels good to do your own work and save some $$.

 

OK - gotcha thanks. Guess I missed that comment. Removed about 1/3 quart. The manual called for 3.12 quarts.

 

I don't get it...as long as your on a level surface how can you overfill? Toyota put the fill hole at that location for a reason...you fill until it starts to drain out of the hole. The amounts given in the owners manual are the same called out in the Chiltons manual. They say the capacities called out are "approximate" and to add as necessary to bring to appropriate level.. which they say to be at the bottom of the plug opening. In addition the Toyota Factory Service Manual calls for the level to be within 5mm (0 to 0.20 in.) of the bottom of the filler plug opening.
For those that don't fill till it starts to drain out the bottom of the filler plug hole and just add the specified (approximate) amount called out how do think your suposed to check the level inbetween gear oil changes...you remove the fill plug and verify the level is at or within 5mm of the bottom of the hole.

 

good job guys.... nice write up... my only question is should I do this step:
(for you guy like me w/ the Sport model, you'll need a 4oz. tube of LSD additive).
if I have a trd 1st gen... I know what it says but I guess the better stated question is could ... would it be a good thing....????

 

I'm having a problem understanding how the level affects cavitation. The spinning gears do induce a significant amount of aeration. Cavitation though?
As long as there is sufficient air space and an adequate vent it should be fine.

 

This.

Most OEMs will tell you to fill until level with the fill hole. That's pretty standard.

Overfilling can cause excess heat build up (due to excessive aeration/cavitation, for our purpsoses it's the same thing, which causes metal to metal contact resulting in heat build up) , but filling to level with the hole isn't over filling. Though some may have trouble believing that, most OEMs will agree.

Edit: If you have rotated your axle with the use of axle shims this won't be exact. Then again if you're lifted with new springs it might have tilted your axle anyway. I would just follow the general idea of 3 qts and get it close to the fill hole whether you're under 3 qts slightly or over slightly.

 

I had a question here,although I'm pretty sure I already know the answer. I've seen quite a few posts saying " I don't use my 4WD very often so the fluid in the front diff should be ok. " Correct me if I'm wrong,but everything inside the front diff still turns when you're moving whether or not the 4WD is engaged. The power disconnects at the transfer case,so mileage is mileage on both diffs regardless of how often you use the 4WD correct?

 

You are correct.
Gears inside the front diff are spinning at all times - when you have ADD (automatic disconnecting differential).

The only time they are not spinning, is with manual hubs.

If you DO NOT have to turn a dial on your front wheels, then you have ADD

 

Thank for the write up and all the advice here. I did the front, rear and transfer case today.

Easy job, took a little time, and the gear oil smells awful, but not a very hard job.

I did go out a pick up an 18" breaker bar and was able to loose all the plugs very easily. Only the fill plug on the front diff was tough because I did not have clearance to use the breaker bar there. My ratchet did a decent job though my knuckles may disagree with that.

The truck has 25k on it and the front and rear diffs were both very dark with some gunk built up on the magnet in the drain plug. The front had a bit lighter color to it, but it was still pretty dark. The transfer case oil looked dirty, but was still translucent. In the future I may wait a little longer on the changing the oil there.

BTW: is there any reason I couldn't use anti-seize on the fill and drain plugs to make future removal easier?

Thanks for all the wisdom here, I really appreciate it.

 

I'm changing the fluid in the diffs this weekend. I just wanted to make sure i get his right, I have just about read all 51 pages of this thread and it appears there are a lot of people with the sport model. So I have a 2010 with the TRD off road package with the e locker and no LSD sticker on the rear. What I am getting is there no additive needed?

 

That's what I thought but I wasn't a 100 percent sure. Thanks Chris.

 

okay, so i have read pretty much everything and i know that i do not need the LSD additive in the rear diff. However, am I okay to run mobil 1 75-90 LS in the rear diff? It appears that it is okay, but is there anyone out there that thinks this is a bad choice and will cause issues? Thanks!

 

did my rear diff fluid today, was a biiiiiiitch haha. the plugs were on supppper tight i had to use a impact wrench to get it off. Then there was wind out of no where blowing my oil all over my drive way haha. Well atleast i found out what not to do.

The oil looked really good......looked brand new almost but i have put about 20k miles on the truck since i bought it......

 

Thank you sir!...I did the spark plugs too, thanks to the awesome step by steps from TW. It sure does feel good saving that $$ by DIY.

 

what kind of rear diff does a 1998 4x4 2.7,reg cab have in it and does it need the additive?and how much does it hold