Worried Dealer Put Wrong Fluid in Transfer case/Transmission

Went to the dealer for a warranty repair of bad input/output shafts in Manual trans and the transfer case. Service advisor told me they only replaced the fluid in the transfer case but they list using 4 quarts of Trition

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

75W-90 full synthetic oil. Seems to me that they likely filled both transfer case and transmission with that amount of oil. I'm concerned since the transfer case uses special 75w oil and the transmission requires a GLI-4 oil. What I could find on the triton fluid clearly states its a GLI-5 fluid and should not be used in synchronized manual transmissions. Do I need to drain both and refill with proper fluid? if so how quickly do I need to do this it won't be convenient for another week or so and a few hundred miles. The dealer that did this isn't exactly convenient for me to get to either.

 

This stuff is expensive, but I felt better about going OEM when I changed my transfer case fluid.

https://parts.priceleblanctoyota.co...MIq57VvpXw-QIVQxh9Ch2DewSMEAQYASABEgLaufD_BwE

 

First things first, I'd take a look at your transmission fill and drain plugs to see if they've been messed with. No witness marks and still nice and dusty, they probably didn't mess with them and you're good. Check the same for transfer case plugs.

Then I'd contact the service department and ask why a transfer case that is listed in the manual as having a completely dry capacity of 1.05 quarts necessitated 4 of them

 

I’m going to assume the dealer didn’t list the quarts for funsies. They probably drained and filled. It takes right at 3.5 quarts for both so 4 quarts would make sense. If you want to check, just dip your finger in the fill hole of one of them and smell it. If it’s super strong and feels like the smell attacks your brain, it’s GL5.

It would be best to drain and fill as soon as possible, though a week and some miles will be fine. GL5 contains sulphur which over time eats at synchros, but it is a slow process. In the transfer case it may not even matter however I would think there is probably a synchro to help with engaging 4wd on the fly since the front driveshaft does not spin in 2WD. FWIW Jeep filled the 1989+ Aisin Warner manuals with 75W90 GL5. Later it was caught and corrected but many transmissions ended up with that stuff in it for years and years. It shifted pretty junky but not many transmissions died too badly from it. It mainly just accelerated synchro wear but like I said it takes a while. My Jeep transmission at 20 years old had the stock stuff in it and shifting was still semi decent when I finally switched to proper fluid. So a week will be fine.

Easiest thing to do would just be order the proper fluid now and change it in a week when you have time. Ravenol sells the proper fluids for both. I would go to their website and grab 3 quarts of semi synthetic

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

75W-90 GL4, and a quart of their 75W transfer case oil for the transfer case.

Although really the transfer case should not be picky at all. Transfer cases just need lube. As long as the lube doesn’t eat the synchro (if there is one), then the rest doesn’t matter all that much. You can buy the super expensive Toyota 75W stuff I do you prefer but you will pay dearly and I’m not convinced it’s necessary.

 

I think you should go back to that dealer and get an explanation. They need to confirm what they did and correct it, at their expense if they made a mistake. You have the invoice so it should be straight forward.

 

Whatever you do don't call them

 

Yes, that is the wrong fluid for both the transfer case and the manual transmission.
Good thing you had the work done by professionals...

If you elect to go back and fight with them (which probably isn't worth your time) section 9.1 of your owners manual starting about page #573 clearly provides all the lubrication specifications for your vehicle.


Although both the fluids required are readily available they are not generally stocked by local vendors, you can however easily order them shipped in a few days.

Manual transmission:
This Motorcraft product meets Toyota specs and made a nice improvement over the factory fill:
https://www.motorcraft.com/us/en_us...ull-synthetic-manual-transmission-fluids.html

Rock Auto had the best price when I purchased it:
https://www.rockauto.com/en/parts/motorcraft,XTM5QS,transmission+fluid,13630

Transfer case:
75W Toyota Genuine Transfer gear oil LF




$85 TOYOTA Genuine Transfer Case Gear Oil LF 75W 1 Litre 08885-81080
08885-81080 for transfer case
(shop around for the 75W, prices vary quite a bit)

 

Redline MT-LV GL-4 gear oil for the transfer case. No need to spend the money for whatever mythical creature blood/tears Toyota puts in it's transfer case fluid. Stuff is about $25 a quart.

 

There is a synchro in the transfer case along with a gerotor pump. There's been plenty debate on this but with the synchro, gerotor, and documented issues with problematic shifting in cold weather with heavier oil it just works out better to use the oil it was designed for. I use the Redline MT-LV.

OP, you'll find a lot of shops/dealerships/people cut the corner and put

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

75w-90 GL-5 in everything. It won't blow anything up but it's not the best long term and doesn't go as well with synchros as a good GL-4.

 

The RC Series transmission should really have a GL4. The synchros are narrow, so for a full life, GL4 is the stuff.

Shimstack pretty much covered the real t-case issue above... the cold weather shifting.

All that GL5 is perfect for the rear end... rather than waste it.

 

Is there a possibility that the dealer just listed a bunch of expensive fluids around a warranty issue to get reimbursed by Toyota? If the plugs haven’t been touched and the quantities are impossible…

 

Unlikely, as GL5 is cheaper than GL4. If they were going to do that, they'd list the correct fluid.

 

I was wondering about that but the

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

75w-90 gli5 is cheap. They would have listed the Toyota 75w transfer case stuff if they wanted to do that.

 

Thanks for all the replies, I’m going to give them a call and check on the fluid that’s in there. I currently have mt-90 for the transmission, was going to change it then the seals failed. Will need to order some oil for the t case.

 

That’s true, too bad I just changed the diffs. Any idea what how well this stuff stores when not factory sealed?

 

Not my wheelhouse, but I'd wager a couple years... there's probably an answer out there somewhere on one of the forums.

 

Conservatively, 5 years. Realistically, 10+

 

When GL-5 gets hot, like 200F+, is when it can quickly damage the synchros and other yellow metals. Long term use it will probably damage them eventually, but whether it's enough to make a difference in performance is tough to say.

 

it's probably fine in the transfer case but i'd definitely use GL-4 ONLY in the transmission. i've had several previous cars that said they were gl-4/gl-5 compatible and they shifted like complete garbage with gl-5. felt perfect with gl-4. gl-5 is too slick and will wear out your synchros over time.

i would ask them to fix their mistake or give you your money back. they made your truck worse and reduced it's longevity by putting in the wrong fluid.

 

MT-90 is the best!