3rd Gen Differential and Manual Transmission (6MT) Fluid Change

Another Redline fan! Great stuff.

Also, I don't mind using those screw on transfer pumps. Many moons ago, the only thing available was an oil suction gun. Half the fluid went in the transmission while the other half ended up on me and the garage floor. Fetching messy!!

Now my biggest headache is removing & replacing the cat converter shield.

 

When my ‘23 was brand new, I had a hell of a time trying to get it into 3rd, which was why I was trying to see when the earliest possible interval is for fluid change.

 

I made this fluid transfer pump out of a cheap garden sprayer, valve stem, bulkhead and a pressure guage. It works great for gear oil.

 

I just sat here at work and read all 41 pages of this thread and I am finally convinced that I can do my diffs at home, while teaching my 15 y/o at the same time. But I do have a few questions that I'm really hoping some of your Subject Matter Experts can assist me with. And please do not unalive me in the responses, my truck is a Pavement Princess that has not seen hardly more than a slightly deep puddle in its 60k of driving. The dealership WOULD'VE been my option, but after then taking 5 HOURS for an oil change and front pads & rotors I have ZERO confidence in their ability to do something that this thread has shown me I can do at home with a little bit of time and patience.

I've been very fortunate and had no more than minor concerns with my truck since purchase in 2017, but now that she's getting up there in age, and the warranty having finally expired, I know that I need to learn (and if possible teach) how to do these things on my own.

1. In my '17 AT non-4x4, does the brand of fluid really play any factor for my diffs? I keep reading about Amsoil and Redline as the front runners, but most of y'all are talking about 4x4 and MTs.

2. What advise would you give a rookie self-maintenance individual who has done no more than the simple easy piddly stuff before (i.e. wipers, bulbs, filters, etc.)??

 

Brand doesn't matter as long as it's GL5 75 W or 80W

Since you're non 4x4 you only need to do the rear diff, and my best piece of advice is open. The fill plug first. Both the fill and drain plugs are going to be on there super tight, that is normal. Once they crack open though they are pretty free and loose. Do the fill plug first, then the drain plug. This does two things

A: allows it to drain smoothly without chugging
B: ensures that you have the fill plug open before you start draining it. It would be a shame to drain it and then not be able to fill it again.

As far as the red line and amsoil stuff, people like their performance oil. But if you're not towing heavy or doing anything crazy, you don't need to spend super big bucks on the good stuff. Then again... It's your truck. Treated how you will. For me, I spend a few extra dollars on the quality stuff.


Side note, if the dealership was super busy or if they had multiple brake jobs going that would explain why it took them so long to get your stuff done. If one visit was slow, I wouldn't say that necessarily means the dealership is always slow. Keep in mind, they do warranty all of their work. So if there's ever an issue with something, it will be remedied for free or Toyota will have their ass.

 

^^ exactly what he said, buy a gallon of whatever oil you want in the correct weight, buy one of these

$17 Slippery Pete Fluid Pump for Gallon Bottles and Wide Mouth Quart Bottles (Not for Standard Quart Bottles) - Transfer Gear Oil, Transmission and Differential Fluid, Antifreeze with This 30cc Hand Pump

https://www.amazon.com/Slippery-Pete-Fluid-GALLON-BOTTLES/dp/B07DTS8N7P?crid=2B3XJ4QEU9QGT&keywords=slippery+pete+fluid+pump&qid=1690222577&sprefix=slippery+pete+%2Caps%2C141&sr=8-8 - then just pump until it starts coming out of the fill hole (do on a level surface). done.

The rear diff is easier than an oil change, and since you're 2WD that's it. You wont even run the risk of emptying the trans on accident as youll be far away and the plugs will be obvious

 

Cygnus, I use to work as a writer for a dealership and this was by far the slowest I've ever seen it take for something like my RO. And the writer kept giving me the "company line" of he's just being thorough and detailed in his inpection (which I never received the MPI for it, even by email. I know that it could've been a busy day, and there could've been a slew of other things that caused it to take longer than expected, but I apparently also ended up with the 30+ year veteran tech....aka too old AND Rainman-esque. Lol. Is what it is I suppose.

I will definitely get the pump to assist me. I know that to each their own on what they put in, but if I plan on having this beauty for many more years to come I think that I will spend a few extra bucks on the "good stuff" to have it go another 60k before I change it again (obviously, depending on how it looks). Are there any pros/cons between RL and Ams?

Also, are there any other services that would be recommended to do at home instead of relying on a dealership? Or others that would be recommended to have the dealership do due to possibly complications and/or to allow them to be held under parts/labor warranty should something go wrong?

 

I did my front and rear diffs with Red Line 75w85 and a Slippery Pete fluid pump. Worked quite well, but I ended up needing almost 7 quarts (one gallon jug to fit the pump plus almost 3 quarts).
Still need to do the transfer case - I just got the Toyota 75W fluid in a can and will use an empty Valvoline quart bottle with the pointy end to do that (Thanks to TA2016 for the tip).

 

Awesome thread!

 

And that case, I would lean on your experience over whatever excuse they may have come up with. The fact that they couldn't give you an MPI and they're veteran tech was sitting around picking his nose. Kind of pisses me off because it gives the rest of us who are trying a bad name. Maybe find a different dealer... Lol

You can do your spark plugs at home. That particular job looks more daunting than it actually is on these engines. But for the transmission, I would have the dealer do that service. Remember, this isn't 1973 and a transmission flush isn't going to ruin or break anything. But it's much more thorough than a drain and fill.

 

Is there a similar thread for automatic transmissions?

 

It's....... not worth it. If you want to keep sane, stay in the manual threads. Even if you have an auto... It's okay. Lol

 

lol, all good. I’m thinking about going Amsoil, I’ll definitely do the differentials early.

 

I used Mobil 1 in the diffs. With spare tire dropped the quart bottles with pointed ends worked fine for the rear. No pump necessary.

 

I wish I had thought of that
I used those same Mobil1 bottles, but spent ages lying under the truck pumping.

 

Just keep in mind that the auto has some weird temp thing that you'll have to do when it comes to the transmission, it's not just a drain and fill. But for real, that thread is a little nuts lol

 

The dealership flush service (spec'd by Toyota) is far more thorough. 12 qts + additives vs the 3 maybe 4 you can get doing a drain and fill

 

Last couple times l did my car just filled through the top with the shifter out too.

 

I will definitely be doing my own sparks. They told me that they should be changed at 60k, even though I was previously told that my 17 had 100k sparks.

Funny enough, even with my truck being 6 years old, I still received a survey.....they dun messed up. I would love to try a different dealer, but the only other one is already known for not giving a rat's ars about its employees and customers. I was thinking about just pouring in a bottle of

$24 BG 44K Fuel System Cleaner Power Enhancer 11oz.

BG 44K to help clean out my fuel system some instead of doing a fuel system "service," and then maybe having a friend of mine at my previous employer earn an hour of labor for doing a coolant flush for me. But I don't know if I need to think about getting the trans flushed any time soon, or if that is one to wait until I'm closer to that century mark?

 

Always has seemed faster for me or at the very least, easier, just with a slight risk of spilling oil in the cab. But I'm pretty careful with that.