30 kMile Maintenance List

My 2021 Tacoma w/manual gearbox was getting near 30 kMiles, so I asked the dealership, how much to change all the oil, spark plugs, air & cabin filters. The answer: about $1,300 USD.

Luckily, there are some really great post and and some great videos out there to help.

Here's the list:



Doing the work over the period of a couple evening saved me about $800.
None of the work was too bad, driver's side spark plugs were a pain though.
Glad I did change plugs at 30k instead of 60k.
Note: the oil for the manual transmission must be GL-4 rated, not GL-4/5 or GL-5.

Part numbers and torque specs were collected from various sources, should be OK, but if there is an issue, let me know.

 

Your chart has the incorrect oil listed for the transfer case.


Toyota calls out a single grade 75W oil for the transfer case.
SAE 75W Toyota Genuine Transfer gear oil LF or equivalent - Toyota part # 08885-81080
It takes 1 quart to service the transfer case, it is expensive -- but then so was your truck.
Search around, this can be found at widely varying prices.

 

Why would you change your plugs at 30k miles?

 

@Technique
Q. Why change plugs at 30k?
A. Wanted to see what they looked like

@RustyGreen
You are correct, the 75W gear oil is what is specified for a manual transmission.
However, according to a know Toyota mechanic, there is little difference as long the oil is GL4 rated as noted in the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3le9ZT5HUlk&t=235s

 

@Voodoo Hokie
Yes, I was surprised by the different part numbers for the Crush Washers.

From the factory, there were different types of crush washers.
Some were basically just thin aluminum washers, others were true crush washers
The front diff bottom was larger and had was made from copper.

Just went by what in this article for crush washers
https://empyreoffroad.com/blogs/res...toyota-tacoma-diy-maintenance-reference-guide

And what the parts guy at the dealership said was needed.

 

The transfer case calls for the 75W single grade oil I provided the part number for.

Section 9.1 of your owners manual starting about page #573 clearly provides all the lubrication specifications for your vehicle.

 

@RustyGreen
According to the YT link provided above, for the transfer case oil, there is essentially no difference between 75W and

$29 75W-90 Synthetic Gear Lube - 1 Quart (Pack of 2)

75W-90.
Yes, pure 75W oil will save a little on MPG, but nothing that is really noticeable.

 

I agree that it's likely fine, but I'd still use all the correct viscosities while under warranty so that they can't deny coverage for any reason. There are plenty of manufacturers that list an oil as applicable for the 75w spec; redline, ravenol, etc. The cost is only a few extra bucks.

 

Obviously you can do as you prefer, on the other hand since you are going to the effort of changing all the lubricants at 30K it would seem you have an interest in doing the job correctly.

This has been discussed here many times, some folks have cold weather issues with the electric actuator for the transfer case when using the multi viscosity gear oil, some don't.

Please review the orange "SAE Gear" section of the chart below, while you state "there is essentially no difference" the hot viscosity of the 90 grade oil is over twice that of the 75 grade - quite a substantial difference.



Toyota engineers specified the 75W grade oil for a reason, the company goes to the trouble of shipping it from Japan in an old style metal can. Some folks have postulated that it is just a "cash grab" by Toyota. I feel this is silly.

Most consumers are too cheap and lazy to have the engine oil changed on schedule much less pay for a transfer case service, also most dealer service departments are unaware of or choose to ignore the specification. If Toyota indeed wanted to increase revenue they would be much farther ahead to simply raise the price of every set of brake pads by $1.

I prefer not to use YT as my primary source of information.

 

@RustyGreen
The chart above is for oil at its base weight (e.g., 75W without viscosity modifiers, 90W without viscosity modifiers).
Viscosity modifiers are often carbon-based polymers and are used to prevent oil from thinning as the temperatures get hotter.
The "W" designates that an oil has been tested to perform in both cold weather as well as at normal operating temperatures.
Obviously, a 75W is a 75W oil. A

$29 75W-90 Synthetic Gear Lube - 1 Quart (Pack of 2)

75W-90 oil is a 75W oil that has modifiers in it so that it performs as a 90W when heated
(i.e., adds additional protection when the weather gets hotter by keeping the oil from excessive thinning where metal-to-metal contact occurs).

So in the chart above both oils, 75W and 75W-90 have the same values as the chart.

So, yes the transfer case oil change was done "correctly"
There maybe a very slight decrease in MPG, if any.

Also, it may be beneficial to read and use information from ISO, SAE, and AGMA standards instead of a summarized table shown on someone's website.

 

Well shoot we might as well run 0w-50 in our engines now too because YouTube. I’ve seen his videos he has a lot of misinformation.

In all serious though, I don’t know why people consolidate lists that are wrong and post them up. It would serve the community much better to post the correct information and caveat your personal deviations so the next person coming along doesn’t look at it like an authoritative list.

 

All basic maintenance stuff that EVERY vehicle owner should know how to do. Anyone who pays 1300 for these services is a straight sucker or just lazy as hell.
Either people are getting dumber or lazier...or both.

 

Toyota apparently didn't feel "additional protection" was required in this application or perhaps they felt that there were other conditions that the 75 grade product addressed better than the multi-viscosity product, we only have enough information to speculate.


My issue with this frequently occurring topic is the presentation of the information by many.
Example:
New member: What oil do I use in the transfer case?
Common answer:

$29 75W-90 Synthetic Gear Lube - 1 Quart (Pack of 2)

75W-90
New member: Thanks

The new member asked because:
1) they didn't know
2) they weren't swift enough to read the manual - sadly common it seems
The incorrect answer, just like the list in your original post, was presented with confidence, the new member has no reason to question it.

IF the answer was presented in the format of "the manual recommends 75W, however I choose to use 75W-90" that would be a much better answer, allowing the new member to do further research for themselves to see if they wanted to follow the manual or not.

Again, you are free to do as you prefer.

 

Without going into anything specific, yes...generally speaking, almost all people are getting dumber and lazier because internet.

 

If it makes you feel better to say they're the same, then okay... But it is likely 3-4 times heavier at operating temp. Plus I believe the OEM is GL-4 for synchros.
Again, I wouldn't be heartbroken if 75w90 was put in mine, but I wouldn't do it by choice when the alternative is basically equal cost.

From Redline:
GL-5 75w90
Vis @ 100°C, CSt 16
Vis @ 40°C, CSt 112

GL-4 75w (MT-LV)
Vis @ 100°C, CSt 6.5
Vis @ 40°C, CSt 29.8
(This is what they show as a replacement for the Toyota TC oil.)

 

Interestingly the 75W product lists no GL rating either on the can or in the manual.

 

Makes sense, why have it rated by the API when it was engineered for their specific application. Their engine oil I think is only API SN

 

Here you go, for those wanting to compare another brands gear oil analysis to Toyota 75W transfer gear oil:
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/toyota-transfer-gear-oil-75w-voa.269462/#post-4389571

 

This is a real good source. One of the few I trust.

 

Agree. Looking at the specific analysis for the oil in question is far superior to “generic” SAE etc charts such as someone posted earlier.