60K Rear Differential Oil Change

Changed the oil in the rear differential on Friday. Finally drove the truck yesterday and have noticed a slight vibration or I am guessing gear chatter. It comes and goes, but it is constant and starts at about 55 mph. I used Mobil 1 Synthetic

$28 75W-90 Synthetic Gear Lube - 1 Quart (Pack of 2)

75W-90 gear oil which is what I used at my 30K oil change and no problems what so ever. I did notice on the drain plug with the magnet that the metal shavings were very very fine like sand and was about 1/16" thk on the magnet. Is this normal? My question is what should I do to get rid of this? I have a 2010 so I know I don't need the LSD additive. Would adding the additive help eliminate the chatter or am I going to have to drain all that good synthetic oil and replace it with Dino oil instead? Is it going to hurt it to drive it this way until I can get it fixed? Thanks for the help.

 

How often are you supose to change the rear diff oil? Does not say in owners manual.

 

Every 30k

Op the type of oil you're using is fine. I would take it to the dealer. Should fall into the power train warranty. If your close to 60k that is.

 

This.

 

Gonna recheck the fluid level in the rear differential. Low lubricant levels are usually the cause of the humming as the pinions and all other gears aren't receiving the right amount of lubrication. Gonna try adding a little more

$28 75w-90 Synthetic Gear Lube - 1 Quart (Pack of 2)

75w-90 and see if that makes a difference first. It is just weird that it started right after I changed the rear differential fluid.

 

Sounds like you need a little more oil. Did you drive it around the block after re-filling it and verify the level? Sometimes it takes a little movement to get all the oil out into the axle tubes and covering everything.

Otherwise, dealer time!

 

Yes...Normal.

I just did my diffs a month or so ago and got the same on my drain plug. That's what the drain plug magnet is supposed to do...catch the metal. When you see shavings & chunks, then start to worry....

 

Problem fixed! Just needed a little more oil. The only thing different I did from last time was that I had the front wheels up on my ramps since I was doing an oil change for the motor too. I guess more oil drained out from being on an angle I put all three quarts in, so that is why I am a little confused, had to add about another 1/4 of a quart and all is good now.

 

With my truck on level ground I just drained and then filled till fluid came out of the fill hole.

 

I did mine today and I thought capacity was 3.12 quarts? Does this take into account anything left in axles? 2nd time I've done mine and didn't have issue following that number. Didn't do the finger test this time either. Drain plug did have some black/grey sludgy looking stuff. Test drive felt fine.

 

ummmm. . . . I always fill Toyota gear oils until they flow out of the fill-hole?. . . .

who cares what the capacity is supposed to be, fill it till its full lol!

they made it easy for us, at or slightly below the fill hole. that's it

 

Well humming a slight vibration is back Not sure what it could be, but crawled under the truck to check things out. Can't grease u-joints because factory ones don't have grease zerks. Also looked at the carrier bearing as well. Noticed some rust on both sides of the carrier bearing on the drive shafts. I am assuming this is normal. Also how much play should there be in the carrier bearing. Posting some pics and a video of the carrier bearing play. Trying to hold a flashlight, video camera and move it up and down to show the play. Click on the last photo for the video.

 

Personally, I doubt you have a problem with your diffeentialr or carrier bearings. It is possible but I don't recall these being failure prone unless you did some hardcore offroad and broke a spider gear or ring gear. Both of these should be far worse than a vibration.

Was any other work accomplished? Tires rotated? wheels removed for any reason?

I would start with the wheel nuts or tire wear / balance. After that, check your front wheel bearings.

This may sound crazy, but is there any possibility your throw out bearing is giving up? Probably not since I suspect the vibration is with the clutch fully engaged but just something to consider.

No I don't have an answer, just offering some other ideas to consider. The steel paste on the magnet is normal. As already mentioned, big items stuck to the magnet are cause for concern.

PK

 

OP flip your carrier bearing, and torque your u-bolts to 90ft-lbs. that should take care of it.

 

Had the tires rotated last Tuesday at Discount tire. All was fine on the way home that I know of. Then Wednesday when I changed the rear differential oil is when it started. I called today to my dealership and set up an appointment to bring it in on Monday. I've got 59,919 miles on it and don't want to drive it until I get it to the dealership so if it is something with the powertrain then it would still be covered under warranty.

No vibration when clutch is fully depressed. it is kind of a low moan or hum and a slight vibration I feel on the driver's side floor board. It comes and goes away about every 10 seconds.

 

maybe wheel bearing?

 

troubleshooting 101
whats the last thing that was changed
what was the second last thing that was changed

two things a day apart - and one being tire rotation. hmmmmm
if its been a while since last rotation, tread wear differences may account for it. different speeds and road surfaces will interact with the tire surfaces differently accounting for variations in hum.

I'd check tire pressures (guessing they are not directional tires). A few days of driving may mitigate some of that as tires scrub in.

I've had several tires issues from hum to vibrations. Out of round tires, crap treads, and balance issues. Problems that come and go at swap time. I only swap front to back, never cross them as some manuals recommend. Found doing that with tires turning in the opposite direction caused issues for me.

Your problem may yet be mechanical, but going back to 101 .... what changed? If the dealer comes up empty handed, then hopefully its as simple as re-rotating tires to try and resolve it.

 

I would assume your foot is off the gas while clutch is depressed?
Does it get worse or better as you are going faster or slower?

Something else to try...
What happens if you put it in neutral with clutch fully engaged /out?

What happens during mid travel (slipping) of the clutch?

What happens if you put it in 4hi AND 4lo?

When was the last time you changed your transmission fluid or transfer case fluid?
(Sorry if I missed if this was already mentioned)

 

Got the truck back from the dealer and they said everything was good. They checked transmission, drive shaft, carrier bearing and rear differential. The tech is leaning towards the tires as the problem and I am starting to think the same way. I remember when Discount rotated them, they only aired them up to the door jam sticker 29 psi. I run them between 45 - 50 psi to help get better gas mileage. The ride home from Discount was fine, but after I got home I aired them up more and did the 60K maintenance. That is when the hum and vibration started. Could be I just need to drive it a while and see if the tires wear down some more and that will probably cure it. Driving from the dealer to the house and it did not do it at all.

 

Sounds weird that it could be the tires but I'm not a mechanic so who knows? I was told not to use synthetics in the rear differential cause its to "slippery." I have a TRD Sport so I just used regular gear oil and added the LSD additive and it ran fine after the change.