Advice from anyone on gear oil for transfer case

Ok so I changed my rear diff oil yesterday truck is at 36,000. I purchased the truck from enterprise car sales and they hadn't done that service yet, some people that rent trucks run them ragged and some don't so just out of pre caution I did it and Wanting this truck to last a while I decided to go ahead and do the driveline gear oil changes I purchased

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

75w-90 after watching a bunch of YouTube videos. Some folks recommend not using the 75w-90 in the transfer case and some say that as long as it is GL-5 RATED your good. I don't do any towing don't plan on it either I live in southeastern north carolina so it's not super cold down here. What are yalls thoughts or recommendations am I ok to use the 75w-90 for rear diff front differential and transfer or should I use the 75w for the transfer.? Once again thanks for all the advice.

 

I use whatever the spec is for all vehicle lubricants. They pay the engineers to figure all that out and I suspect they list what they do for a reason. I use Amsoil fluids but I think a quality lube filled to the correct capacity is the most important.

 

It's been a while since I've looked. I swear there was a thread on it here somewhere, but IIRC Redline MT-LV is what you want for the transfer case.

 

What does your owners manual say?

Spoiler - It probably says

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

75W-90 (mine does, turd gen TRD OR). You should do what the manual says. Toyota has a team of engineers for differentials, along with thousands of hours of studies and history. They didn't just pick the fluid spec from a hat, and I'd rather listen to the Toyota engineers than a couple dweebs on the interwebs.

Edit: Here's a fun edit. The owners manual says to use 75W for the TC.



Here's the diffs:

 

Oh you mean "BIG LUBE". Those weights are just whatever they are making the most profit on man! Jk.

 

75W-85 is Toyota recommended weights for front and rear differentials. Can be hard to find.

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

75W-90 will work just fine. If you have the locking rear diff, make sure what you use is ok for use with a limited slip. I think the GL-5 spec covers that.

I found straight 75W kinda hard to find and pricey. Last time I did mine I used Ravenol 75W in my x-fer case. Redline MT-LV will also work and is easier on the wallet. (I've used both and noticed no difference).

 

I haven't changed the transfer case fluid in the Tacoma yet, but I've been running Amsoil in manual gear boxes, transaxles, and transfer cases for decades.

https://www.amsoil.com/p/amsoil-75w-90-manual-transmission-transaxle-gear-lube-mtg/

Cheers

 

A limited slip and locker are completely different, and none of the trucks have a limited slip. Regular gear oil will work just fine.

 

I replaced the gear oil in the front/rear diffs and the transfer case this weekend with Valvoline SAE

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

75W-90 full synthetic gear oil.

I'll let you know when everything blows up

 

OP

I'm in the same boat with my 2.5 Gen Tundra. It also calls for straight 75W.
After some research, I've decided to bite the bullet and purchase 2L of the 75W Toyota Transfer Case fluid. It's $$$, but fluid is still cheap compared to a Transfer Case.

 

Redline MT-LV or Ravenol

also search feature

 

Honestly, any of these weights will work as intended and would be better than running around like 90% of vehicles who have never had more than an oil change. I use what the manufacturer recommends for peace of mind but at the end of the day any of these that is quality fresh oil is better than what's in it. Amsoil has a vehicle lookup feature on the website and will list the product that is recommended for everything. I normally trust that. I buy enough from them to get free delivery and 25% off so it's a no brainer.

 

I am a maintenance spec freak. But a differential pumpkin on a pickup truck is one item where I am willing to bend a little. I bet you could put Yak drool in those damn things and they would still outlive you!

 

Redline makes a gear oil for the transfer case .It meets Toyota requirements for gear oil and it’s way cheaper than the Toyota gold gear oil. Or you can use ravenol 75w. I went with the redline works fine for me .

 

Ravenol MTF-3 75W

 

Redline MT-LV seems to hold up the best in extreme conditions, and by proxy, regular conditions.

 

The Ravenol bottles have a nice internal straw built in so you can get all the fluid out of the bottle and into the t-case, which is nice since you'll need every last drop to refill it. The bottle alone makes Ravenol the best choice for me, and being the proper 75w spec is nice too.

 

I just did this service last weekend on my 20’ TRD Sport with 66k miles. Bought used at 39k and from service records this work was never done. Used Valvoline

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

75w-90 in all three.

The work was relatively easy. 1000 miles in, so far so good.

 

GL-4 is the correct gear oil for transfer case

 

Been running Motul 75W90 for just over 20K miles without issue.