Changing differential fluid - A step by step "HOW TO"

so i did this on my 07 4runner and my dad's taco, i used lucas 75-90 synthetic gear oil, question is that the taco is 2wd, it has the lsd sticker on the back, but these no button on the inside of the truck, do i need to add the lsd additive, is the lucas oil fine by itself? i got everything off summitracing since its the cheapest.

 

If you have the sticker than yes you need the additive

 

Thanx i get that soon, i thought the lucas oil had it, just like the royal purple. It says contains special additives that cushions gears and such, but i will get that additive. 4 oz is enough right or should i get 7?.

 

^^^ 4oz is what is stated in the OP.

 

Ok so i put that in, and add another half quart of fluid, is too much fluid a bad thing? Ill do royal purple 30k later on.

 

Just checked it, after i droved it a few miles, its leveled at the fill hole. Perfect right?

 

Too much fluid is a bad thing.

How did you check it?

Truck on flat surface. Open the fill hole and let it drain out.
When it stops draining out of the fill hole, you've got the proper amount.

 

Great write-up! Completed my Dif Fluid Service on my '07 Sport w/LSD and consolidated some of the notes scattered throughout this thread for future reference.


*NOTE: The first time I performed the Dif service I used Lucas 80W-90 gear oil w/Trans-X additive. After about a month/1500 miles I noticed some chattering first thing in the morning or after the truck had sat for while. So I decided to service it again. This time I used the Valvoline/AC Delco fluids and after another month/1500 miles all is well. I believe the first time I messed up by adding too much Trans-X. I tilted the tube into the fill hole and gave it a big squeeze and when I released I had nearly emptied the 7 oz. container! I won't make that mistake again.

 

I opened up the fill hole and see if any camed out, it was just perfect at the fill hole.

 

Got the courage to change my rear lsd diff a couple of weeks ago after reading all the blogs on this thread. I went with Valvoline 80w-90 dino oil and added a 4oz bottle of AC Delco lsd friction modifier (For some reason, AC Delco replaced the previous GM bottle) and everything works great!

Note: After changing to Valvoline I did have that annoying tire chirping sound when I took turns from time to time. (Some people have claimed to have this happen, however it's just a common annoyance that sometimes occurs.) After driving 500 miles with the Valvoline oil the chirping sound has totally gone away and the truck runs smooth like butter now. I guess it took about 500 miles for the new oil to work into the gears. The dealer had previously installed Chevron 80w-90 rpm gear oil with GM additive and that worked great, however it did not last very long. At about 14,000 miles driven with the Chevron fluid, I started to feel some slight rubbing when turning, particularly when the vehicle was cold (This would happen 1 day and then not again for maybe 2 days or even a week). On ocassion I would get a very slight vibration when backing up and turning when my truck was cold. Chris 4x4 is right when he stated, lsd fluid should be changed every 15k and not at 30k. Every 30k is when my 07' manual states the lsd fluid should be changed, however it does not last that long.

Hope this helps any new readers with 05'-08' Tacomas with the mechanical rear LSD differential.

 

Hey guys, thanks for the how-to...I just serviced my diff after 101,000 miles.

Used this:



Here's what the old stuff looked like after 101,000 miles:



Found 3 chips on the magnetic drain plug. Kinda seems like manufacturing debris to me. Anyone have any thoughts?

 

Can I use the same pump I used for the oil I used here for when I do my manual transmission oil? Or should I buy a new one?

 

You shouldn't need a pump - I was able to squeeze out 95% of the oil from the containers. For the remainder, I stuck a 6" length of clear 7/16" tubing (available at hardware stores) on the spout of the bottle, allowing me to invert the bottle above the spare tire to get the last bit out.

 

Just use the hose the whole time..

 

I may have to try it.

 

Ugh...

I left the old diff oil sitting in a pan in the garage with the truck windows down.

The stink has pervaded through the whole garage and my truck!

 

Gear oil is stankin! I always hated changing axles and 3rd members in the race cars

 

I do gear swaps at work all day long. My girl says the stench is stuck in my skin lol. I dont even smell it any more.

Filling with bottles is a pain we just use a bulk barrel so its very easy. But some customers prefer premium fluids, when this is the case i use the tubing method and cut a hole in the bottom when it is upright of course it just flows right in, no need to squeeze.

 

Maybe I'm just slow, but what do you mean by cutting a hole in the bottom? Do you just punch a hole and then use a funnel that leads to the tube?

 

thinking the hole is a vent to let the stuff freeflow.