Fluid changes coming up - differential / transfer case

i have an xterra and a a patriot that i do these things on as well. it's scary loosening the aluminum plugs on those but never had an issue and i have done the xterra lots of times. just use a breaker bar to get off and torque wrench set right when putting back on. what's the issue with the front drain plug? i tested out my 10mm hex and extension and seems totally fine?

 

I don’t like hex fasteners that get any sort of moderate to heavy torque on them, they are too susceptible to rounding out; also the drain plug is rather big for only a 10mm hex.

 

In the cast iron (I think), it tends to really engage the threads and snap loose. I think using a torque wrench is key.

 

piece of cake!


did the oil change first- have done 2 before so knew what to expect.. no issues.

then went on to the xfer case because it drinks 75w and i thought contaminating 75w-85 with 75w is better than vice versa. no issues....

then did the front diff. no issues. the drain plug came off with some muscle. i did spray the two plugs last night with pb blaster just in case. i did buy a capri tool 10mm hex socket- great quality!

then i went to the rear- no issues there BUT i didn't have enough fluid for it to trickle out when filling. I put in 4 quarts plus about 1/3 of another bottle- that 1/3 was left over from doing the front diff which took 1.6 quarts.


i checked the fluid and my pinky brings some out when checking. good???? thoughts????
my mechanic neighbor checked it and said it's good. that synthetic will expand so that's why its supposed to be 0 to 5 mm below the hole. so i suppose my pinky test is adequate?

i will say that the front diff was low on fluid- pinky came out clean as was the rear diff- i checked each before draining.


10460 miles on truck.

 

Yes. That's good enough for automotive fluids.

 

Using pumps for diff fluid is such a waste of time, effort, and money IMO. On these trucks there's plenty of access room to where you can simply snip the nozzles of your diff fluid bottles open, insert the nozzle into the fill hole, tip the bottle, and dump/squeeze fluid directly into the diff and be done in a matter of minutes. No laying down under your truck in an awkward position pumping away for what feels like forever, no spending extra money on a pump, no extra time spent having to clean the fluid out of your pump and your tubing when you're done, no wasted fluid left behind in the pump or the tubing, etc...

 

That is certainly valid. But, gallons are typically cheaper and don't help there.

 

Good point. I've never seen gallons sold anywhere where I live though. Quarts are cheap enough that I don't lose any sleep.

 

That's good.

Wally World and Amazon are my main suppliers. I grab gallons or 5qt jugs.

 

It wasn't a waste of time or $$. I've done it many different ways since the 80s. I purchase by the gallon at considerable savings from online suppliers and don't lose any sleep either.


I worked in fleet maintenance for over 20yrs and always had the luxury of pneumatic pumps and 55 gal drums so for home use this method works well for gallon jugs.

Try getting your quart bottle in there wise guy:

 

Sounds like the rear diff is okay. What'd u use for your transfer case?

ETA, what oil did you use?

 

I've always used a pump for both differentials, the MT and transfer case. The quart pumps are more work than the weed sprayer pump. You should be okay using a quart bottle for the transfer case.

Andrew is correct the quart bottles can clear the rear differential but you'll need some type of pump if you have a manual transmission. I use a pump for all gear oil changes since I've always had MTs and purchase gear oil by the gallon.

 

The Ravenol that I used had a sweet bottle with a straw that I was able to directly dump in.

Given the amount that I use the 2LM, I think I am going with the Toyota stuff at 50k or 60k unless more VOAs get posted for the other compatible stuff.

I will be making a weed sprayer pump for the next diff lube swap. The quart size pump is handy, but just takes too long.

 

This is my go-to for fluid transfers. I should invest in the weed sprayer though.

 

Yes! I even took a picture of that little straw because I was so impressed. I love zeeee Germans.

 

That looks like a 1qt capacity? If so, I would probably just stick with it, if you got it.

Or, use that for the AT swap and the weed sprayer for the diffs?

 

But then, there's modern VWs and M-Bs that make you go .

No more Euro, US, or Russian vehicles for us. Sticking with Japanese.

 

I’ve been using amsoil for my diff and transfer case

 

Want to attempt to do a transmission oil change with amsoil as well

 

Quality fluids are quality fluids for me, but here some Amsoil and parts info if you need it:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-manual-transmission-6mt-fluid-change.481719/