Front Diff and Transfer Case Oil Change Howto

Just changed the fluids in my transfer case, front/rear diffs, and engine oil for the 30,000 mile maintenance. This write up was a HUGE help.

My only advice to those thinking about doing this, is to spend the extra money on a good pump. The one I bought sucked and it was a royal PITA to fill the front diff without a pump. It isn't really necessary on the rear diff and transfer case, but the front diff doesn't have much space to maneuver a bottle of oil around.

A little PB Blaster also did wonders on my sticky bolts. With the right tools, this is easier to do than the engine oil.

 

The blue gaskets look like oil pan gaskets.

 

I think running a hose from the front diff up into the engine bay is even easier than the pump. Just my opinion

 

good idea...

 

sorry yes those are for my engine oil in my taco and rolla....change my oil once a year with amsoil.

 

Not being very savvy, I need to get some tools and do this. The dealer wants $600!!

 

CRAZY!! It's like $60 worth of gear lube (if you go conventional even less, I used Mobil1 full syn @ $9/qt) and remember to buy/borrow a grease gun to get at those U-joints. Oh, and either a pump or 4' of hose to fill the front diff (the rest you can fill just fine under the truck) Outside of that, a few hours (max) and maybe some crush washers if you're a real go-getter (I'm not) I'm figuring that's about a $430 savings at my pay grade.

 

Invest $100, five gallon bucket of gear lube, a pump that fits ON the bucket, a grease gun and a handful of wrenches and you are set for YEARS...

 

I agree. I had the same issue on a Ford. Best time to own a dremmel with a wire brush attachment. PB blaster, a little time, and the dremmel and I was able to clean it up and loosen the bolts.

 

Just changed out my rear with Redline 75w90 - though I was only able to get ~2.5 qts in (about the same amount of old dripped out)..I've an '08 prerunner with an open diff, is this normal?

 

If the oil is up to the bottom of the fill plug, you are good. My land cruiser would use almost a full five Gallon pail on a change of both duffs, tranny and xfer case

Howard

 

I spend $3 on one of these and pour directly from the quart bottle into the diff, tranny or t-case. http://www.walmart.com/ip/PLEWS-LUBRIMATIC-60-200-Funnel-Easy-Pour/40788883

No pumps, no mess, nada (I use Redline NS which is a GL-5 75W-90 and has no limited slip additive, for the front & rear diff) http://www.redlineoil.com/product.aspx?product=58304
Redline MT-90 GL-4 75W-90 for the tranny & t-case) Smooth, quiet ride.

 

sweet did the taco a week ago! royal purple 75/90ls front/rear diff ... mobil 1 in the transfer case... same as my FJC~love my "Toys"

 

Hi Guys and Gals. Forgive me for not reading all the way through this thread but I am on the road for work and need a quick answer. I did read the nice write-up and first few pages. I have a 2006 TRD Sport 4x4. I recently drove through some high water covering the flooding in Shreveport (I'm a news photog). Water I think was about up to the bottom of the door. No water came in the cab. Truck is sitting at my fiance's house, while I'm now in Florida for work. Do you think I need to flush my front and rear diff before I drive it or should I be ok?

I do plan to change the diff and transfer oil case soon, but don't know if its OK to drive the 320 miles home from Shreveport to New Orleans before I do it (where my tools and garage are) or to buy a breaker bar and hex and whatnot and do it in Shreveport.

Also, would naval jelly work as well or better than PB Blaster to prep the bolts? Likewise, would an impact wrench be less effective than a breaker bar?

Thanks!

 

Disclaimer. No expert by any means:
I believe that the front (diff and T-case?) is protected by an extended breather tube that leads high up in the engine bay. The rear diff has a breather that is directly attached to the top of the differential, and is at greater risk of water incursion.
See this thread: Diff Breather Mod
It describes how to modify the rear breather tube by adding a tube extension. It also speaks to the front gear and factory provided breather tubes.
Hope this helps.

** What I'm trying to say: You may be fine for your front part of your drivetrain, and your rear diff might be the only issue.

 

Not an expert but people dunk their rear diffs all the time launching boats. Just me, but I would drive it home and change it there.

 

Whatever you do, starting spraying with something NOW and keep on applying until you get to home base. My truck is an 05 and I've always had issues with stuck nuts and bolts that are underneath my truck. ALWAYS. Stripped threads, rounded off bolt heads, sheared off bolts.

I use PB Blaster.

 

Thanks, That makes sense about launching the boats. I know about the rear diff breather because I remember the mod to run a tube from the rear dif breather up to the gas tank filler port. Good top know the front diff has a higher breather. What about the tranny?

Good to know and I will start with the PB Blaster and them maybe try some naval jelly afterwards. My airplane mechanic has a penetrating lubricant the he swears by too. I'll have to ask him what brand, as I've forgotten.

 

I don't know if anyone has recommended this or not, but I'm not reading through 41 pages to find out.

ALWAYS BREAK THE FILL PLUGS LOOSE FIRST!!! If you remove the drain plug, and the fill plugs are frozen...what are you going to do!? I've seen it happen many times. Don't let it be you!

 

I just replaced the gear oil in my front diff this weekend for the first time @ 71k miles. I actually started working on it back in November but one of the bolts holding on the diff skid plate was seized and the head was rounded off so it took me a few attempts with different bolt extractors before I just drilled it out. I got the head of the bolt off so I could at least remove the skid plate but I'll need to finish drilling out the rest of the bolt some other time. The bolts Toyota uses with the dimpled/hollow heads are terrible because they don't give you much meat to grip onto.

Anyway, I sprayed the drain and fill plugs with some PB Blaster and let them sit for 10 minutes before I went at them with the wrench. My 1/2" Craftsman ratchet was enough for the fill plug but I had to use my 24" breaker bar for the drain plug. As most of you know there's not a lot of clearance between the drain plug and the ground so it can be hard to get leverage on a breaker bar. My backup plan was to raise the front of the truck on ramps to get more clearance for the breaker bar and then lower it back down once the plug was loose.