Front diff drain and fill plug question - yes I know this is a beaten topic

Hello all,

I am changing all the fluids on my 2019 Tacoma Off Road. I am going through several threads on this and other forums and read about stripping of front differential bolt(s). I successfully removed the dangerous infamous front diff drain and fill bolts. I may not be lucky next time. So thinking about changing both drain and fill plugs.

So far I gathered Lexus part number 90341-24016 can be used as an alternative for 10mm HEX OEM drain plug. My question is - Can the Toyota part number 90341-18060 be used as fill plug instead of the 10mm HEX OEM fill plug on third gen Tacoma? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you all!

Reference: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/front-diff-drain-plug-alternate-oem-part.604989/page-6

 

I only swapped for the Lexus 90341-24016. 90341-18060 is a Lexus part number and apparently it does fit...

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...lternate-oem-part.604989/page-7#post-29580727

Don't forget the washers...

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-diy-maintenance-quick-reference.406712/

 

Part no. 90341-18060 is also on one of those Toyota online parts store. So I am confused if it would fit as fill plug or not?

https://www.toyotapartsdeal.com/oem/toyota~plug~for~front~differential~filler~90341-18060.html

 

I haven't tried it. A few in that thread have ordered both plugs. For $10-$20 I'd order it and found out.

 

Alrighty. I will get them and see if they work or not. Thank you for your time and replies!

 

Not sure it's worth it. I think as long as you're just reasonably careful with the hex bolt you should have zero issues. Just make sure the hex hole is clean and then make sure the wrench is in all the way (and straight) when you try to loosen it.

 

I just changed the oil in my diffs today. The front drain plug came off with reasonable force. The front fill plug was nearly loose. The fluid was pretty dark at 129k miles, so I'm glad I changed it. It was probably the first time it's been done. I'm surprised how dark it was, because it seems like it would get almost no wear in 2WD, and the truck was owned by a business, so I doubt they ever went off road or had much reason to use 4WD.

The rear fluid looked better, almost new. The fill plug was missing a crush washer, which made it hard to get off. I had to use my impact wrench. I wonder if someone had already changed it? From the service records it looks like they did nothing but engine oil and tires, but maybe they gave into the upsell at Grease Monkey and had it done.

The front drain plug in my 4Runner put up a huge fight when I changed the fluid in it. I bought a front drain plug for the Tacoma just in case, but I didn't need it.

 

I was under the truck today to change the rear diff and for the life of me I cannot break either the drain or fill plug loose. I put some penetration spray on both and will let it soak a day or two and see if I can break them loose. It is just hard to get any real leverage from under the truck on the ground or maybe I am just a weakling. I hate the idea of paying a shop to do it and I already have the oil.

 

This is more than likely the issue. Can you jack the truck up and securely place it on jack stands?
I just did my front Friday and the rear about a month ago (ran out of fluid) and both came off easily with a long 1/2" drive ratchet. BUT, I was working with the truck on a lift and out of my buddy's Snap On tool chest that is the size of the USS Ronald Regan, so that long handle ratchet is much longer than most would have at home. I could also see that much force breaking cheap bits and sockets, so keep that in mind too.

 

After it soaks, try using a breaker bar. Good Luck

 

There are some good ideas in this other thread. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/cant-break-rear-diff-bolts.831370/page-2#post-29798455

I like an impact wrench, although you have to be careful because they can do some damage. A long ratchet like @Chew used is also great. I use one for everything I use 1/2" drive sockets for, including stuff most people would use a breaker bar for. It makes everything easier, and there are few situations where the long handle doesn't fit. I don't even own a breaker bar. The only time I'd be hesitant to use a ratchet is when using a pipe for extra leverage. But I've probably done it anyway. I have a Gearwrench long 1/2" ratchet, and it can take some serious abuse. I just bought a couple extra long ratchets from Tekton. They look a little more delicate, but I still doubt I'd be able to break them without extra leverage.

 

Spray the plugs with PB Blaster, Break-Away or Liquid wrench every day for a few days before you plan to do the job. After the spray, put the correct socket on the plugs and give it a few medium taps with a light hammer. Don't wail on it: just 4-5 firm taps. Mine came off with some effort, but not too bad. If they don't budge on yours, repeat for a few more days. My diffs and transfer case were warm when I removed the plugs. This is really a good practice if you still have those foolish OEM hex/torx plugs on the front diff. If not, use a six-point and remove the fill-plugs first.

 

Yeah I can put it up on jack stands - I was using a 1/2 " ratchet - tried the 1/2" breaker bar and even the torque wrench which has a 1/2" drive and is a bit longer than the breaker bar. I'll try soaking it for a few more days in a row first and then put it up on the jack stands but not sure how much more leverage that will give me. I bought the truck from Carmax with just under 14K miles so now I am wondering if they changed the oil in the diff and over tightened the plugs - I can't see why they would with such low millage but I also can't see how the plugs got on so tight.

 

Another suggestion: these drain plugs are low profile. Make sure to use a 6 point socket, preferably without too deep of a chamfer. You could even grind off the chamfer if the plug starts rounding off.

 

You could also look in Regional section here or on FakeBook for local groups, many have home wrench benders that love to help others. If you can find em, there’s good chance there’s some dude with a decent setup and will help you pop em off.

 

Good advice - I'll give that a try. Is that you in your avatar?

 

A trick I use when for whatever reason I can’t get enough leverage is to use a poor man’s impact wrench. Put some torque on the wrench but leave the end exposed then hit the end of the wrench with a hammer being careful to not strike one’s hand. Make sure the wrench is a good fit for the nut so that you don’t strip it.

 

I replaced the OEM drain and fill plugs of the infamous front differential. Threading pattern looked the same. Length of the replaced plugs are lesser than OEM's which made me feel safe - that they won't be hitting anything inside the FD. I put 2 images for comparison of both plugs. Took for a spin. Ride felt fine. Now going to top off the FD fluid and going to update all about Ravenol fluids, after driving at least 200-300 miles. Hopefully there won't be any issues! Thank you all for the replies!

Purchased both the parts from https://www.ssl-parts.com/

 

I started to change my front diff fluid today on my 2008 Tacoma with 112K. I got truck in early December with 106K on it. I only recently got around to changing all the fluids.
I ordered a fluid pump from Amazon. So I figured I could get everything ready, drain the oil once the pump came in. (usually I get Amazon about 5pm).

When I took off the skid plate, it was obvious someone had changed ( or at least tried to change) . The drain plugs hex fitting was pretty messed up. So taking the advice from others, I made sure I could break loose the fill plug. Took some force , but it broke loose. When I tried to break loose the drain, I only made it worse.

I was really beginning to wonder what it would take to brake loose, I decided to to order a new plug for when I do take it out. But I was pretty determined to at least break it loose today. I was able to cut a little notch with a cold chisel. Then ,using a punch and striking it perpendicular to the axis of rotation, I was pleasanty surprised when it did break loose. ( but I did have to use a bigger hammer, lol).

I didn't drain it today, but will wait until I get the new plug in hand.

 

Re: >>>"I didn't drain it today, but will wait until I get the new plug in hand."<<<

Prudent/wise decision! Get all of your parts in place for the job and avoid the wait for delivery of the new ones for the ones that broke.... or worse: "OOS" / "Backordered" / "NLA" Been there, done that.