Rear Differntial Oil Change

What makes it worse is that they make the heads of these plugs so thin. If you look at your sockets, you'll notice the end is tapered. That combined with the thin head leads to a greater chance of stripping the plug. What I did was used my 10-inch grinder to 'flatten' a 15/16th inch socket I had laying around. That adds a much needed 1.5 mm of extra grip. Fits the plugs on the Tacos and the fill plug on my wife's Lexus ES350. The tapered end is suppose to make the socket slip onto the bolt head easier, but it can strip a thin head as a result.

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I've used K&N filters for many years on a variety of different vehicles. They work as intended and gave the truck more 'pep' on acceleration. I've never had dust or oil past it.... The key is keeping them clean so the oil can do its job. If the oil is 'over saturated' with dust, it can't filter anymore. They get dirtier a lot quicker and need to be cleaned more often. I cleaned mine twice a year.

If you live in a dusty invironment, a K&N is probably not a good idea unless you plan to clean it 2,3,4 times a year.

 

I just changed my rear differential fluid yesterday for the first time. These are the notable observations I would like to share.
First, lower your spare tire and remove it. This will give you a good opportunity to check tire air pressure and clean off all the accumulated road debris. I also lubed the chain lowering mechanism.
The gear oil used had a tapered top so I had plenty of room to add the oil with the spare removed. No funnel needed. I had a terrible time removing the fill plug. Using a breaker bar was even futile. I sprayed it with WD40 and waited an hour. Then I got my impact wrench which broke it free.
The drain plug was much easier to remove. Just remember to remove the fill plug first.
The fluid that came out was pretty clean. It just smelled bad. Remember to clean the plug magnet.
Filling was easy. I used plain 75-90 Dino gear oil. It took 3 qts. I drove it around the block and will recheck it today. I replaced the plug gaskets. I will attempt the front another time.

 

$4 more for the oem toyota filter.

$28 Genuine Toyota Air Filter Tacoma 2005-2008 4.0L V6 Genuine Toyota OEM New

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Absolutly. If you plan on keeping the truck much longer, I would do it more frequently. Don't be surprised at how black, ugly and smelly it is if you live in northern climates and deal with moisture or dirt roads. Consider synthetic...absolutely. If you tow, off road or carry heavy loads, never go over 60 k miles and closer to 30 k otherwise. It's one of the easier thinks to do......only if the plugs are cooperative.

 

Well I cleaned my throttle body today along with my MAF sensor. I also changed the differential oil without any problems!... Or so I thought. Turns out the metal gasket that goes on the drain plug fell off when removing the oil. I didn't notice it gone until I began pouring the old oil into a container to take to the auto store. The new oil is already in, so what do I need to do to get the gasket back on? I have around half a bottle left, so a little fluid lost is no big deal. Any help is appreciated!

 

I would ask someone for a hand and just quickly stick your thumb over the hole while someone slips the washer back on the plug. You shouldn't lose any more than half a quart if your smooth about it. The other option is to drain the new oil into a very clean drain pan and then simply re-use it to fill the diff back up. Option C is to do a combination of both in case option A goes poorly.

 

You my friend are a genius! Thank you for saving me some dough on new oil. I didn't really think it through and was gonna place a rag over the drain.

 

I'm sitting at 115k miles and I've done my diffs 4 times total. It looked good every time I did it. Including this past week. Even when new it smells to high heaven. Peace of mind I guess.

 

Mine appeared as if it had never been changed. There was 1/8 inch of metal shavings on the magnet, so it was due for a change. Have you had your tranny serviced any?

 

Ha no problem were all here to give each other good ideas from time to time.

Transmission flushes are usually recommended (by the dealer at least) to be done along with the diffs. That is one thing I would only let the dealer do. And it doesn't hurt to ask them when the last time their trans flush machine was cleaned and inspected. If they don't know or won't tell you then do your truck a favor and go to a dealer that can/will answer your questions.

 

I have always heard that transmissions with high mileage usually have problems if new fluid is mixed with old. Something about the detergents will create gear slippage, so it's best to leave the tranny alone.

 

That is only true if the transmission clutch disks have significant wear. If the fluid is clean with a normal odor than the mileage is irrelevant. Now if a trans had 200k miles on it and the fluid had never been changed.. I would leave it alone at that point.

 

Oh okay, I probably need to go get that checked then. Thank you for your response!

 

I had my transmission flushed out at 75k miles. Sitting at 115 now. Probably won't do another flush, just drain and fills every 50k or so.

 

Oh okay, thank you!

 

If you put on enough miles that it works out you are doing differentials every 10 months or so I would recommend one of these http://www.amazon.com/Lubrication-H...Hand+Operated+Bucket+Pump+Gear+Lube+Dispenser .

I got one for diff fluid, and one for the transmission/transfer case. I don't like the way the mobile 1 75-90 works in the manual transmission so I run redline mt90 in the transmission and transfer case. I knew from reading here that it would save the synchros in the trans, and when I tried it in the transfer case that seemed smoother as well. You be pre runner though. A few pumps and you are done. Never again will I use one of the little pumps that goes on a quart bottle. Did that the first time I changed the fluids.

 

K&N filters are compliant with all major vehicle manufacturers warranties. I've used them in all my vehicles for many many years and keep my vehicles 10+ years. And my Toyota TRD Supercharger came with one from Toyota.

Anyway, I buy a K&N for about the price of 3 paper filters. Save many hundreds of dollars during the time you own your vehicle.

Or don't. I'm not asserting they are better then paper filters (performance), just much more economical and environmental.