Tacoma differential fluid change thoughts

My trucks getting close to 200k miles so I wanted to change both the front and rear different fluid. I have a 2012 taco with a rear locker and I’m not sure if it has the lsd but would I need to add an additive? Also what oil do you guys recommend? I’ve heard about some people running royal purple

ps. what’s your mileage and how’s your taco held up so far? I’ve been thinking about saving up and replacing the old v6 with a remanufactured one from jaspers or car part planet once I get closer to 250k miles

 

You do NOT have an LSD differential.
It’s an OPEN diff.
No additives needed. (It won’t hurt anything if the fluid you have already has additives.)

I’d stick with

$30 75w-90 Synthetic Gear Lube - 1 Quart (Pack of 2)

75w-90 or 80w-90.

 

I'm almost at 60k miles. I have

$30 75w-90 Synthetic Gear Lube - 1 Quart (Pack of 2)

75w-90 front and the rear will soon be 75w-110 because I'm heavy with armor, 35s, etc. I'm switching from Mobil1 to Amsoil based on feedback from ppl here, but I don't think you can go wrong with either. Royal Purple however, is frowned upon by ECGS so there's that.

 

Doesnt matter what gear oil you use, dino, synthetic, blend etc.... as long as its fresh, clean, changed at proper regular intervals and is the right spec the rear axle will outlive you.

Needless to say get any

$30 75w-90 Synthetic Gear Lube - 1 Quart (Pack of 2)

75w-90 gear oil you would like. 99% of them are going to have the Limited Slip additive anyways (which isnt needed in the case of the e locker but wont hurt it)

The above applies to the tcase and front diff as well.


As far as the motor, unless it has serious mechanical issues, keep changing oil and filter with quality 5w-30 oil n filter of your choosing and again it will outlive most. You will 100% introduce more problems with a remand motor.

 

Don't over think it. You have an open diff with a locker, so you don't need the LSD additive, but there's no harm in using gear oil that has it already in there.
Pick your flavor of

$30 75W-90 Synthetic Gear Lube - 1 Quart (Pack of 2)

75W-90 and roll with it, your Tacoma won't care. I personally use synthetic Mobil 1, but the brand doesn't really make a difference for 99.9999% of use cases. I like synthetic due to the longer service life, by conventional will be perfectly fine as long as you are changing it accordingly.

As far as your last question goes...that sounds like a waste of money to me unless your engine blows up on you. I'm at a little over 185k miles and I plan on getting another 185k miles out of it.

 

Just picked me up some gear oil and will be doing it next weekend. Thank you everyone for the input!

The main reason I wanted to go with a re remanufactured one, was I intended to add a pro charger, 35s, and more armor. I just didn’t think it could handle all that abuse at its mileage and not feel gutless. I plan to drive this truck until its last legs. There’s some noticeable power loss at 198k aside from what I’ve already added. Will a tune help?

 

I doubt there is noticeable powerloss if compression is still good. Guys have gone forced induction at your mileage no problems.

 

What ever you decide, GL5 for the transfer case, and differentials. GL4 for the manual transmission.

NEVER trust your local parts store sdvise. That 18 year old girl wasn't hired for her mechanical wisdom.
Fun fact
Ask for a can of compression and spark plugs for a 98 7.3 powerstroke and watch them go to the books (if they can read)

 

Regardless of what brand you use...make it easy on yourself and get the squeeze pouch

 

Don't see any valid reason to replace a known, perfectly fine V6 with an unknown re-manufactured unit because it's approaching "xxx,xxx" miles: Replace it when it's gone, knocking, and/or drinking oil. It will probably outlast you and the next two owners. Change the diff and xfer case oil. Is it a stick? Do that too: DO NOT put GL5 gear oil in your manual transmission: You'll turn a bullet-proof 300,000+ mile/lifetime transmission into a worthless junk pile in very short order. GL4 only: you can find it out there; NO: "GL5 "compatible" with GL4" on the label.

Do a drop-and-drain on the transmission if it's an automatic.

 

The only GL4/5 I was comfortable with using in my gear box was the mobil 1 synthetic that specifically stated it was formulated around gear boxes with yellow metals.

That being said, I recommend Redline's MT-90. That stuff is a GL-4 only oil that is nice and smooth.

 

If no one's changed the front diff, or you don't know when it was done... go get yourself the Lexus GX drain plug, and pick up an impact hex bit socket for the original. You might thank me, when you're done swearing at the original plug. Hammer that hex in there good, and hope you have a lot of leverage, mine barely came out with persuasion from a very, very strong 1/2" air impact, after nearly rounding it out with the non-impact one I've used for years without issue.

Oh... and definitely do NOT swap any running motor for just about any reman, and definitely NOT Jasper. Just... no.

 

I use 80W-90 in diffs and transfer case. Whatever the cheapest GL5 is - usually Valvoline. Change it all every 30k. I have 215k on the truck as of today with no issues. I also recommend the Lexus "outie" plug for the front diff if you don't want to deal with hex bits breaking and rounding out the hole.

 

I did mine at 100K and used Valvoline synthetic 75/90.

 

I have 2 cans of compression in my garage right next to my extra Blinker fluid. What the problem? Got it on sale.

 

Ask if 1D-10T fluid would work

 

@Thatonetacodude this article is a good read, Also applies to trans case. I use the Lucas they recommend.

https://eastcoastgearsupply.com/ft-2536-ecgs-gear-oil-recommendation.html

 

^^^^THIS^^^^

 

I had the diffs and xfer case oil serviced yesterday. I happened to notice the white sticker on the front diff motor/actuator that has "A-D-D Oil Only" printed on it when I checked everything for leaks after I got home. First time I ever noticed it.

Can anyone explain what it's trying to tell people? I'm assuming it means: "

$30 75W-90 Synthetic Gear Lube - 1 Quart (Pack of 2)

75W-90", so you won't put in automatic transmission fluid, 0W-20 engine oil, STP Oil Treatment, etc in it??

 

ADD oil is for the actuator only (grease really), has nothing to do with gear oil within the diff.