Transfer case fluid change

Had my 2012 tacoma in for an oil change. Dealer recommended I change the transfer case fluid and rear end fluid. Any recommendation on an upgrade of an after market brands. Just turned 110,000 miles Tacoma trd off road v6.

 

I used

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

Mobil 1 75W-90 gear oil. Super easy to do and will save you money if you do it yourself.

 

Get the front diff fluid while you are at it.

 

Very easy to do. I just used the Lucas

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

75w-90 gear oil from O’Reilly

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNWzQ2MbcX0
As stated above....why not do it yourself and save money!
Cheers!

 

ALWAYS get the plug on the filler hole cracked loose before draining the gear oil. ALWAYS.

 

Do it yourself, super easy.

Why didn’t they also try to rape you on the front differential?

 

Any GL-5 75w90 will do just fine.

I use mobil1 but any name brand or well established store brand would be fine.

 

Mobile 1 fan here too. It is easy to change but pumping the fluid can be annoying with a cheap pump.

 

Walmart's SuperTech full synthetic

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

75w-90 at seven buck a bottle is a good alternative. I used to use a Valvoline syn blend but that requires an additive if you have the limited diff.

 

Anyone like to keep their service work done so car fax report are kept

 

ooof you have had the original rear diff oil in the truck for 110k miles.... i foresee pinion bearings, and ring and pinion gear replacement (if you dont catch the pinion bearings quick enough) in your nearish future.

But yes

$30 mobil 1 75w-90 synthetic gear lube - 1 quart (pack of 2)

mobil 1 75w-90 (or really any synthetic 75w-90). Front diff and tcase every 60k, rear diff every 30k. 09+ tacos regardless of package do not need LSD additive for the rear diff, but it will not hurt to run something like Mobil 1 syn 75w-90 that has it in it already.

 

Don't sweat catastrophic failure just yet. If the truck has had a reasonable life with respect to towing and differential load, it should be fine.
OP, please let us know when you change it an how the old fluid looks!

 

FTFY

 

Definitely change it OP. But dont be surprised shorly after changing it if you get rear diff noise that manifests itself into pinion bearing failure / ring and pinion bearing overwear. Pops changed my moms original rear diff fluid right around the same time due to a slight rear end howl in her 07 4runner that is probably the most lightly driven vehicle ever. Shortly after the above occurred. Reason being the sediment of the gunked up fluid was filling the pits in the pinion bearings, new fluid washed out the sediment as it should, which leads you down the path as described.

Needless to say, regardless if its been changed or not, CHANGE IT ASAP.

 

Report it yourself in the Carfax app

 

A little tip to make life easier if you do it yourself...removing the spare tire makes it a lot easier to fill the rear diff. Maybe lube the cable etc. while you’re down there. Lots of help on here if you have questions.

 

Very simple drain & fill. My 2012 2.7L I used Red Line Oil Products MT 75W-90 GL-4. Pricey, but you can find cheaper on ebay or Amazon. Toyota Owners manuals uses 75W-90 GL-4 or GL-5. If memory serves me correctly it's only about 1.1qts in transfer case. While your under the vehicle I'd change the front/rear differentials also (see owners manual). Again, simple drain & fill. I do recommend using new crush washers for each drain plug removed. They're cheap and same OEM part....

https://www.redlineoil.com/mt-90-75w90-gl-4-gear-oil

https://www.redlineoil.com/75w85-gl-5-gear-oil

 

I changed mine for the first time at around 105k, but I don't tow, when I checked the magnet on the drain plug, just a little super fine (like powdered sugar) metal. My fluid also didn't look too bad. The front diff however was black. I changed Front Diff, Transfer Case and Rear Diff in about an hour and I went super slow.

 

No. Dealerships don't care. They only look to see if there has been an accident so they can offer less for your trade-in. Your private citizen doesn't care if maintenance is listed on Carfax vs. a running list the owner keeps themselves. Don't overpay for work at a dealership just because you think it looks good on Carfax.