Rear differential issue at 30,000 mile service

Found some chunky bits and some metal paste stuck to the magnet. Dealer is investigating.

 

I think its normal my 2017 did as well as my 2012 Tacoma..just change the fluid and roll on.

 

The concern is that it isn't flashing out of the housing. Looks like some shim material too. I'm not too worried. Worst case, they fix it under warranty.

 

There have been a few post on this before, most have 1-2 metal chunks and then the paste on the magnet. Yours may be worse but from what I've seen its a normal occurrence. 30k your going to see some wear material on the magnet.

 

I didn't get a picture but I am a very experienced mechanic. There is a presence of suspect material. some .75 inches long.

 

The attachment isn't showing for me.

I did my front and rear diffs last month at 35k and found a good amount of paste on each of the magnets but no chunks.

 

I think it’s some crap from the build process etc. That’s why I changed mine pretty early in the trucks life. Can’t remember but I think it was around 10 or 15,000 miles

 

Same here, I did mine early. After seeing what was in there I wished I had done it at like 5k. I'm surprised the normal interval is much higher in mileage.

 

Similar posts under
“I changed my differential fluid and found this”

This is a widespread issue

 

Damn..need to do mine. What is the proper gear oil?

 

Front and rear differentials 75W-85 per manual, but most including myself use

$39 75W-90 GL-5 Limited Slip, Ultra Long Drain 500k Miles, Manual Transmission, Gear/Differential Lubricant (1 Gallon)

75W-90. Lots of posts about it. Don't let the dealership use 75W-90 in the transfer case either. It uses 75W per the manual. Lots of posts, too. Interesting research, check them out.

 

Your attachment is 124 bytes and appears to just be a dot. It's OK to use 85W-140 in the rear differential and probably better if you live in a hot or tropical climate.

 

AS IN 3/4" LONG??!! If it's a thin metal turning, it might be manufacturing debris. If this is normal, then Toyota definitely needs a pre-assembly cleaning and/or inspection step. Pretty rank.

 

I am new to doing all maintenance myself (except for oil changes) so educate me here. Why is it safe to use

$39 75w-90 GL-5 Limited Slip, Ultra Long Drain 500k Miles, Manual Transmission, Gear/Differential Lubricant (1 Gallon)

75w-90 over the Toyota specd 75w-85? Is this just what everyone thinks is okay, or is there a link somewhere that shows Toyota says it is okay? And if it is okay to use a different spec'd oil for the differentials, then why is it not okay to use a different oil than the 75w that is spec'd for the transfer case? I just don't want to screw anything up, ya know?

 

Curious as well since I am right at the point of changing my fluids. Do tell.

 

Speed has nothing to do with gear oils, the W is a reference to weight, weight has to do with viscosity of the oil at a given temperature. You will not find anything from Toyota saying its OK to use 75-90 if what they recommend is 75-85. The difference between the 2 isn't anything to worry about imop but only you can decide that.

 

I have corrected my original post...that wasn't supposed to say "speed" I meant "speced" lol.

 

I'm not sure if it is the same for gear oils but someone told me in reference to engine oil that the first number (i.e 75) refers to the properties of the base oil (weight primarily) while the second number (85 or 90) refers to the additives. So 75W-85 and

$39 75W-90 GL-5 Limited Slip, Ultra Long Drain 500k Miles, Manual Transmission, Gear/Differential Lubricant (1 Gallon)

75W-90 will be very similar, just with slightly different additive packages (again, if this also applies to gear oils).

My understanding is it would never be ok to use a different weight base oil but different additives may not be an issue.

 

From https://www.valvoline.com/about-us/faq/oil-types-weights-and-viscosity-faq:

What does the "w" in a grade of motor oil stand for?

The "w" in motor oil stands for winter. The first number in the oil classification refers to a cold weather viscosity. The lower this number is, the less viscous your oil will be at low temperatures. For example, a 5W- motor oil will flow better at lower temperatures than a 15W- motor oil. The higher number, following the “w” refers to hot weather viscosity, or how fluid your oil is at hot temperatures. The higher the number, the thicker the oil at a specified temperature.

 

I use Redline 75W90 for both differentials and Royal Purple Synchromax 75W for the transfer case in my 4runner. Pretty sure it's the same for the Tundra.

My manual recommends Toyota 75W85 GL5 or equivalent for both differentials, and Toyota 75W for the transfer case. "Or equivalent" is the key phrase here.

The second number in gear oil does not specify the number of additives, but the viscosity in high temperatures, just like motor oil. 75W90 is extremely close to 75W85 (which is rare). Even dealerships typically use a bulk 75W90 instead of Toyota gear oil.

 

Hey man been a little while since i seen you on here. How much do i need to order for the rear diff? The chart in the owners manual kinda confused me.

 

Plan on 2.2 quarts for the front and 3.8-4 quarts for the rear. You will lose a little oil because it wont all come out of the container and some will stay in the pump. I would buy 7 quarts, might be cheaper to buy 8 quarts (2 gallons). You'll fill until it seeps out of the fill hole.



Transfer case is 1.6 quarts, I'd buy 2.


You will want to replace the crush washers and gaskets too.

 

I too found an alarming amount of slivers and such in my rear differential upon changing it. Fairly dark oil makes me think it was original.

 

Very common for the first differential change. Did mine recently with under 10k and had large metal pieces and sludge on the magnet.

 

That is pretty much what mine looked like. I feel better now mmmmmk

 

er i guess i should have been worried with my 2014 4runner (picked up 4-dec-13) that i only changed the front/rear and center transfer case and coolant at 75k and nothing was found. still was using the factory stuff that came with the 4runner.

still on the oem installed transmission/spark plugs/brake fluid/brake pads/shocks and im at 77k now. hoping to get the 5th gen 4runner before i hit 100k

still on the fence about the 3rd gen tundra coming with the new (supposedly) v6 engine. will have to see if its worth the upgrades over the 2018 to justify the trade up.