Diffs and transfer case fluids

I called again just to ask that question. I was off on the price. It's $380 before tax. $115 each for the diffs and $150 for the transfer case. According to my dealer, they ONLY use Toyota fluids. So either they are lying, or they get a pretty sick deal on the fluids. Since I'm looking at spending the same amount to do it myself, at this point I'm thinking I'll just have them do it. Why go through the trouble if I'm not really saving any money?

 

Not likely. I have heard of dealers admitting they use bulk 75w85 or 75w90. Even though that's not what the manual calls for. I'd rather get the correct weight oil, even if it isn't the liquid gold OEM.

That's ridiculous, but not unexpected from a dealer service center.
Below is what I did. I spent maybe $100 all in?

I had a great experience with Ravenol through Amazon. One of their bottles leaked in the original shipment. I sent them a pic of it, and they sent me another bottle of 75W no questions asked.

 

Ternderrr, the question for me is, would the dealer do something that would void the warranty? My instinct is to say NO. Since I still have 2.5 years/20,000 miles, I'd rather not risk it. It's an extra $300 for an insurance policy that keeps my warranty in tact. The next change I'll probably go for your route.

 

Only real reason to do it yourself is you will know it was done right. Sometimes the dealer monkeys don't do what they are supposed to do. I actually like doing the fluid changes on my truck. Also gives me a chance to inspect things under the truck.

An now I'm leaning towards the Redline T-case oil. I mean $170 for 2 quarts of oil??? This Redline looks to be very close to the Toyota stuff and it's fully synthetic.

https://www.redlineoil.com/mt-lv-70w75w

 

I hear you. But DIY doesn't void your warranty either. And if your dealer uses bulk gear oil like many others do and charges you for the liquid gold because they put its part number on your service order, they're not doing you or your transfer case any favors.

This is the bottom line for me. The young guy they hire to do oil drains/fills as quickly as possible at $20-something/hr is not touching my vehicles any more. Got burned once in the past. No more.

 

Yep it was one time for me also. An I think I have lifetime oil changes. Nope, doing it myself after the monkey overfilled the engine and monkey fisted the filter on. Needed a 4' breaker bar to get it loose

 

Ternderrr, is this the Ravenol 75W you used for the transfer case? https://www.blauparts.com/ravenol-manual-transmission-fluid-mtf-3-75w-1l.html

...you and Wally are convincing me to just do this myself.

 

Yessir, that’s it. Grab

$8 18 Pcs Transfer & Differential Service Gasket Kit Replacement for Toyota Almost Vehicles 9043024003 90430A0003 1215710010

this kit off Amazon to replace all the drain and fill gaskets. Just replace the old one with a new one from the kit that matches, and you’ll be good to go. If you want to triple check that you have the right gasket, my quoted post above has a spreadsheet in it with which gaskets go on which of the 6 drain and fill plugs.

 

Ok just ordered the Redline MT-LV for the T case. Two quarts for $56.20 shipped to the door.

 

I just ordered 2 Gallons of Reline 75W-85 & 2 Quarts of LT-LV & the washer set from Amazon, all about $230 worth! I used redline in my tacoma for a long time and it was great!!!! My 2020 is about 35k miles so its time for a change! bought it 11/21 with 18k on it!

$117 Red Line 50105 75W85 GL-5 Full Synthetic Gear Oil for Hypoid Limited Slip Differentials - 1 Gallon

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N6GS5HV?ie=UTF8

$27 Red Line 50604 MT-LV 70W/75W GL-4 High-Performance Full Synthetic Gear Oil Lubricant for Manual Transmissions & Transaxles - 1 Quart

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07V1VW32J?ie=UTF8

$6 Rexka 12pcs Transfer & Differential Service Gasket Kit Compatible with Toyota Lexus 4Runner Land Cruiser Tundra Tacoma FJ Cruiser Highlander RAV4 Sequoia Sienna 1215710010 9043024003 90430A0003

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CJHTDVV?ie=UTF8

 

Call your local service department and ask what gear oil they use. I'd almost guarantee it's a barrel of 75w90.

 

I no longer have a Tundra, but use Red Line 75W90 on the differentials and Royal Purple Syncromax on the transfer case in my 4runner. The RP meets all requirements set by Toyora and smoothed out shifting on the 4runner to the point that it's literally unnoticeable.

I also don't let dealerships touch my vehicles for regular maintenance after also experiencing an oil overfill that killed the entire turbo system of my old car several years ago. Car stayed with the dealer for several weeks while they sourced parts. Lesson learned.

 

Well the owners manual states 75w85, there really isn't much difference between the two except a little viscosity.....

 

My point is that it's going to be off brand, off spec, and it will work just fine.

 

Royal Purple says that it "recommends" it in the application but no where does it advertise that it meets the requirements set by Toyota. I'm sure its Totally fine but from all the research I did before doing my transfer case, it seems Toyota has never released a specification for oil manufacturers to meet.

 

I guess if you buy something other than Redline it may be more difficult to get known brands of 75W-85 vs

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

75W-90. I could see that.

 

The 2014-2021 Tundras use a different transfer case than the earlier trucks which requires 75W. I would almost guarantee most dealers will put 75w85 or 75w90 in your TC, saying it’s fine. But the correct oil, 75W, is 3-4x thinner at operating temp than 75w90. I’ve seen some on this forum speculate that transfer case problems arise from not using OEM TC oil. I think it’s more that people mistakenly put the wrong weight oil in it. There are cheaper 75W oils out there (Ravenol) so you can stay in spec without buying Toyota’s liquid gold.

 

The 4runner calls for "LF" fluid. There is a cross reference provided by RP that specifically states the Synchromax product is a direct replacement for LF spec transmission oil.

I dug into this about 5 years ago when I made the decision to use RP, so forgive me if the details are foggy. 5 years later I haven't had a single problem. Drove the 4runner in 4hi all over yesterday as we've had record snow in Northern Utah. Still shifts silently into and out of all ranges..

 

Probably, but that's why I like to do all my maintenance myself so I know what's in there! Especially my oil changes, seen way to many horror stores where people leave the dealership with no oil in their trucks.......

 

This is probably what you are thinking of, it just says recommends. There is no direct replacement for the 75w from Toyota because they havent allowed there to be, the ones that exist are oils that also claim to be replacements for many other brands as well, since Im sure it's tough to make money making an OEM specific oil only good for one application and brand. That said Im sure it's totally fine, Im not an oil snob by any means, run what works. Royal purple pdf attached below.



If you look, even the two oils thay Royal Purple recommends Syncromax for Toyota are completely different oils and applications.

 

No - there was an older chart that specifically stated it was a spec-for-spec replacement for LF gear oil. It also had information about why the specific chemical makeup and added lubricity was good for the specific materials utilized inside the 4runner transfer case.

Further, you'll find that it's very commonly used by in 4runners, Tacomas, Tundras.

I was keyed in to it by a friend who is an ASE Certified Lexus/Toyota technician, who at the time was the head mechanic at a Lexus dealership, but who now owns a small offroad shop. The claim is that it meets all requirements of Toyota's branded oil - my bad using the term "direct replacement."

Every application it's recommended for on that chart is either a transmission or a transfer case, which are in many ways the same thing and have the same light oil requirements.

 

Hey like I said run what works. I'm I'm just going by what Royal Purple has available for documentation. If you can provide something else stating what your saying from them I'd definitely be interested in reading it.

 

For your reference, here are virgin oil analyses for both RP Synchromax and Toyota LF75

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/toyota-transfer-gear-oil-75w-voa.269462/#post-4389571

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/voa-royal-purple-synchromax.111780/

 

I also run Idemitsu 0W-20 in all of my Toyotas because it has that high molybdenum/lubricity that Toyotas love. LiquiMoly is another good option. Same reasoning for running the Synchromax.

 

Actually already had them, posted them in the thread about metal shavings in the rear dif. Heres the quote of thr screen shots so you can see side by side that they are very different.

 

I see the differences - that's why the Synchromax is a better choice. The Toyota brand is effectively a bargain option at a premium price.

To put this a different way, the small molybdenum additive does everything the additional zinc, phosphorous, and boron do, but better and at a premium cost.

 

How did you come to that conclusion?

 

Updated my reply to include more context:

To put this a different way, the small molybdenum additive does everything the additional zinc, phosphorous, and boron do, but better and at a premium cost.

 

The truth is that without a detailed, controlled, long-term study, we won't know which is the better fluid. Neither of us is a petrochemical engineer, and I understand the desire to follow the Toyota recommendations to a T. That being said, not all of the choices Toyota makes are going to be due to what is absolutely best for the vehicle. Some of those decisions will be cost/risk acceptance, some will be regulatory, and others will be political.

Toyota is using very common methods for adding lubricating properties to their blend. RP is shooting for the same result, but with a different compound. The RP offering is going to be ever so slightly more viscous but likely has better lubrication and wear-protection properties. Undoubtedly, it has made a positive impact on the shifting behaviors of my transfer case. I've put about 60k miles, at least 50% of those very rough and hot, on the RP product in my 4runner (to be fair it's a transfer case and not full-time), and have experienced nothing but desirable changes. Fluid has also been changed three times in that period due to conditions.

My preference here is is admittedly based on my basic understanding of oil additives, and why they are used in the proportions that they are, recommendations from working experts that I trust, and my own personal experience.

I'm not trying to sell you, and I understand the desire to comply with all fluid specifications to a T, so that Toyota can't hold this against you should something related fail. I also know that in most dealerships they are using a bulk generic fluid that is NOT the Toyota brand/blend, and have been doing so for decades. Any offroad or specialty shop is going to do the same unless you request otherwise.

I like RP because it make a noticeable difference in transfer case shift feel and speed. This was an immediate effect that has persisted for 5+ years in one vehicle. I'm going to stick with it because it seems to work better than the manual's recommendation and the manufacturer is at least confident enough to recommend it for this use. I don't imagine they'd assume any liability whatsoever if their own testing indicated it was problematic. And yes, I understand that this is your take too - likely not going to cause any problems.

 

Also if you're a petrochemical engineer I'm sorry for making that assumption about you.