Rear Differential Metal Fragments Found on Drain Plug

Hi y'all,

I recently purchased a used 2017 Toyota Tundra SR5 Crewmax 4WD with 79k miles and have put a little over 10k miles on it since. I have had regular engine oil changes since I first purchased the truck but decided to do my own transfer case / differential oil change combo after being quoted from the dealership. (side note, I don't have any vehicle records of the differential oil being changed from the prior owner, just regular engine oil changes and various other work)

This is where I'm curious to see if what I found may pose a big issue coming soon or if it's possibly expected metal particles after a differential oil change (please see attached image). I hope I'm wrong but they look to be possibly chunks from the gear teeth and are all very similar to each other. The rest of the particulate was just sludge on the magnetic drain plug.

I did purchase the extended warranty (includes drivetrain coverage) through the dealership I got the vehicle at.

Thank you!

 

You're GTG for now, pretty normal.

 

Welcome to the forum from OKC!

 

Ok I was figuring the whole thing is pretty robust, but I was getting worried after googling and finding those "half-moon" cutouts on the gear teeth from someone else's differential (shown below), and it almost seemed like it could match visually (I'm no mechanic just an assuming owner LOL).

Also thank you! Glad to be a part of the community.

 

FWIW, you'll know it if you ever have a broken tooth in there. It will make a very disturbing clunking noise with each revolution. While on the subject, you might want to relocate the vent. The barb fitting is available from Amazon and you'll just use a length of 3/8 fuel line hose to extend the location up behind the taillight. Some use the same factory vent filter, others use a generic fuel filter to allow for the differential to vent without taking in water at the factory location. Definitely a good idea if you back in the water to launch a boat. Good luck with your truck!

 

Ok great, that was my next question! If there was any substantial change between "normal" and a broken tooth when driving, but that's good to hear that my situation doesn't compare. No noises so far and I test drove it today for about 5 miles with a smoother ride if anything.

True, I think that will be my next task. I don't have a lot of water crossings where I'm at (AZ, USA), but that is still on the task list. Appreciate it!

 

That debris you drained looks like typical welding slag and not tooth material to me. Give it a good whack with a hammer, if it flattens or deforms, its not hardened and not gear teeth.