18k Miles '22 ORP - Transfer Case & Front/Rear Diff Fluid Change

Hi All,

Hope you all are having a good weekend. Decided to change the fluids on my front & rear diffs as well as my transfer case today. '22 ORP with 18k miles, most all of which have been stacked up from off roading/camping which is pretty much all my 4R sees. Here's my notes:

*Fun! Not a mechanic by any stretch, but was happy to save the $ vs dealer prices. It was super simple thanks to the tips here and Youtube.
*Rear diff fluid was surprislingly dark, virtually black. Magnet/drain plug had a good amount of sludge on it. See pics
*Transfer case fluid was clear and clean.
*Front diff fluid was pretty darn clear (but green from factory which was interesting, seems the factory used a different fluid than the t-case or rear diff (possibly)). I do use 4wd quite a bit so was kinda surprised it was in such good shape, but pleased.

So, what I'm taking from this is the rear diff does see some distress, perhaps more than the transfer case or front diff (makes sense given it is always working and the others aren't). If you think you should change the fluid, might not be a terrible idea ?

Below are some random pics. I will say, gear oil does not smell amazing. Also, the Valvoline squeeze bag thingys are a game changer. Ordered an oil paint marker off Amazon (where I got the crush washers and gear oil too) and marked date/mileage.

 

No issues with the hex head front diff plugs?

 

These hybrid units are great -- 18 kilomiles.

 

No issues, but they were less fun than the 24mm standards on the rear diff. Just have to make sure the hex is fully in there/seated before removing/torqing. Believe I read some folks order the Lexus GX plugs (which are a standard / non hex) to replace, which I can see as a reasonable thing to do.

 

Congrats on your first? gear oil change. I use the same Valvoline gear oil bags and your right, those bags are a game changer!

 

Good job doing it yourself!

 

Good job on doing your own work! I always recommend doing the rear diff early. Every one I've worked on, the fluid has been black, even at 10K. Good time to lube your driveshafts, too!

 

^Indeed. Great job for doing it yourself. Good pics too.

 

Yes I remembered seeing a video on that and need to do that next! You're right, would have been the perfect time while I had that front diff shield already off.

 

Yup, it was my first on the 4R and won't be my last given the quotes I got from the local dealers, yikes. Will definitely do at least the rear diff every 10-15k / 2-3 years. It really was kinda fun working on it, only one bruised thumb

 

4Runners are exponentially more fun to work on when they're 17 years old!

 

Thanks for sharing! I did mine at around the same mileage and I found the front plug had more sludge than the rear one.

 

OP is constantly subjected to cancer and reproductive harm, but rust is generally not a concern.

 

Haha we have to take our wins where we can get 'em

 

so there is no issue going with 75-90? Toyota calls for 75-85. I have redline 75-85 going in today.

 

None at all. I've used 75w-90 for all my Toyotas going back to 1986.

 

My understanding is GL-5 for the diffs and GL-4 for transfer case, and there is a Toyota spec for approved formulas. Something about TC synchros not liking some GL-5 ingredients?

 

I did TC Redline 75-85 and front/rear diff 75/90 Redline. Been in 2 years. Seems ok

 

yeah, i will probably just stay with redline 75-85. I got one of those "pump" fillers for the fluid. Game changer. Pour the gallon of redline into it, pump it up, insert the nozzle into the dif and turn on the valve.

 

Redline makes a Toyota TC formula.

 

That's what I used for my transfer case on my old '21 4Runner. And 75W85 in the front and rear diffs