First DIY Rear Differential Fluid Change (w/ Pics)

[sl4nucrewprod4]

Originally Posted by ecuadorche

this thread needs to be stickied mods, i used this and it was very helpful

thank you. reminds me, Im due to change mine now lol

[pabloson]

I just changed my transfer case oil and differential oil this weekend. Thanks for providing all the great info. It was helpful.

I found the transfer case to be much more accessible than the diff. I did not notice any of the plugs being reverse threaded however?!

Also, I bought the little hand pump for the oil bottle. It's slow but neat and tidy. I used the same viscosity for front and rear even though Toyota says slightly different specs (75 90 rear and 80 90 front). I wonder if this could cause any problems with limited slip or ?

I re-used the washers, again not following the rules exactly, but my local parts shop could not come up with the part or even find them in their catalogs... No leak, no foul.

I had a very difficult time getting the torque wrench to the upper plug on the transfer case so I simply did it by feel after memorizing how the other plugs felt.

On the transfer case I had to remove the rear part of the plastic air foil thing under the motor to get good access. I couldn't figure out how to remove it w/o breaking the silly little plastic connectors so I'm off to the dealer to replace those.

The one thing I wonder about these gear boxes is; how often are they even used? Do they only kick in when the front wheels start to slip? If so, they must be used only about 1% of the time even in my snowy locale...It surprises me that the oil could be so dirty if this is the case.

[Pim]

Pabloson, you wish you had limited slip differential. VERY few RAV4's have them.
And since the differentials work 100% of the time, the limited slip would also wear out in the long run. But the limited slip capability (which would cost about 3K US dollars to implement) is indeed very seldom needed. Only in difficult circumstances, so mainly in countries with very harsh winters, or with many poor quality roads/ dirt roads/ lots of water crossings.
Greetz

Pim

[pepepeter]

nice write up.. my question is when am i suppose to change the fluid?? currently have 08 sport I4 with 45K miles. thanks.

[Pim]

Each 60K miles it is recommended to be replaced.
Greetz

Pim

[NEALD]

^^x2! I will be doing mine tomorrow. Did my transfer case 2 weeks ago, seeing a steady 2 mpg average increase!