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2011 Rav4 Rear Differential and Transfer Case Oil Change

95K views 53 replies 25 participants last post by  KTL 
#1 ·
At 60,000 miles I decided to try and change out the transfer case and differential oil on a 2011 Rav4. The rear differential oil was horribly dirty, the front was okay.

Equipment:

  • 10mm Hex Socket
  • 10mm Hex Wrench
  • 2x Valvoline Synthetic 75W-90 Gear Oil Quarts
  • Fluid Pump
  • Car Ramps/Jackstands
  • Tire Chucks
(Please let me know if anything needs to be corrected, or is wrong)

Some of the equipment. You can see how much fluid I was left with:


I started by backing the car up onto ramps to access the rear differential:


I then removed the fill plug on the passenger side by the muffler. This is probably the most difficult plug to access because the muffler is by it. I used a 10mm Socket:



Here is a picture from the drivers side of the drain plug. It's very easy to remove. Use some penetrating oil and some taps to get the plug loose if it sticks:



Once the drain plug was removed I waited for the thick gunky fluid to slowly drain from the differential.

The drain plug is magnetic to collect metal contaminants. Clean it off before reinstalling. Make sure not to mix it up with the fill plug:



After I reinstalled the drain plug on the differential I put the fluid pump on the synthetic gear oil I bought and pumped it into the fill hole until it over flowed out. Then I reinstalled the fill plug.


I then move the Rav4 and drove the front end up onto the ramps. The transfer case is to the right of the oil pan towards the drivers side. Here is a view of the front transfer case "assembly" with the drain plug out:



Here is another view of the transfer case with the fill and drain plugs removed:



I filled it up just like the rear end after draining it.

Everything seems to be running great!
 
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#6 ·
Thanks for the write up. I just did mine as well, but the area is a lot dirtier as the left seal on the rear diff has been leaking. The "oil" was pretty nasty after 120000km. I got nearly half a litre out, so I guess it hadn't leaked much. The breather cap seemed okay, I could move it up and down and spin it with my finger.
I think I'll just keep an eye on it until spring, then change out the seals.
Refilled with amsoil 75w90.
 
#8 ·
Thanks for the write up. I just did mine as well, but the area is a lot dirtier as the left seal on the rear diff has been leaking. The "oil" was pretty nasty after 120000km. I got nearly half a litre out, so I guess it hadn't leaked much. The breather cap seemed okay, I could move it up and down and spin it with my finger.
I think I'll just keep an eye on it until spring, then change out the seals.
Refilled with amsoil 75w90.
I didn't know think about checking the breather valve. I'm guessing you would need to drop the differential to fix it if there was a problem? Thanks for the tip!

 
#9 ·
That makes a lot of sense. Any idea how long that clutch normally lasts and if needs to be replaced would you be better off trying it yourself, getting rebuilt, a new diff or letting Toyota service deal with it? Seems like you would have to rip apart a fair amount to get the differential out.
 
#13 ·
I think I first noticed it a couple of oil changes ago when I was rolling around under there. Was already over 100k, though.
I ordered the diff seals along with the parts to do the intake cam gear TSB from toyotapartsdirect. It's developed the 'vvt noise on start' over the summer.

You should be set for a while with that warranty... :)
 
#14 ·
..update..
I checked the rear diff the other day when I changed the engine oil. The rear diff area was drier than before, not actively wet like it was. Now, it just looks like old oily dirt. I figured it's either all leaked out ... or it's stopped leaking... :)

It has stopped leaking. I topped it up with maybe 50ml of oil.

I'll keep an eye on it, but I'm happy for now, wasn't looking forward to changing those seals.
 
#18 ·
Nope I didn't.. but maybe I will in the future if you list part numbers.

Seemed like they didn't use washers but some sort of RTV silicon gasket stuff which would be hard to remove. I was going to try and pull it out with my finger but it seemed to be firmly in place, so I just left it.
 
#20 ·
I used a bit over a quart for front and back. You can zoom in on the bottle and see how much is left. You kinda need two quarts if you're using a pump like I have.

Maybe you can get by with a single bottle but I kinda doubt it. I'll use the remaining oil when I change it again.
 
#22 ·
^ how many miles? after seeing mine, I think this is gonna be a 20k service for me.
 
#25 ·
I just changed the transfer case and rear diff oil on my 2012 V6 for the second time. I first changed it at 17,000 miles- the transfer case oil was clean but the rear diff was black. I just changed it again yesterday at 48,000 miles. Both were very clean, if fact I wish I would have left the go another 30,000 miles. I used Amsoil Severe Gear 75W-90 both times.
 
#26 ·
How can you get a TRUE drain of any fluid, in any reservoir, if your RAV is up on ramps? By tilting the vehicle, you may in fact be tilting fluid into an area safe from the drain plug. Yes you are topping it off, but you are also leaving some nastiness inside. I am not a mechanic. But I see simple physics.
 
#27 ·
If you back it onto ramps to change the rear differential you're getting a gravity assist because of the downward tilt to the drain plug. The same goes for the front transfer case when it's up on ramps.

If you don't think we're getting a true drain feel free to use your lift and change the fluid. This is probably one case where ramps assist more than than a lift.

You'll never get all the fluid out unless you completely disassemble the unit and clean everything. The objective is to replace most of the fluid.
 
#28 ·
The factory service manual spec calls for the vehicle to be level to check the fill in the rear diff after servicing. If you filled it while elevated at an angle, lower it and let it drain while level before you put on the fill bolt so as not to overfill. A little bit more while drain out when leveled.
 
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#30 ·
Today changed out the transfer case and rear differential fluid on my daughter's '07 Rav4 V6 4WD. The fill plug on the transfer case was difficult because of location/access and was really torqued down. The rest was fairly straight forward and not all that difficult w/the car up on ramps. One thing I will add: You'll probably need to remove the two rear plastic shield fasteners and lower the plastic shield in order to remove the transfer case fill plug when using a long 10mm allen key. I applied PB Blaster as well. So, you'll need to replace these fasteners as well as buying new crush washers from dealer. The fluids were dirty especially the transfer case as I don't know when this was done last. (Bought the car used just recently.) Used 75W-90 Castrol Syntrax for transfer case and Castrol 80w-90 Blend for the differential. Each took about .5 L
 
#31 ·
Based on this thread I did the wife's 2012 Rav4 this week...thought I would join and provide some of my results.

2012 RAV4
2.5L Inline 4
40,000 miles
Mostly a city/suburban driven rig

Built some quick 2"x8"x16" + 3/4" board ramps to drive up on... extra 2" is nice
Differential: took out fill plug, then drain plug. OEM oil looked fine, very much close to new. Pumped it full and torqued the plugs.
Transfer case: Same deal but this fluid was a little darker, still translucent to some extent but not black. Pumped it full and torqued the plugs.

No drama, 45 minutes. Filled both with Mobil 1 75W-90 LS GL-5
Should be good to go for another 40k

Thanks for the pics and info. Have a 2014 Tacoma with three cases to do later this week.
 
#34 ·
#36 ·
#37 ·
I'm wondering how people got to the fill plug on their transfer case? I did my transmission fluid and have the plastic splash shield off currently, went to open the fill plug first on the transfer case and the space is too tight for me to get in there with my hex head socket despite various ratchets. I tried looking up stubby hex head sockets as mine is almost 2" long before the depth of the ratchet but I couldn't find much. I have a 10mm allen I guess I could use. I want to be sure I torque it correctly though..
 
#38 ·
IEDesign, the trick is you must use an 10 mm hex key /allen wrench (not the one used with a ratchet) in which the head is very short. (around 1 inch wide approx) I just cut the head part short enough with an angle grinder until it fits in that tight area. I also used a 10 inch long tube to put the allen wrench in to get the length and torque since you can't generate enough force with a short handle. I added a bit of tape to fill the gap around the allen wrench so it did not move around in the tube. So once you have this magical tool it will be a piece of cake removing the filler bolt.

You can't put a torque wrench in so you just have to feel until it is snug. You don't need it super duper tight.

I also did not removed the bottom shield cover and just removed that furthest bolt to get more room.

Also did mine without jacking up the car too.
 
#39 ·
Thanks DL, I ended up using the allen wrench and it was fine. Took a few hammer hits to the long end of the allen to crack the fill plug torque but from there I was able unscrew it by hand, obviously I had the ratchet and 10mm hex socket for the drain plug. I also didn't raise the car although it would have helped since it's right above your face more or less.

For anyone reading this down the road from now:

2012 Rav4 Limited V6
48,980mi

Fluid was disgusting in smell and sight, pretty much like an engine oil change with a dark brown muddy/thick appearance. Smell was as everyone describes about gear oil fairly noxious if you happen to get a strong whiff while you're under the car.

New oil was Mobil 1 75w-90 with a nice and clear amber color like say canola oil. I used one of the common hand pumps that came with flexible tubing to connect from the top inlet of the pump to the Mobil 1 nozzle, and then the outlet straight up to the transfer case fill plug hole. I just laid the Mobile 1 jug on it's side horizontally to pump the fluid out. Didn't take many pumps to start overfilling the case and dripping down the side. Pump started leaking around the hoses after the first couple strokes, gear oil started running down the tubing from the fill hole once it reached that level, and overall it was incredibly slippery, smelly, and not a good time.

Getting fill plug back in was a challenge considering how slick the gear oil is and trying to get your fingers to get a good grip on it. Space is tight and it's too close to your face to be right under it (plus you'll probably still have a catch pan for the drips which prevents you from getting a great angle and view on it anyway) so you're working above your head with only one eye on it in my case (hard to tell depth without the full view). Finally got that plug started in the threads after many attempts and used the allen wrench for the rest. I torqued the plug with a new crush washer I got from the dealership and used another closed end wrench off the end of the allen wrench to get complex leverage. I felt the washer crush and tighten up fine and it felt pretty snug without being overly so. After cleanup I drove the car for a date night with the lady and everything seems to be in order.

Couldn't do the rear differential at the same time as this transfer case, fill plug is located above the exhaust and it would have been its own saga. Shame because I really don't want to have to deal with this gear oil anymore.
 
#40 ·
Glad you got that fill plug out.

As for the rear differential the exhaust pipe does get in the way. I used car ramps to get more room to work with since it will allow you to reach up there in an awkward angle. You should have a 2 inch socket extension, a long ratchet and hammer to do this work.
One tip is you must ensure the allen socket fits all the way through the fill bolt hex hole. There was a ton of rust surrounding the hole making it difficult to tell it is all the way inside the hex hole. Not knowing this I made an ugly semi stripped hex hole but stopped after attempting one turn. I used a regular hammer to tap the hex socket into the hole of the fill bolt. There is room to hammer the hex socket believe it or not. The drain bolt was uglier also but much easier to tap the hammer on the hex socket into the drain bolt hole. Should be easier once the fill bolt is removed. Again good luck.
 
#42 ·
I did it this way, worked well. Raised, drained, filled, dropped, let excess drip out while level retorque. DL175 was spot on about the 2" extension to get around the muffler.

My differential fluid wasn't bad and could have gone further, my transfer case was much darker and thicker. Filled the differential with synthetic 75w-90 GL-5 LS like the transfer case. Just about threw up in my mouth this time from a couple accidental inhalations. Didn't think I'd notice a difference driving but combined with the transmission flush the trucklet is noticably smooth now. My significant other who drove it during a quick day trip yesterday even commented out of the blue about how buttery it is now that all the fluids have been changed. Didn't think it felt bad before either, it's just smother and "freer" now.
 
#43 ·
...I did it this way, worked well. Raised, drained, filled, dropped, let excess drip out while level retorque...
When working with a ramp and/or raised vehicle, my sequence adds an extra step to insure the most old oil drains and the final fill is to the spec:

Raise rear of vehicle for more access. Remove fill bolt, remove drain bolt, begin draining. Lower vehicle to level to complete draining of old oil (5+minutes?)

Raise vehicle again, replace drain bolt and torque. Fill with fluid. Lower vehicle to level, allow excess from the fill to drain. Slide under, replace and torque fill bolt.

Some of the write-ups are not clear about being level, which allows the most to drain--but most important for the fill to be on the level when all is said and done.
 
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