[abhijitz]

Vehicle : 2011 Rav4 4WD 4-cyl
Current Mileage : ~ 82,000 miles

Pardon my limited knowledge, but why is the maintenance guide stating to replace front differential oil ? As i understand, the front differential is integrated with the transmission, hence "transaxle".

Below quote is from the maintenance guide @ 60K miles service under special operating conditions ::

Replace automatic transmission fluid
Replace front differential oil
Replace rear differential oil (4WD)
Replace transfer case oil (4WD)
Tighten nuts and bolts on chassis and body

Link :: http://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/omms/T-MMS-11RAV4/pdf/2011_RAV4_WMG_lr.pdf

Reason why i ask :: I had free maintenance until 75K and i looked at 60K receipts, dealer did not changed ATF or any differential oil. (obviously as it was called for special operating conditions).

So, i would like to do this on my own. Now, my confusion is why in maintenance manual, replace ATF and Replace front differential oil are 2 line items? From, the owner's manual i see :

Transfer Case (4WD) - 0.48qt SAE80W-90
Rear Differential (4WD) - 0.5qt SAE80W-90
ATF - 8.6qt (4-speed) / 9.3 qt (5-speed)

Ref :: http://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/om/OM42785U/pdf/sec_06-01.pdf

Page 481,482

Just want to ensure there is not a separate drain/fill for front differential oil, otherwise this thread explains most of the DIY ..

http://www.rav4world.com/forums/99-...ear-differential-transfer-case-gear-lube.html

 

[Carbon]

See the first post in http://www.rav4world.com/forums/99-...ear-differential-transfer-case-gear-lube.html It has been edited to take into account information discussed farther down in the thread. So pay attention to the link in that first post.

It has been a while since I have thought about that, but I suspect that will get you to what you want to know.

 

[RAVN4RED]

Vehicle : 2011 Rav4 4WD 4-cyl
Current Mileage : ~ 82,000 miles

...why is the maintenance guide stating to replace front differential oil ? As i understand, the front differential is integrated with the transmission, hence "transaxle"....

...Just want to ensure there is not a separate drain/fill for front differential oil....]

Yeah, there are a few flaws in the Maintenance Guide. Indeed, the front diff is bathed in the ATF fluid, no separate drain.

Your dealer must have felt your driving conditions and habits were not extreme enough to qualify for changing your diff fluids during your free maintenance.