Symptoms
Due at 15,000 miles under severe service (towing, roof loads) per Toyota, or at whatever interval you set — Trail4R's author does all driveline fluids every 30,000.
The fix, step by step
- Warm the drivetrain with a 5–10 mile drive.
- Always crack the fill plug before the drain.
- Front diff: 10 mm hex plugs, about 1.6 qt (part-time) or 1.5 qt (full-time) of 75W-85 GL-5; drain 48 ft-lb, fill 29 ft-lb.
- Rear diff: 24 mm plugs, 36 ft-lb; Trail4R quotes about 2.9 qt with locker / 2.8 qt without, but Toyota-Club's owner's-manual table lists 2.70 L without and 2.65 L with the locker confirm in manual — fill to the bottom of the fill hole either way.
- Transfer case: 24 mm plugs, 27 ft-lb, about 1.1 qt (part-time) or 1.5 qt (full-time) of Toyota Transfer Gear Oil LF 75W (Red Line MT-LV is the commonly cited alternative).
- Clean the magnetic drain plugs and use new crush washers.
Tools & part numbers
- 10 mm hex bit
- 24 mm socket
- fluid pump
- torque wrench
- Toyota LT 75W-85 GL-5
- Toyota LF 75W transfer oil
- washers: transfer case 90430-A0003, front drain 90430-24003, front fill 12157-10010
Where to buy the parts
Toyota Differential Gear Oil LT 75W-85 (qt) (Toyota 00279-DGOLT-01)ToyotaPartsDeal (Toyota OEM) ↗Amazon ↗
Toyota Transfer Gear Oil LF 75W (1 L) (Toyota 00279-DGOLF)ToyotaPartsDeal (Toyota OEM) ↗Amazon ↗
Crush washer — front fill, rear drain & fill (Toyota 12157-10010)ToyotaPartsDeal (Toyota OEM) ↗Amazon ↗
Crush washer — front diff drain (supersedes 90430-24003) (Toyota 90430-24017)ToyotaPartsDeal (Toyota OEM) ↗Amazon ↗
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Rated for a competent home mechanic with a decent tool kit. Confirm torque figures, fluids and procedures against the factory service manual for your VIN, support the truck on stands rather than a jack, and work at your own risk (disclaimer). Some parts links are affiliate links, which pay us a small commission at no cost to you.