hello all,
i have a 97 sr5 4runner with 175k on it, i just picked it up recently and am going to put all fresh fluids in it so i know exaclty when they need to be changed again. my first question is this: what type of gear oil should i use in my runner? it is not taken off road, my fiance drives it daily to and from work so would i be ok with just your basic every day gear oil from vato zone or should i put better quality gear oil in it? also will i need to replace any gaskets on the diffs? and should i do front and rear diffs as well as the transfer case? and lastly can anyone tell me where i drain and fill the front diff. and my question about the trans fluid is this: should i drain the fluid and replace the filter since i have no idea when or if the fluids have ever been changed or should i just have it flushed? it shifts great and works well so i dont want to create a bad situation by trying to prevent one.


thanks for the help,

jason

 

http://4runners.org/writeups/difftsf/index.html

75-90 synthetic gear lube. You can use the same stuff in your f&r diffs, and tcase.

 

awesome link, thanks it answered all my questions on one page

 

Yes i would use good quality stuff. Checkout my website there is a test of all the gear lubes. Its on the right hand side called the white pages,Thats some good info for ya. Also try and change your fluids hot it will get more gunk out,the hot oil will flow out better. good luck

 

When re-torquing, keep in mind (for 3rd gen 4Runners, 96-02):
-front diff fill/drain plugs 20 FT/LBS
-rear diff fill/drain plugs 36 FT/LBS
-transfer case fill/drain plugs 25 FT/LBS
-manual transmission fill/drain plugs 27 FT/LBS

A Haynes manual will give a decent listing of torque specs for the first three. Manual trans torque specs involved some looking around. This I was able to find in the FSM.

Change intervals are every 30000 miles or 2 years

Another good link to a great write-up with pics!
http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/4Runner/

Good luck

Most dealership parts centers take used gear oil for recycling/disposal.

 

I like to mix one or two bottles of lucas with the 75w90 in the diffs, trans and t-case. I suggest boiling some water and putting the lucas and oil in the water for a while before using, works much better. Get one of those little hoses that can attach to a gear oil style bottle, they are gold for the tranny as it is hard to pour into it.

 

i would stay away from lucas products.. i have seen tests (if i can find them ill post them) and they foam up very bad at higher temps and breaks down the gear oil. not so good imo! besides you dont need any "additive" in your diffies and tcase.. waste of money and in return you could do more harm than good..

 

I would like to see the test aswell. I know a lot of mechanics that run 100% lucas in diffs and tcases. I am very interested to see a if a long standing product like lucas proves to be bunk.

 

I agree with mkgarrison5, i've seen tests/articles about lucas foaming. Both Mobil1 and Royal Purple advise not to mix any additives to their oils as it could upset the balance of additives in the oil that it's being mixed with. One could argue that this is a means of telling people to only use their products but ultimately none of us on here want improper lubrication in our engines. I used to run Lucas all the time till I did some research, then I decided it's probably best to run an oil with no additives, to be on the safe side. I would probably only use Lucas in a heavily worn diff/engine/trans, etc. It pours in thick but exits at a thinner viscosity. Try using a heavier weight oil first if you need too before adding a "thickener". you should be fine with just straight oil and no additives.

 

lucas gear oil is DIFFERENT than the additive... the gear oil maybe fine but the additive is crap

i think i saw the tests on bitog and yeah its pretty damn bunk imo

 

I just looked at the bitog test. Interesting, I wish you could spin the little lucas demo contraption at the store faster to see for myself. I was planning on changing my diff fluids and I will change them hot, as soon as I am done driving, to see if there is any aeration. If it was really bad, would we not see more FAILURES in real world aplications. People have been using LUCAS for a long time. I know this is not a defence, people have been smoking for a long time, but people are dying from smoking, I haven't heard of anything failing because of lucas.

 

you can use it all you want bro. i was just bringing up that fact thats its really NOT needed at all!! no purpose in it really..... they only additives my truck sees is whatever comes in gas and motor oil.. thats it.. if you want lucas then just buy the lucas gear oil not the "additive/crap"

 

well I had to see for myself. I went to the local parts store and spun the little lucas demo thing as fast as I could for as long as I could without people thinking I was handycapped. AND low and behold BUBBLES EVERYWHERE What the F@*$. I have 6 bottles of the in my garage DAMN!!! I feel betrayed.

 

hahahaha i bet you got some funny looks! too funny... yeah dont beleive marketing bro.. esp mobil's marketing.. they hype that up good. i still go the BS remark "well nascar uses it" the other day on the bus and i about pissed myself i was laughing so hard... anyway dont add anything to your truck additive wise unless its like seafoam, GM top end cleaner, BG's 44K or anything to do with cleaning your intake system.. other than that your truck doesnt need it.. its a yota for gods sakes. just keep regular maintenance and you will be fine... if you are looking for better protection try just using synthetics.. just an idea

 

Mobil 1 is great,full synthetic,I use the 75w 140w in the diffs, and I use the Amsoil severe gear in my trans and transfer box. Smooth and quiet, no gear noise at all out of the trans and transfer case.Check out the Amsoil web page.You can find alot of comparisons on the web of other oils with the amsoil.I've used both for over 30 years with no problems.Being the mobil distributor we have seen engines torn down after 100,000 miles with mobil,and seen amazing results.

 

never said mobil was bad oil.. just over hyped.. plenty of support online for that... anyway, with a toyota, any oil is good as long as it gets changed like it should be.. i switched from M1 to amsoil myself.. if i am wanting to get a TRUE synthetic and pay a synthetic price i might as well get a REAL synthetic (amsoil).. all over the counter syns are groupIII/group IV oils. so in reality its not a true synthetic. just sayin... thats all. amsoil is groupIV and group V according to them...

 

Did'nt mean that you said it was bad.True syns cant be beat,amsoil,or mobil.These have the most proven testing,and you wont go wrong with either.The one big issues is shear,how they hold up to heat.

 

I only use Royal Purple now. 75w90 is what is called for in the trans/transfer case and both axles. I went with 75w140 in the axles as that is what is called for with my Lockright lockers.

 

hey vic, you may want to visit bitog about royal purple.. seems like it doesnt hold up like it should.. you may want to double check me.. M1 gear oils show pretty high TAN #'s.. granted gear oils are naturally high in TAN but the #'s M1 posted up seemed to high for some.. TAN = ACIDITY = pitting on gears. another reason why i switched to amsoil.. amsoil is the only company aside from penzoil that seems to show CONSISTANCY in their products..

 

Thanks for the info. I just switched from M1 too. Damn....