$80/liter transfer case oil
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If you are going to do that, you should also have the $10 Liqui-Moly 75W GL-4 tested as well.
Ravenol (hoping to have some left over after I do my TC)
$50 for Toyota
2 testing x $40 = $80
$130.
Let me order the 2 kits.
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- #424
Nerds.
New to the 200 series but did the transfer case change between the early and later models? The early models per the manual are fine with normal 75w90 gear oil. Was there a hard change that requires this special gear oil? I just put amsoil in mine. Who knew I was missing out on so much gear oil talk. lol
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- #427
To my knowledge we haven't yet seen exactly what changed, but the transfer case part number did change to roughly coincide with the fluid spec change.
I am pretty sure it was an across-the-board change, affecting the part-time and full-time cases in the 200/GX460/4Runner/Tacoma and maybe even the Tundra/Sequoia vehicles. Considering CAFE is fleet average, I can easily see how a bean counter somewhere could identify T-case fluid as "low-hanging fruit" to get them an across the board 0.05 mpg bump. It's plausible that's also the reason Toyota made other weird decisions in the 2010s like skimping on transmission cooling in the GX460 and eventually the Tundra too.
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- #429
Would that explain a part number change in the transfer case?
I am not sure, but it somewhat odd that Toyota would both add brass to every T-case in every 4x4 and also change the fluid spec at around the same time. Someone would need to cross-correlate the fluid spec change dates with T-case part numbers across the other models and see if there is any correlation.
Otherwise, we are left to speculate due to Mr. T giving us only tidbits of info
.
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Ya...
Gemini:
Early 200 Series (2008–2010): Typically associated with part numbers like 36100-60B00 or 36100-60B01.
Mid/Late 200 Series (2011–2021): The "Transfer Assembly" shifted to numbers like 36100-60B20 and later 36100-60B21
UPR LC
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Well, I went to my local dealer today and they do not have the oil. The parts guys knew what I was talking about (old can, new bottle, etc) and said they had a bunch of it but now nothing. I asked if he could order me two quarts and he said it is out of stock (at toyota local distributor??) and he can't order it. Just FYI. They wanted to charge me $68/bottle before they realized the didn't have any.
I may try to order from an online dealer or just go with an alternative.
I figured it is not changed often, so I would rather go with Toyota fluid since it seems to be mystery lube and maybe specially formulated, but it is proving difficult to find.
I may try to order from an online dealer or just go with an alternative.
I figured it is not changed often, so I would rather go with Toyota fluid since it seems to be mystery lube and maybe specially formulated, but it is proving difficult to find.
The automotive world, like many other industries create standards and ratings for products. Some products meet and exceed standards, some are able to meet these standards for a longer period of time than others.
If the product meets these standards, you should be fine. There are no magic unicorn tear additives as much as some people want to believe it to be true. Lubrication is science and science can easily be dissected and repeated.
If the product meets these standards, you should be fine. There are no magic unicorn tear additives as much as some people want to believe it to be true. Lubrication is science and science can easily be dissected and repeated.
It also is contingent upon the specs of whatever fluid being released to the oil manufacturers too (think dexos, sp+, etc). There’s a couple examples of oem’s not doing this - Honda type 2.0 transmission fluid comes to mind.
With the Toyota 75W t case fluid, there’s a few good options already outlined that aren’t Toyota branded. HTH.
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This is kind of anecdotal evidence I changed my front and rear diffs, transfer case and transmission with Amsoil 75w90 in the diffs and transfer case and Amsoil signature series synthetic in the transmission and I have seen a 1.2mpg reduction in fuel economy. I have a 140 mile daily commute and I could guarantee 18.2mpg per tank for the last 6000 miles. The last 350 miles since the change I have only seen 17.0mpg. Take that for what it is worth. haha
Good info. Now change it back after 6000 miles and report back lol
Sure. That just means there is no official spec or standard that an aftermarket supplier can reference to. This doesn't mean it can't be replicated, it just means there is no standard to meet and put on the product as meeting it. The auto manufacturers who do that are more than likely not wanting to go through the process of creating a spec. I would think that process costs more to do.
Ok I can’t speak scientifically but after switching to Ravenol I’ve found a slight reduction in MPG as well. I wonder if it’s just cause it’s fresh fluid or there is some credence to the notion that the oem stuff is on the thinner end of the spectrum.
Bang on here. GM makes the oil companies pay royalties to them to slap the “dexos” on their bottles. Ridiculous imo. Also - there’s superior oils out there who don’t pay the millions for the certifications.
UPR LC
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RAVENOL Torsen Differential Gear Oil AWD-TOR $65/L
Not to beat a dead horse, but I noticed a different transfer case fluid for Audi/VW with torsen transfer cases.
The description notes a friction modifier included in the fluid.
Google AI comes back with a note that the fluid is neither GL-4 or GL-5 rated and that it is a special fluid that cannot be selected based on standard technical parameters like viscosity or API ratings.
Not saying that I am recommending using this fluid, but it would be interesting to compare to Toyota fluid (especially given the fact Toyota fluid also does not have an API rating).