ATF in transfer case

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I am posting this for a friend, he has a 93 Cruiser. He drained his transfer case and said ATF came out. He said according to the Haynes manual it calles for 70-80 gear oil. So should ATF be in the transfer case? He already refilled with gear oil, should he drain and replace with ATF??? thanks.
 
jrpitdog said:
I am posting this for a friend, he has a 93 Cruiser. He drained his transfer case and said ATF came out. He said according to the Haynes manual it calles for 70-80 gear oil. So should ATF be in the transfer case? He already refilled with gear oil, should he drain and replace with ATF??? thanks.

Negative.

He needs to do the following:

1. Replace output seal for the A442F.

2. Replace input seal for the HF2AV xfer case.

3. Then refill tranny with Dex/Merc 3/4; refill xfer with either 75-90 or 80-90.

Good to go.

Good luck.
 
Is it possible that a previous mechanic mistakenly refilled the transfer case with ATF?
 
Thats what I was wondering if the previous owner filled it with ATF. So youall are sure that in 93 the t-case uses gear oil and not ATF? Im not trying to second guess youalls knowledge, I just need to be sure, this is my friends family vehicle. Thanks again.
 
Yes, the T-case uses gear oil. We're assuming your friend drained the T-case and not the tranny. Also, was it straight ATF or mixed because what beno was suggesting was that the seals between the tranny and T-case failed allowing ATF into the T-case.
 
Some transfer cases do call for ATF (?? Four Runners certain years) so might be possible if the previous owner or last mechanic messed up and put the wrong fluid in.
 
Im not sure of the condition of the ATF when in came out. I just talked to my friend, so hes gonna refill with the correct gear oil and then recheck in a couple of days to see if there is any atf mixing in. I appreciate the replies.
 
When I bought the wifes 92 FJ80 someone had put ATF in it . I drained it out and put in the 80/90 gear oil and all was good .
If he was able to tell it was ATF , most likely means its was a mistake and not a bad seal
 
Not undermining Beno but the seal failure would be more obvious if he is going through a lot of ATF.
 
Some transfer cases do call for ATF (?? Four Runners certain years) so might be possible if the previous owner or last mechanic messed up and put the wrong fluid in.

No Land Cruiser transfer cases that I know of call for ATF.

But hey, what do I know...go ahead, and fill it with ATF. I'd love to hear the results of that experiment.
 
Maybe I should have been more clear: AFAIK some Four Runner transfer cases and other models/brands called for ATF, but not Landcruisers. So it seems possible that some mechanic or previous owner might have assumed that the 80 series Landcruiser (which looks a bit like a beefed-up Four Runner to some people) also took ATF in the TC. My rig gets gear oil only, Mobil 1 75W-90.
 
Last edited:
Kernal said:
Maybe I should have been more clear: AFAIK some Four Runner transfer cases and other models/brands called for ATF, but not Landcruisers. So it seems possible that some mechanic or previous owner might have assumed that the 80 series Landcruiser (which looks a bit like a beefed-up Four Runner to some people) also took ATF in the TC. My rig gets gear oil only, Mobil 1 75W-90.

I don't even know of any 4runners that call for ATF in the xfer...
 
WHat makes him so sure it's ATF? Color? There are red oils out there...
 
I don't even know of any 4runners that call for ATF in the xfer...

My '93 did. Gear oil for the t-case (RF1A) with a (R150(F))manual tranny , and ATF for the t-case (VF1A) with an auto-tranny (A340H).
 
and ATF for the t-case (VF1A) with an auto-tranny (A340H).

For the A340, yes.

Not for the VF1A. Toyota calls for gear oil in that one. Just double checked it on TIS.

I've never heard of any Toyota transfer case taking ATF as the recommended fluid.
 
I don't know about any Toyotas, but I know several Dodge transfer cases (particularly chain driven ones) that call for ATF as the lubricant. It was probably mistakenly filled by a mechanic, or a poor attempt to improve gas mileage. Either way It probably didn't do any damage.
 
For the A340, yes.

Not for the VF1A. Toyota calls for gear oil in that one. Just double checked it on TIS.

I've never heard of any Toyota transfer case taking ATF as the recommended fluid.

You're right. That's what I get for reading the Haynes manual.

OP- The PO probably used a Haynes manual... :whoops:
 
Most chain driven t cases use ATF like Borg Warner and new process t cases, all my jeep friends have np231's and they use whatever some use ATF some use gear oil no harm done yet....
 
Yes, the T-case uses gear oil. We're assuming your friend drained the T-case and not the tranny. Also, was it straight ATF or mixed because what beno was suggesting was that the seals between the tranny and T-case failed allowing ATF into the T-case.

If the tranny output seal failed (or TC seal) the fluids would not mix. The TC and tranny are separated by a 'gap' that is open to atmosphere by several holes in the casting. The fluid would drain onto the ground if either seal failed.
 

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