Rear differential fluid change issue (1 Viewer)

[Cardboard]

My new-to-me LX had the 60k service done by the old owner. They basically did not drive the car for a year then sold it. I purchased it with 63k miles on it. The records don't say what the dealer did at 60k. So I decided to tackle the rear differential today. (side note; I am actually going to call that dealership next week and see what they do for 60k. ) I plan to tow with the vehicle and want to make sure my fluids are good. I did not change for other reason. It is running well.

When I loosened up the fill plug, no oil came out. (I measured later and found I drained out about 4.1 quarts) I drained the oil which looked pretty much new. Anyhow, I know by 2014 LX takes 4.44 quarts. I also read where you are supposed to wait for oil to come out the fill plug when refilling. So I end up putting in about 4.8 quarts and still no oil was coming out. So I am stuck on what to do.

I checked to see how level my LX was. I calculated I probably had the back end up too high which in my mind could explain why no oil came out. But when I lowered the LX until it was certainly level, still no oil came out the fill hole.

 

[goldwater58]

Unless you see oil leaking from somewhere as you're filling, I'd just keep on filling until a bit spills out of the fill hole.

 

[bloc]

Needs to be level front to back and side to side.

 

[Sandroad]

My new-to-me LX had the 60k service done by the old owner. They basically did not drive the car for a year then sold it. I purchased it with 63k miles on it. The records don't say what the dealer did at 60k. So I decided to tackle the rear differential today. (side note; I am actually going to call that dealership next week and see what they do for 60k. ) I plan to tow with the vehicle and want to make sure my fluids are good. I did not change for other reason. It is running well.

When I loosened up the fill plug, no oil came out. (I measured later and found I drained out about 4.1 quarts) I drained the oil which looked pretty much new. Anyhow, I know by 2014 LX takes 4.44 quarts. I also read where you are supposed to wait for oil to come out the fill plug when refilling. So I end up putting in about 4.8 quarts and still no oil was coming out. So I am stuck on what to do.

I checked to see how level my LX was. I calculated I probably had the back end up too high which in my mind could explain why no oil came out. But when I lowered the LX until it was certainly level, still no oil came out the fill hole.

When you call the dealer, have the VIN handy. They may be able to look up exactly what was done at 60K. Dealers vary widely in work done at each maintenance interval; most try to get the owner's wallet as light as possible post-service. A savvy owner will know what's needed per the owner's manual and decline all the extras. So, even if the dealer has a list of 60K service they recommend, the owner may have declined the stuff not needed.

 

[bloc]

It might also be in the history if you log in to the Lexus owner’s site and add the VIN. Unsure whether the documentation you got is some higher level stuff but the owner’s site info can be pretty thorough.

 

[pvchaitanya]

So I did the same today for a newly ownership of 2011 lx 570 with 130k miles on it.
The previous owner didnt seem to do any preventive maintanance, but when I opened the drain plug, the liquid is clear golden yellow.
But when I filled the rear differential it took more than 5.5 quarts.
I parked the vehicle in a bit of incline so it makes some sense why it took more. My question is should i worry about overfilling the differential?

 

[bloc]

So I did the same today for a newly ownership of 2011 lx 570 with 130k miles on it.
The previous owner didnt seem to do any preventive maintanance, but when I opened the drain plug, the liquid is clear golden yellow.
But when I filled the rear differential it took more than 5.5 quarts.
I parked the vehicle in a bit of incline so it makes some sense why it took more. My question is should i worry about overfilling the differential?

If the fluid level sits too far above the axle and pinion seals it can contribute to a leak. How much of an incline?

If nothing else you can get an extra gasket, find a level parking lot, pull the fill plug, and let any extra drain off into a pan you bring. Reinstall plug, use some brake parts cleaner to get the mess off the axle, toss some kitty litter in the pan to keep it from spilling while you drive home, and all good.

Generally I believe it when the factory publishes a capacity. An extra quart is surprising though.

 

[pvchaitanya]

If the fluid level sits too far above the axle and pinion seals it can contribute to a leak. How much of an incline?

If nothing else you can get an extra gasket, find a level parking lot, pull the fill plug, and let any extra drain off into a pan you bring. Reinstall plug, use some brake parts cleaner to get the mess off the axle, toss some kitty litter in the pan to keep it from spilling while you drive home, and all good.

Generally I believe it when the factory publishes a capacity. An extra quart is surprising though.

I did some research and digging instead of bleeding the fill hole. I found that almost all differentials have a breather vent pipe to account for expansion and contraction of fluid and air and risk of overfill and leading to leaks is non existent.
Some mechanics intentionally incline the trucks to overfill and even put some barrier at refill hole and plug it back.
Worst case if you really overfill, it will spill out through the breather vent pipe. (There is a part listed for this in the parts diagram). So dont stress out if you overfill your differential fluid (Atleast in the rear).

 

[bloc]

I did some research and digging instead of bleeding the fill hole. I found that almost all differentials have a breather vent pipe to account for expansion and contraction of fluid and air and risk of overfill and leading to leaks is non existent.
Some mechanics intentionally incline the trucks to overfill and even put some barrier at refill hole and plug it back.
Worst case if you really overfill, it will spill out through the breather vent pipe. (There is a part listed for this in the parts diagram). So dont stress out if you overfill your differential fluid (Atleast in the rear).

The breather is at the very top of the axle housing. If someone fills it to the point that that is the drain, they are causing other big issues.