LE 1605, 2000 Tundra rear diff, 29K miles

[INDYMAC]

Lubrication Engineers, Inc. LE 1605 DUOLEC ISO 220 SAE 110 vari-purpose gear oil.

This sample from my 2000 Toyota Tundra V-8 SR5 TRD 4X4 open rear differential was tested by Polaris Houston lab. The virgin sample was tested by same back in August. It is the same batch. The other sample of Valvoline 80W-90 was tested by Blackstone in 2007.

Code:
LE1605 LE1605 Valvoline 80W/90

Virgin 28,871 m 13,067 m

201,416 m 128,042 m

10/23/12 3/12/07



Iron 1 25 47

Chromium 0 0 0

Nickel 0 0 0

Aluminum 0 0 0

Copper 0 4 0

Lead 0 0 1

Tin 0 0 0

Cadmium 0 0 NA

Silver 0 0 0

Vanadium 0 0 NA

Silicon 0 2 2

Sodium 0 2 0

Potassium 0 0 0

Titanium 0 0 0

Molybdenum 3 0 0

Antimony 0 0 NA

Manganese 0 0 0

Lithium 1 2 NA

Boron 88 36 215

Magnesium 0 7 5

Calcium 6 12 19

Barium 0 0 0

Phosphorous 1154 1095 1364

Zinc 4 19 11



V100C cSt NA 19.1 14.4

V40C cSt 222 NA NA

TAN 1.78 1.61 NA

Water % < 0.1 < 0.1 0.0

Insolubles % NA NA 0.1

Flash point NA NA 420F

 

[chubbs1]

Those are excellent results, almost no wear. Thanks for the testing.

 

[friendly_jacek]

Interesting difference in Fe between SAE110 vs 80W90 (4 x if one factors miles). It makes you wonder how much difference due to viscosity and how much due to additives.

Did you notice a difference in temp?

BTW, thanks to your posts, I'm running the LE gear oil in my RAV4.

 

[INDYMAC]

I don't have a temp gauge. But the pumpkin and fluid was warm to the touch after a 30 minute drive before the drain. It was not hot at all. Same with the LE 607 SAE 90 I was using before the 1605. I honestly can't remember what the Valvoline 80W-90 was like draining it.

I don't know what contributes to the lower wear. 1605 has a higher viscosity, especially at lower temps. It has a proprietary EP/AW additive called DUOLEC. It has some conventional additives similar to Valvoline. It has a little PAO to give it a -11F pour point. But the base oils probably aren't anything special. It also has a tackifier that purists would say shears too much. But I don't think so.

I run the 1605 in the 2000 Tundra, 2004 S2000, 2008 Avalanche, and my newest 2012 4Runner. It's reasonable priced if you buy the 5 gallon pail, but exhorbitant if you buy it by the 24 qt case. I can't think of a better rear diff lube, unless you operate in a very frigid climate.

As a word of caution to other 00 and 01 Tundra owners, my right rear axle seal started to leak 20K miles after I first used 1605. I was aware that this could happen because Toyota issued a TSB warning about axle seal leaks if you use Toyota synthetic gear oil in these model years. They changed the design of the seals in the 2002 models I believe. So I had both rear axles rebuilt with the new seals. The gears are still original. This UOA is the fill of 1605 after the rebuild and there is no evidence of leaks. On the other hand, the leak may have been caused by overpresurization due to a clogged breather. My truck saw a lot of mud and water that winter on hunting trips. I asked the mechanic to clean it during the axle rebuild. He did. I really should do an extension mod to the breather. I guess I should stop procrastinating!

 

[fpracha]

Originally Posted By: INDYMAC
I don't know what contributes to the lower wear. 1605 has a higher viscosity, especially at lower temps. It has a proprietary EP/AW additive called DUOLEC. It has some conventional additives similar to Valvoline. It has a little PAO to give it a -11F pour point. But the base oils probably aren't anything special. It also has a tackifier that purists would say shears too much. But I don't think so.

thanks for the testing !

interesting to note the Ca and Phos increased from Virgin Le 1605 , perhaps due to residual from the valvoline oil ?

But the Boron reduced, although it should have increased (the higher residual ppm from valvoline). Is this not surprising ?
Originally Posted By: INDYMAC

My truck saw a lot of mud and water that winter on hunting trips. I asked the mechanic to clean it during the axle rebuild. He did. I really should do an extension mod to the breather. I guess I should stop procrastinating!

Yes it will be a very good idea to do so!

 

[INDYMAC]

I've been questioning the aditive levels in the 1605 VOA ever since Polaris sent me the report. It is the same batch as several UOA's I've done and the UOA's look pretty similar. I probably should have had them retest it, but I didn't.