Thinking about a new 2006 Toyota Tundra 4WD

[btanchors]

Hello all,

I'm thinking about pulling the trigger on a 2006 Toyota Limited Double-Cab 4WD model. This will be my first 4WD truck. I'd like to ask for info from a lubrication point of view....

1) What are the oil requirements for this vehicle (I haven't acquired it yet, so I don't have an owner's manual)

2) What extra maintenance is required with this 4WD model? Are any special lubricants required for the transfer cases/differentials? How often does Toyota recommend these be changed?

3) Do these trucks have zerk-type grease fittings on them? I know cars have not had these in years; I was wondering if they still have them on these trucks?

4) The engine on the one I'm thinking of getting is the 4.7 litre V-8 model, which I have heard good things about. What is the oil capacity of this engine? Does the usual Mobil 1 M1-209 fit it as an oversize oil filter?

5) Any other comments/advice welcome...

Thanks,

Dennis

 

[Bryanccfshr]

1) What are the oil requirements for this vehicle (I haven't acquired it yet, so I don't have an owner's manual)
The engine takes ILSAC 5w30

2) What extra maintenance is required with this 4WD model? Are any special lubricants required for the transfer cases/differentials? How often does Toyota recommend these be changed?
The T case and front and rear diffentials all use the same gear oil. THe front differential requires a large (I forget the size ) allen head wrench to drain.

3) Do these trucks have zerk-type grease fittings on them? I know cars have not had these in years; I was wondering if they still have them on these trucks?
Yes, The U-joints and double cardon joints require greasing. The stock ball joints and shackles are maintenance free.
4) The engine on the one I'm thinking of getting is the 4.7 litre V-8 model, which I have heard good things about. What is the oil capacity of this engine? Does the usual Mobil 1 M1-209 fit it as an oversize oil filter?
YES but not really necceasary

5) Any other comments/advice welcome...
Drive it and enjoy it

 

[The Critic]

Oil capacity with the standard sized filter is about 6.5 quarts, so figure it out from there.

Great engine, would last virtually forever if you replaced the timing belt every 90k or so, and kept the oil changed every 5k.

 

[btanchors]

Bryan and The Critic,

Thanks for both of your responses. I did indeed buy the Tundra. I'm studying the owner's manual and boy, do I have questions! If it's Ok, I will post them here after I formulate the questions....Of course, these will all be the lubricant related questions. Apparently, a lot has changed since I purchased my last Toyota product in 2003. I expect to post the questions later tonight. Stay tuned if you are interested....

 

[Larry the Cable Guy]

I had a 2002 2WD Tundra and recently upgraded to a 2006 4WD Double Cab Tundra.

Another great source of info is TundraSolutions.com.

 

[Bryanccfshr]

Congrats on the new truck and I'll be watching for the follow up.

 

[btanchors]

Whew!

Here are some of my questions - Please bear with me...

First, I must preface my questions with the comment that the scheduled maintenance guide for my new 2006 Tundra is actually for the 2007 model. The salesperson said they ran out of the 2006 maintenance guides. Since I just bought the truck yesterday, I suppose that's a plausible explanation. The salesperson swore up and down that there is ZERO difference between the 2006 and 2007 guides. So - For those of you that have the 2006 Tundra Maintenance guide, let me know if any of my questions below seem to contradict what is listed in your maintenance guide....

With that said, here are my questions:

1) I notice there is no longer a separate maintenance schedule for normal vs. severe conditions. It simply recommends oil changes every 5,000 miles or 6 months for all conditions, whichever comes first. I am somewhat surprised at this - considering the V8 model I have has a 6.5 quart capacity, this seems unusually conservative. Obviously, I will follow this closely while the car is under warranty. I've been using Mobil 1 EP 5W-30 in my Lexus, which has a very similar 4.3 V8 engine. But with only 5,000 miles for an oil change, I am thinking regular Mobil 1 5W-30, or perhaps Mobil 1 Truck and SUV 5W-30 might be more appropriate. I don't care about the cost difference between the EP version of Mobil 1 and the regular version - But I am wondering if there is any advantage of using the EP version over the regular version of Mobil 1 under such a short change interval. Comments?

2) I do not see any change recommendations for the ATF except under special circumstances. The ATF used is the WS standard - I've heard of this discussed before. It seems every car these days are recommending proprietary fluids. Does anyone besides Toyota make fluid meeting the WS standard? Note that in general, I'm not particularly fond of the "Universal" ATF fluids that claim to meet every concievable standard out there. What is different about the WS fluid? How expensive is it? Also - I didn't see a dipstick for the ATF while I was under the hood, although I may have missed it - But I don't see it shown in the owner's manual either. Is this one of those vehicles that has no dipstick for checking the ATF? This worries me....Do any of you other Tundra owners still change your WS ATF? If there is no dipstick, how do you tell how much to put in? (And where do you put it in)?

3)For standard differentials, the owner's manual recommends Hypoid Gear oil API GL-5. But for a Limited Slip Differential (which I DO have) it says, "Hypoid Gear Oil for limited-slip differential API GL-5." This implies to me that there is a difference between different GL-5 oils - In other words, the oil has to specifically be suitable for Limited Slip Differentials. Will Mobil 1 Gear Lube work in my case?

4)The viscosity for the LSD says to use SAE 90 above 0 degrees F. At first, I figured I could just use Mobil 1 75W-90 for this. But: They already recommend 75W-90 for the standard differential - if 75W-90 would work in the LSD, I figure they would list it. Is there some reason I should use a single weight SAE 90 for the LSD? If there is, who makes a synthetic single grade SAE 90?

5) For lubrication of "Spider" propeller shafts, it recommends "Lithium base chassis grease, NLGI No. 2. For the "Double cardan joint", it says to use a Molybdenum-disulphide lithium-base chassis grease, NLGI No. 2. For the slide yokes, it says either type of grease is Ok. First of all, I do not even know these different kinds of propeller shaft terms - What is a spider, a double-cardan joint, and a slide yoke? Can I use the same grease for all these, or do I really need two kinds of grease as specified above?

Sorry for all these questions - But since I've driven nothing but 4-door sedans for the past 30 years, I'm not very familiar with the maintenance needs of light trucks....

 

[The Critic]

There probably isn’t. Under Toyota.com’s Owner’s section, you can download a 2006 maintenance guide. Let me know if you are unable to find it.

With that said, here are my questions:

1) Toyota went to a one size fits all, 6 mo/5k service interval for simplicity’s sake and to combat the sludge problems they were having due to owners following the “normal” schedule when they should really be using the “severe” one. As for oil, use the regular Mobil 1. The 4.7L V8 is exceptionally easy on oil and could run 7500 mi intervals on dino 5W30 without a sweat. Keep the timing belt replaced @ 90k miles ($350 at the dealer) and the engine will last virtually forever.

2) Toyota has never recommended replacing automatic transmission fluid except under towing or special operating conditions. Even my father’s 1992 Toyota Previa with Dexron II only recommended periodic inspection of the fluid and replacement as needed. The wording has not changed in the last 10-15 years (?) and simply states to inspect the fluid at the noted intervals and replace at the first sign of discoloration, unusual odor, or sediment, though if you fall under their “special operating conditions,” you are to replace it at the recommended interval even if the fluid does not look stressed. As I read on the Scion FAQ website, Toyota does not subscribe to the same theory as Honda, DC, etc (brown fluid OK)…they want the fluid replaced if there’s any discoloration, sediment, or unusual odor.

The Toyota WS fluid is about $44/gal at any Toyota dealership. A drain and refill removes about 1/3 of the total fluid volume on that transmission. No, there is not a dipstick on the unit. The filling procedure is quite simple actually. Imagine a toilet tank for a moment…recall the hollow tube you see inside? Now think of a transmission pan. Your transmission pan will have the same hollow tube. You will do your normal draining via the bolt (or removal of the pan if desired). When it comes time to refill, there’s a fill bolt at the top of the unit (or toward the top); you simply pump it in or run an extra long heater hose to a nice location and fill it that way with your funnel. Put back the fill plug, start the truck, follow the exact procedure in the service manual (which I recall involves shifting between several gears to “activate” a fluid check light), and when the fluid check lamp appears (indicating the transmission is at the proper temperature range), you go down and uncork that overflow, “hollow” tube. Any excess will drain right out.

3) Mobil 1 Gear Lube will work fine.

4) Any synthetic 75W90 gear lube will work fine. Just think of SAE30 versus SAE 10W30. They want you to use the monograde possibly because of concerns over shearing, but with synthetic, it shouldn’t be an issue.

5) No clue.

 

[Bryanccfshr]

Agree with Mike on this.

#5 from exerience. One greasse gun with Molydisulhide grease. Slip Yoke allows the drive shaft to shorten and lengthen along slines as the suspension articlualtes, compresses and extends. the double cardon basicaly looks like two U-joints put together. you have one. THe front driveshaft has one slip yoke and two U joints, the rear has two U-jointsa at each end and a double cardon joint in the middle. Use a good Moly based grease on everything for simplicity. It is an upgrade so it wont hurt the slip yoke.

The transmission oil. Do you have an auxillary cooler? If not get one. it will be an insurance policy for your tranny fluid against overheating . living in Virginia you van go ahead and set it up in series with the Radiator cooler and it will keep the tranny nice and cool and further fight oxidation during stressfull situations. And nope no dipstick.. There is a procedure but don't sweat it for a while.

Any oil will be fine and any GL5 gear oil with the proper friction moodifiers will work in the limited slip.

Regardles of all this stuff other than oil changes with the oil of your choice you don't have much to worery about for 30k miles. Unless you are towing alot I don't see a need to break into the differentials and T-case until the 30k mile area.
Personally I like to use the drain plug in the tranny and drain and refill the tranny every 30k or sooner if the service is extra severe(towing or alot of offraod travel). A gallon of dealer supplied WS fluid every 30k is not that much for every 30l and will be all you need along with a hand pump to do a drain and refill.

And yes, the 2007 maintenance manual sounds identical to the 2006.

 

[JTK]

My FIL has that exact truck as his company vehicle. They are considering switching the fleet to tundras from their usual chevys. I've driven it. Nice truck with awesome power. He says it eats more gas then the 1/2 Chevys do. I didnt break out a measuring tape, but the interior [front seat] feels cramped to me compared to my trailblazer or windstar. That's a lot of bucks for a little amount of room IMO.

Joel

 

[Bryanccfshr]

All I have to say is that yes the T100 was too small, then the Tundra was better and the double cab Tundra was even better but not quite there... Go to a Toyota dealer in February and try on the new Tundra. I think they conquered your space issues.

 

[mdv]

Everyone else answered the questions about the ATF. I plan on changing mine at 30k as I don't like their lifetime reccomendation.

As for the diff, I wouldn't waste my money on the Mobil 1. Amsoil and Redline both have gear lubes that spec out better than M1 and they cost about the same. Cost shouldn't really be an issue considering the replacement interval on these anyway.

I use the same moly grease on all the fittings and most people I know do as well.

Check out www.tundrasolutions.com for LOTS of info on these trucks, it's a great site.

 

[SubLGT]

[quote.......3)For standard differentials, the owner's manual recommends Hypoid Gear oil API GL-5. But for a Limited Slip Differential (which I DO have) it says, "Hypoid Gear Oil for limited-slip differential API GL-5." This implies to me that there is a difference between different GL-5 oils - In other words, the oil has to specifically be suitable for Limited Slip Differentials. Will Mobil 1 Gear Lube work in my case?.........

---

Look for a gear lube that has the appropriate friction modifiers for a limited slip differential. I have had good experiences in the past with Redline gear oils.

 

[btanchors]

All,

MANY THANKS for all the great information. I continue to learn from this site even after reading it constantly for the past couple of years. I understand better now! I still feel funny about a tranny with no dipstick, though!

I have to agree with Bryan's comment about the new Tundra being just the ticket for those who felt the 2006 and prior models were too small. That sucker is big! As for me, I chose the 2006 model because I got an incredible deal on it, and as it is, the 2006 model BARELY fits in my garage. Anything bigger wouldn't fit!