Tacoma 90W

[MonumentOiler]

I think the general consensus here and on other Toyota boards is that 75w-90 will be good anywhere SAE 90 is spec'd because the multi-weight will be approximately the same viscosity at operating temp.

Toyota is not keeping up with the gear lube specs as evidenced by the fact that they made no changes to thier recommendations when the specifications have changed substantially. They probably see no need since they are building solid products and are focusing resources on becoming the global #1. At the time the SAE 90 spec originated the straight weight may have been a more robust product because it lacked VIIs. This is no lomger the case.

I like the Amsoil 75W-110 for this application and will go to it in the rear of my Lancruiser at the next change.

 

[unDummy]

IMO, reviving old threads is better then starting a new one with the same question answered over and over. So, feel free to bump as many old threads as you want.

4cyl won't be able to stress the rearend. IMO, as long as you have a reasonable change interval and correct level, ANY GL5 gear oil can be used.

Since you are picking a boutique product, as long as 'GL5' and '90' are mentioned on the bottle or its spec's, it will be good enough.

You can adjust gear oil weight for driving style. If you're always towing or carrying a bed full of dirt, the 75w110 would be an excellent choice.

 

[RippyMan]

unDummy and MonumentOiler, thanks for your replies! Most of the Taco's miles will be my dad's daily commute to work, about 12 miles, mostly highway. He will be doing occasional towing, but it will probably be under 1000 pounds. I'm actually thinking of changing the diff at 5k miles with dino 75W-90 and running that for 10-15k, to help break in it properly. Then I will let him decide whether or not he wants to go the Amsoil route (I bet he will, because he wants the car to last). Most likely we will probably go with 80W-90. Thanks again for your input.

 

[biomed_eng_2000]

Toyota might buy the front diff, tranny, transfer case, and rear diff from different manufacturers. Each manufacturer may have a different way of spec'ing a fluid. When it all gets assembled and the Toyota manual writers have to write a oil spec, they merely copy and paste what the individual component OEM recommended. Just a guess.

Quote:

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I am following this thread with interest, as the specifications for my 2006 Tundra 4WD are the same. Transfer case=75W-90, Limited Slip Diff=SAE90 above 0 degrees F., SAE 80 below 0 degrees F.

I understand that a lube rated 75W-90 is an SAE 90 at 210 degrees. But the question is, why would Toyota go ahead and recommend a 75W-90 for the transfer case, and not for the Limited Slip Differential? If Toyota feels they are truly equivalent, why would they bother recommending different a straight weight for the Diff?

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[gonesurfing]

I agonized over the oil decision for my 05 Tacoma rear diff for a couple weeks. I really like Redline products, as I have the most experience with their gear oils vs. others, but was worried the 75W-90 was on the thin side. I had it down to Royal Purple 75W-90 and Amsoi 75W-110. Both data sheets are closer to a 80W when cold and a little thicker than a SAE 90 when hot. I finally went with Royal Purple since the local Napa carries it. By the way... The owner's manual says 3.0 quarts capacity for the rear diff, but mine took just shy of 4 to get to the bottom of the fill hole on level ground. Go ahead and buy 4 quarts before you drain it!

 

[MonumentOiler]

RippyMan - The premium for the boutiques in the diffs is low (especially on a new car) since they are small capacity and will have long OCIs compared to engine oil. Your plan looks sound to me.

Biomed_eng_2000 - I think you could get the same effect from them just coming out of different Toyota design bureaus.

gonesurfing - SAE values for gear oil have changed. 75w-90s will be in the SAE 90 range when hot and 75w-110 will be in the SAE 110 range when hot. 90 range got smaller with 110 added.

 

[gonesurfing]

MonumentOiler,

I know the SAE values have changed for 90 with the addition of 110. However, Royal Purple hasn't figure that out yet. Their 75W-90 is 21 cST at 210F. Amsoil's 75W-110 is 20 cST at 210F.

 

[MonumentOiler]

And my thought on that is why would I be buying an oil from a business that is so far behind the times in their core business. Toyota behind in adjusting to the standard doesn't mean much. The gear oil is a small part of a large system and they have no history of diff/gear box problems. RP does nothing but oils and markets themselves as an industry leader.

But maybe thats too harsh. The SAE was perhaps just a little too far ahead of industry on this one or didn't have much "buy in" for the new gear oil standards.

 

[par]

As noted above, I think that regular changes with any good oil that says 90 on the bottle is OK. No need to go crazy wondering about gear oil.

 

[INDYMAC]

I'm surprised that it took 4 quarts of oil to fill the Taco diff. I just changed the gear oil in my Tundra which calls for 3.1 quarts with exactly 3 quarts of LE 607 SAE 90. Maybe I should pull the fill plug and check the level again?

 

[MonumentOiler]

Hard to get in more than they take since the max level is your fill hole.

You may have drained out more than expected by ramp/parking position ? or your FSM is wrong. My 98 FSM says 2.1qt drain on tranny fluid but is 3.7 quarts. A simple cut and paste error that was corrected in later manuals.

 

[gonesurfing]

I checked the owner's manual on one of the new '07 Tudras out of curiosity. It specifies 75W-85 for all size rear differentials. I am guessing the 85 is a misprint.

 

[unDummy]

Nope, 75w85 is the new GL5. Its already been used in some Lexi.