Should a transfer case have a magnetic drain plug?

[Bullet]

Replaced the oil in the FJ Cruiser's TC and was surprised the drain plug lacked a magnet inside. The front and rear diffs did. I go online and found the question has been asked a few times the FJs didn't and neither did the 4 Runners. One said the late 4 Runner did and can use the same one in the FJ.

This is the only 4x4 I've owned.

Do other 4x4s have magnetic drain plugs? And it would kind of be a good gauge to the wear by the metal that would attract.

 

[Hall]

Sounds like Toyota doesn't use them, so no, it doesn't need it. Nothing stopping you from installing your own though.

 

[AZjeff]

If a TC is making metal it's got problems.

 

[4WD]

Many of them have magnetic plugs …

 

[zfasts03]

Just put HPL Diff life in all 3 holes of my ‘18 T4R, no magnet for transfer case.

 

[D60]

Never a bad idea. Merchant offers them for the NPs. I put one in the NP263XHD I recently rebuilt.

https://www.merchant-automotive.com/Transfer-Case-Magnetic-Drain-Plug-Kit

 

[thastinger]

Replaced the oil in the FJ Cruiser's TC and was surprised the drain plug lacked a magnet inside. The front and rear diffs did. I go online and found the question has been asked a few times the FJs didn't and neither did the 4 Runners. One said the late 4 Runner did and can use the same one in the FJ.

This is the only 4x4 I've owned.

Do other 4x4s have magnetic drain plugs? And it would kind of be a good gauge to the wear by the metal that would attract.

3 of 3 of mine do.

 

[Astro14]

Should it? Maybe.

Can you retrofit one? Absolutely. And I did just that on the Tundra.

 

[Bullet]

Guess I’ll leave it alone.

 

[Snagglefoot]

My Chevy trucks had them and they accumulated a lot of shards from the steel chain. Changing transfer case oil every two years at about 10,000 miles per year and using the transfer case almost every day in the winter, would give me a fair amount of metal. I think this might be a Chevy thing however. The transfer case in my 2008 Suburban has 275,000 miles. The metal would be on the magnetic plug and could be cleaned up with the swipe of a rag.

 

[Jetronic]

Replaced the oil in the FJ Cruiser's TC and was surprised the drain plug lacked a magnet inside. The front and rear diffs did. I go online and found the question has been asked a few times the FJs didn't and neither did the 4 Runners. One said the late 4 Runner did and can use the same one in the FJ.

This is the only 4x4 I've owned.

Do other 4x4s have magnetic drain plugs? And it would kind of be a good gauge to the wear by the metal that would attract.

In my experience, transfer cases shed a lot of iron. I would change the plug if possible.