Toyota Transfer Gear Oil 75W VOA

For what it worth to you I used Lucas 75w90 syn at about 12k miles all the way up to 119k zero issues hot summer and Colorado winters

Will be doing the same to the new Silverado when it hits 15k
 
I'm going to be servicing a 2019 4Runner soon for a friend. It has 60k miles on it with no extended warranty, so the OEM warranty is no longer an issue. Regarding the xfer case fluid, it calls for the Transfer 75W LF fluid. As I understand it, this is the newer LV fluid that has a nod towards fuel economy.

As he does not care about the minimal fuel economy loss, and warranty is no longer in play, would there be any other reason to be concerned about using a typical 75w-90 GL-5 gear oil in the transfer case? Cost is the issue; the OE fluid is crazy expensive, and I believe that a typical syn GL-5 would suffice for far less expense.

Does anyone know of a reason to not use the GL-5 in this specific example under these parameters?

not me... I don't know of a reason except for the gas mileage thing and that is pretty insignificant for most people.
 
75W-90 SHOULD work, but you don't need it and probably slow engage in really cold.

I recommend and use Amsoil MTF. Generically speaking a MT fluid in the 9.5cSt@100°C range.
I have not seen the recommendation to use Amsoil MTF in place of the Toyota 75W before. I'll give a try on my next transfer oil change.

I guess it's not too thick in the cold so engagement is normal?
 
I have not seen the recommendation to use Amsoil MTF in place of the Toyota 75W before. I'll give a try on my next transfer oil change.

I guess it's not too thick in the cold so engagement is normal?
A bunch of us on Tacoma world have been doing for years.

Not even close. People do run 75W-90 with no problems, but it's simply not needed.
 
A bunch of us on Tacoma world have been doing for years.

Not even close. People do run 75W-90 with no problems, but it's simply not needed.
They don’t let in my type at Tacoma World (Tundra owner).

Well thats great to have a good alternative to the overpriced Toyota fluid, and I’ll give it a try soon. Thank you!
 
You don't need that in your TC. In warm places it probably won't hurt anything, in cold places, you might have some sluggishness when changing.

This is what you want: https://www.amsoil.com/p/manual-synchromesh-transmission-fluid-5w-30-mtf/?zo=515729

I was very surprised when I changed my TC to MTF. Changing to 4Hi or 4Lo became instant. Factory fluid was always rolling for awhile. Many Toyota Tacoma and Tundra owners now running the MTF and are very happy with it. The factory fluid had ATF apparent viscosity, and I'm telling you the MTF protects better as well.

mine would grind at times and not want to shift into 4H with toyota oem 75W oil. this went away immediately after switching to Amsoil. i will run to 50k mile intervals with Amsoil agian, although am sure it could make it to 150k easy.
 
For what it worth to you I used Lucas 75w90 syn at about 12k miles all the way up to 119k zero issues hot summer and Colorado winters

Will be doing the same to the new Silverado when it hits 15k
In all fairness to Lucas, it’s pretty darn hard to mess up a gear oil for use in a light-duty mini-truck. I applaud your sense of adventure though 👍🏻
 
I've been using conventional 80W-90 GL-5 gear oil in my Tundra for both differentials and the transfer case. At over 250,000 miles, everything is still working smoothly.
 
I know this is an older thread, but I just bought a 2020 GX460 which takes the 75W Gear Oil and I've been researching the correct lubricants for its Torsen Center Differential. The manual says its own 75W gear oil. I called the local dealerships, and they all use a mineral based 75W90 instead of what Toyota recommends. But then I read more, on this forum and others, about the composition of some other gear oils, like the transmission 75W oil from Ravenol and a few others. While Mobil 1 and Amsoil do not carry a replacement, the Ravenol and others appear to have far less of an anti-wear additive package and higher viscosity. But the Toyota dealers charge 120/qt and they are backordered for months. So I went to Amazon and bought the same product online at a 30% discount. However, what arrived, instead, was what I see as the non-US, Rest of World equivalent, part # 08885-81081. I used it because I needed to finish the job, but then wondered how close it was to a true equivalent to the US version. So I sent it to my favorite testing lab and I have the results posted here. The good news, for any of you who want to save some money, the ROW part tests identically to the US spec, so no need to worry like I did. Compare this to the prior post on this thread.

Toyota 75W gear oil.jpg
 
I know this is an older thread, but I just bought a 2020 GX460 which takes the 75W Gear Oil and I've been researching the correct lubricants for its Torsen Center Differential. The manual says its own 75W gear oil. I called the local dealerships, and they all use a mineral based 75W90 instead of what Toyota recommends. But then I read more, on this forum and others, about the composition of some other gear oils, like the transmission 75W oil from Ravenol and a few others. While Mobil 1 and Amsoil do not carry a replacement, the Ravenol and others appear to have far less of an anti-wear additive package and higher viscosity. But the Toyota dealers charge 120/qt and they are backordered for months. So I went to Amazon and bought the same product online at a 30% discount. However, what arrived, instead, was what I see as the non-US, Rest of World equivalent, part # 08885-81081. I used it because I needed to finish the job, but then wondered how close it was to a true equivalent to the US version. So I sent it to my favorite testing lab and I have the results posted here. The good news, for any of you who want to save some money, the ROW part tests identically to the US spec, so no need to worry like I did. Compare this to the prior post on this thread.
And the dealer uses mineral 75W-90.

I'm telling you.............
 
While I am confident we will neither resolve, nor reach a consensus, on this forum, we can provide some analysis summaries and allow others to make the decisions they feel best suited for them.
-The OEM 75W oils (US and EU specs appear to be identical) and other 75W80/90 oils are, indeed, quite different in anti-wear additives (OEM has way more) and viscosity. This might matter for 2 reasons. 1) If you plan to keep your truck well past 150-200k, I'd choose the optimal protection (also OEM specified) for longevity and minimum repair costs, knowing I'd be spending more money up front for 30k-40k mile interval changes. 2) If you have a GX, LX, or 4Runner Limited with the Torsen limited slip center differential, the antiwear properties may be much more critical for longevity than if you just run a standard 2 speed transfer case.
-Both Mobil 1 and Amsoil, 2 of the biggest names in higher end lubrication, have stated they do not have an alternative to offer. Possibly too expensive to customize a formulation with a relatively low sales volume, and they understand their liability if they claimed an existing product they had was a viable alternative. I am guessing they know it has unique (and expensive) properties as I'm sure they've analyzed it as well for competitive analysis purposes. It may not make for a compelling business case for them. If they were confident that their own offerings would be suitable alternatives, one might suspect they would recommend something they currently offer.
-You will find copious amounts of individuals who swear that standard 75W90 works just fine for them. And it may, indeed, work very well for them. The question is, for how many miles will it work just fine? There is not a definitive answer on that yet--controlled experiments to answer this are virtually impossible to run based on costs and cost of replication. Toyota specifies 75W90 for the rear and front diff, but something different for the transfer case...I would guess it is not for the sake of being difficult.
-Finally, I'm perplexed that the dealers do not carry their own specified 75W OEM oil. My local shop uses a mineral based 75W90 for all 3 differentials, probably because it is cheap and fewer part #s to stock and most customers would squirm if they had to pay the OEM 75W price for 2 qts. The dealers do need to stand behind their service and material selection for warranty purposes. And I am sure they do/would. However, when you look at the warranty period, even Toyota/Lexus extra care powertrain warranties do not extend past 125k miles. I'm sure even the cheapest gear lubes would protect well enough within this time period. How much of a risk do you want to take, and is it worth the fluid change cost savings for you? That question each of us must answer on our own. After all, if the OEM 75W oil was ubiquitous and priced the same as alternative 75W90 lubes, I think this debate would have ended years ago. :)
-I hope at least someone finds this summary helpful, even if only to generate your own thoughts and analyses.
 
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