Diff oil change - hot or cold?

[wobbly]

Have purchased appropriate oild for the front and rear diffs - the manual says to change it with the diff cold?

Wouldve thought it would come out easier if warm.

Is cold the best way?

Cheers

Pete

 

[BobMurphy]

I would have thought that warm - with the dirt in suspension - was the best way.

I can't think of a good reason why cold would be better, unless the level is only correct with cold oil.

Bob.

 

[OG.]

Definitely hot. I've always changed oil hot. The viscosity is lower and therefore you will get more of the oil out quicker. Plus the dirt will be in suspension (as mentioned).

 

[silvercruiser]

I reckon its the elf and safety so that you dont get burnt by hot oil and throw a claim at toyota.

but i always run my l/c up to temp before dropping it out on all of the oils.

Joe

 

[wobbly]

I think it means that the diff should be filled when cold.

The rear looks easy to get at, but the front is going to need a couple of underbody plates removing by the looks of it.

Going to check the propshaft uj's whilst there, definitely picked up a hum from the rear end on the motorway - it is on MT's which do tend to be noisier, but this sounds like a recent addition !

Cheers

Pete

 

[Roger Fairclough]

Change the oil when hot as in will flow better. As it's a diff oil, it wont get that hot. Oil level should be checked after oil has stood overnight. This allows oil to settle and any aeration to dissipate.

Roger

 

[silvercruiser]

I think it means that the diff should be filled when cold.

The rear looks easy to get at, but the front is going to need a couple of underbody plates removing by the looks of it.

Going to check the propshaft uj's whilst there, definitely picked up a hum from the rear end on the motorway - it is on MT's which do tend to be noisier, but this sounds like a recent addition !

Cheers

Pete

The front diff is a pain to get oil into, i use Chris's idea now by using a garden sprayer, filled with the oil, works a treat.


Joe

 

[Bounder]

I haven't got a garden sprayer, I used a piece of PVC hose stuffed into a funnel.
Took ages because the oil was like treacle.

 

[Roger Fairclough]

In cold conditions, it's a good idea to warm the oil before using it. Either put it in the airing cupboard overnight or put the bottles into a bucket with hot water.

Roger

 

[wobbly]

Havent looked at filling the front yet, cant even see the diff through all the skid plates. Can you get to the fill hole from above ie the engine bay?

 

[Roger Fairclough]

One of those garden sprayers sounds like a good idea. I made something similar out of a calor gas bottle a fire extinguisher and a tyre valve. It worked well enough but I was never sure than the inside of the bottle was free of dirt and rust as I could not see inside it. The polythene bottle of a garden spray would solve that. You would need to heat the oil though.

Roger

 

[Chris]

The garden sprayer works like a charm. Use mine all the time. It will push cold oil. Once oil comes out of the filler hole, just pull the safety valve on the bottle to let the pressure out.

The front diff oil on a Colorado / Prado under normal circumstances does very very little work. If not used heavily off road the oil in there should last donkey's. I stopped changing it on mine in the end as it came out looking like it did when it went in. The back gets chewed up a bit. But centre has an easy life too.

Front diff filler plug is an arse to get to. And the drain plugs can be really hard to get out too.

Chris

 

[wobbly]

I'm going to do all of them eventually, but I had to go through some pretty deep water in the floods and havent got extended axle breathers, so changing these first just in case.

Sadly, the ramp I had access to has now gone, so its wheel ramps and the driveway, and the cold, and the rain, its a bit like owning a Landy....

Pete

 

[wobbly]

Did the rear diff today, simple job.

Checked the drain nut for swarf but seemed fine - as its a lsd I dont think there is the same risk of damage as in a locking diff ?

I have used Comma GL-5 Mineral oil for LSD's, its a golden colour, but what came out was a very deep burgundy, almost like Dexron in colour. There was no sign of water contamination at all, the oil seemed in good order. I have put it into a clear container and will let it sit overnight just to make sure.

Pete

 

[OG.]

Be careful with GL-5 oils. They contain a higher proportion of sulphur and phosphorous than GL-4 oils. This can be a problem for yellow metals (bronze/brass etc) as the sulphur content eats the metal.
Not sure what the spec is for the various years of vehicles but if its designed to use GL-4 don't use GL-5

 

[wobbly]

It says GL-5 in the haynes book.

What I really need is a workshop with a ramp, working on the floor is pants.

Pete