mckellyb Posted July 20, 2003 Share Posted July 20, 2003 The rear diff was a cake walk, but the front...well.... I can see a 15/16'ths inch socket is gonna be okay for the T-case fill plug, but looks like the drain plug is going to require investment in a 23MM wrench, as I have 20-22, and a 24, but no 23. Grrrrr. No 15/16ths open/box end wrenches, either. Also, does the differential have a fill plug, or is it connected to the T-case, and there are merely two drain plugs? I had something similar to this on an '83 V45 Honda Sabre, where you had two drain plugs on the engine oil, but that was an obviously weird situation.... The front set of cylinders, being at the angle they were, held a few ounces of oil in their own little resevoir. Guess I'll be investing in manuals, soon. Thought this would be more straight-forward, but it's our first primarily FWD, yet AWD, auto. Jeep Grand Cherokee was obvious, as is the Suzuki Grand Vitara...T-case is out there all by itself.... Have to admit, I'm surprised at how much metal was on the rear diff's magnetic drain plug, though it *does* appear the factory put in synthetic fluid, as it didn't have the really dark color, or funky smell of dead dino's in a 90W oil. Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted July 25, 2003 Share Posted July 25, 2003 I do all my own oil changes and here is what is involved ['99 RX300] 1: Auto transmission and front differential [15000 miles]: Only use Toyota Type IV. Its available in 5 litre cans at the dealership. Open both the transmission and differential drains. The differential is seperated from the transmission by an internal wall; there is no front differential refill hole. 2: Center viscous differential [30000 miles]: You will need a 22/24mm box wrench. I use Mobil1 Synthetic Gear Lubricant for the refill. 3: Rear differential [30000 miles]: I have the [relatively] rare Torsen differential, which is under-utilized. It would be better as the center differential. Again, I use Mobil1 Synthetic Gear Lubricant 4: Engine: Mobil1 5W30 [10000 miles] and Mobil1 Oil Filter [5000 miles] Don't forget to use new drain hole gaskets from your Lexus parts counter. The gaskets are all different! Also, when refilling the center and rear differentials you will need to buy a lubricant gun with a flexible nozzle to get aroung drive shafts, etc. This enables you to get the new lubricant in using pressure. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mckellyb Posted July 25, 2003 Author Share Posted July 25, 2003 Graham, *THANKS*. I figured the front diff and T-case shared a resevoir, but just counldn't be sure, and I *didn't* want to open the one fill plug, pull both drain plus, drain three quarts, yet be able to put back only one. Ack. Those screw-on tube extensions for bottles are worth every penny. Saves a really expensive, and never-ending, cleanup. Hmmm. You say the front diff is connected to the tranny, eh? Not on the '02, least not *this* one. There is a fill plug on the back of the T-case, and two drain plugs, one for the diff, one for the T-case. Ah, mabye the transfer case, which to me looks more like the rear differential, really *doesn't* share the diff's oil. Hmmm. Well, I'll crack open the fill, drain, see how much of what comes out, then open the other drain plug 'till I can touch/see/smell what's in the diff, and go from there. If it's tranny fluid, I'll leave it, as it just had the 20K service at a Reno Lexus dealer. Like you, I'm a Mobil 1 guy. Any idea on what I'll have to prove should I need some sort of warranty stuff yet do all my own maintenance? We've yet to have a car with more than a year warranty, so this is new ground. Nice to see I'm not the only person who subscribes to 10K Mobil 1 changes. There is a guy on an RV list whose brother has a GMC 4x4 with 350K+ miles on it, and the guy claims to have changed it to Mobil 1 when he bought it at 75K, and hasn't changed it, since. Three filters over those 275K, and occasional top off, doesn't burn/leak anything, still passes emmisions. Works for me, and while I'm *really* tempted to try....mmmm, maybe with my junker Suzuki Grand Vitara.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mek88 Posted February 11, 2004 Share Posted February 11, 2004 As far as I know for 99 RX300 AWD: auto transmission use Toyota Type IV ATF and front differential use GL-5 90W. And also, Center viscous differential (the one that has the colling fins) is sealed and not serviceable. Please advise Thanks email: mek88@yahoo.com Location: Los Angeles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.