RX300 Steven

I couldn't get the rear diff fill to break with an allen wrench, but I picked up a 10mm allen socket and put two small extensions on it and then it was actually pretty easy to get it loose then. Of course soaking with WD40 the night before probably did most of the work. Just went up over the top of the muffler pipe to the other side (closer to the wheel). So, I've got Amsoil in the tranny, rear diff, and engine. Tomorrows task will be trying to get the front diff. Somehow I think that's going to be the hardest. I also cleaned the MAF while I was waiting for the gear oil to drain. Oil really didn't look to bad, but the drain plug had a lot of black metal crap on it. Guess that's what it's suppose to do.

Well, seeing that my 2000 RX300 is past the warranty, I'm making the switch to Amsoil now. Being the second owner I probably couldn't satisfy Lexus maintenance documentation anyway. I've done one drain/fill w/Amsoil and planning another one in a few hundred miles to try and get the fluid as fresh as possible. Next will be changing the diff gear oil, but when I started looking at the rear diff, it was stuck that I couldn't break yet. Spraying it with WD40 over a few days and maybe this weekend I'll break the seal.. at least I am starting with the fill plug first, if I can't get that one loose no use draining it. I'll keep everyone informed of how the Amsoil works in my tranny.

I know that a lot of people use and stand behind Amsoil for motor oil and gear oil, but does anyone have experience with the transmission fluid they have that is suppose to be T-IV replacement ? I've switched all oils that I can so far to Amsoil, and considering the ATF change now. Let me hear any good/bad experiences with Amsoils ATF for Lexus RX300 transmission. :D

Looking at my owners manual for 2000 AWD, the transmission & front differential uses T-IV ATF and the transfer case uses gear oil. So what I'm searching for is someone that has changed the transfer case gear oil and can help with where the drain/fill is. The transmission as a drain on the bottom of the pan, and the front differential has a drain just behind the pan drain, but vertical on the side of the diff. Both transmission and front diff are filled thru the ATF dip-stick, but how the HE!! do you drain/fill the gear oil in the transfer case. I think the attached pic is the transfer case, it says 85W-90 GL5 which is gear oil.

I found on Amsoil's website the listing for all fluid types Question I have is, where is the drain/fill for the Transfer Case ? found everything else pretty easy so far. 2000 LEXUS RX300 3.0L 6-cyl VIN Code 1MZ-FE LUBRICANTS & FLUIDS Engine Oil Grade 1......API* SAE 5W-30 XL-7500 Synthetic Motor Oil Automatic Transmission.....TIV[2] Synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid Differential, Rear .....GL-5 Above -18°C......90 SAE 75W-90 Synthetic Gear Lube Transfer Case,.....GL-5 SAE 75W-90 Synthetic Gear Lube 1. SAE 5W-30 is preferred. 2. TIV is ATF Type T-IV, Toyota part no. 08886-01705. CAPACITIES Engine, with filter..........5.0 quarts[1] Cooling System, Initial Fill..........9.5 quarts Automatic Transmission, 2WD Initial Fill..........3.7 quarts[2] Automatic Transmission, 4WD Initial Fill..........4.1 quarts[2] Automatic Transmission, Total Fill U140F..........9.8 quarts U140E..........8.8 quarts Differential, Rear..........1.9 pints Transfer Case,..........1.9 pints 1. After refill check oil level 2. With ENG automatic transmission operating temperature, shift through all gears. Check fluid level in PARK and add fluid as needed. TORQUES Oil Drain Plug.....33 ft-lbs