Differential Oil

[FastPro22]

This may sound like a dumb question but I will ask anyway. Does our P5 have differential oils in the front axel maybe? The reason why I ask is because I just drained and filled my Toyota Highlander's front differential oil and it just came across my mind does the P5 have this oil too.

 

[LordWorm]

Yes it does have a differential.

Most CERTAINLY has a differential.

it is built into the trans-axle assembly i.e. it is part of the gearbox....

As such it is oiled by the gearbox oil.

 

[FastPro22]

Thanks Lord Worm,

Can you drain and fill that oil from the gear box or is that permanently sealed?

 

[LordWorm]

Thanks Lord Worm,

Can you drain and fill that oil from the gear box or is that permanently sealed?

of course you can change the gearbox oil
consult the service manual, it will have all the details, and use a decent quality synthetic gearbox oil.

 

[bucksatan]

And when you change it enjoy the first thousand KM of shifts, it feels so much nicer at first. That is assuming you have a standard, no idea if the change would be as nice on an automatic, although I suspect that it might be.

 

[FastPro22]

How often do you guys change your gear oil in your P5?

 

[Reitrof]

According to the manual, needs to be changed every 30,000 miles. Takes almost 3 qts.

 

[FastPro22]

Thanks guys for your help. I didn't even think about this since I replaced the gear oil in my Toyota Highlander, I have about 60K on my P5 and it still has the original oil in the gear box.

Over the weekend I was looking for the drain plug and could not locate it, the fill hole as well too. I looked in the Service Manual and and can't seem to find a picture of it. Can someone please tell me where it is located or better yet where in the service manual I can find, I might have missed it.

 

[Reitrof]

Search this forum for some pics. You should be able to find something. The plugs are quite large for both the fill and drain. I think 23mm socket.

 

[FastPro22]

Ok I'm confuse, I did a search and it seems like this gear oil is only for manual transmission. My car is an automatic. So does that mean that I don't need gear oil for my car. My owner's manual doesn't say anything about gear oil as well.

Just curious because again my Toyota Highlander is an automatic and it requires gear oil or Toyota refers to it as differential oil.

I hope you guys can clear this up for me. Thanks!

 

[LordWorm]

you'll need to use ATF (automatic transmission fluid)...

and the SERVICE manual (the one that the workshops use) will detail the procedure for you.

 

[Falango]

Your Highlander is rear wheel drive, so the differential is at the rear axle, separate enclosure from the transmission, so they both require separate lubrications. On the Protege/P5, the differential is within our transmission, since it's front wheel drive, so they share the same enclosure, thus requiring only one lubricant.

 

[FastPro22]

Your Highlander is rear wheel drive, so the differential is at the rear axle, separate enclosure from the transmission, so they both require separate lubrications. On the Protege/P5, the differential is within our transmission, since it's front wheel drive, so they share the same enclosure, thus requiring only one lubricant.

My Highlander is a front wheel drive. It's not 4 wheel drive or AWD either. I know my Toyota Tacoma is a rear wheel drive and the differential oil (gear oil) is at the rear axle. My Camry (front wheel drive) also required this gear oil. I don't know why Toyotas are made this way but it's just one extra maintenance to do.

Anyways, you guys answered my question, thanks!

 

[Falango]

Hmm, odd, didn't know any Highlanders were made FWD. Never mind that then.