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Transfer Case and Rear Differential Fluid

148K views 68 replies 27 participants last post by  Tia86 
#1 ·
I'm looking to replace my gear oil in the Transfer Case and Rear Differential.

Just wondering if anyone has done so?

Called my local Nissan and they told me to use Gear Oil rated either 75/85 or 85/95 weight and sells for $15/L. I'll need about 1.5L to do both.

My '03 AWD has about 90,000 miles(144,000 km) and I do pull a trailer on a regular basis so I thought that it wouldn't hurt to do the change while the weather is decent.

Cheers,
John.
 
#3 ·
Thanks for that ekaxel. What weight oil did you end up using? Did you also replace the crush washer too or did you use a type of liquid gasket?
 
#5 ·
Try as I might, I could not access the transfer case filler plug, so I let the dealer do it. It wasn't unreasonable, something like $150 for both transfer case *and* rear diff after I used a coupon.
 
#7 ·
ekaxel said:
With the right tools.........
I had a long box wrench, and got it over the fill bolt. Even had enough length to hit the end with a rubber mallet - it wouldn't budge - it was on there very tight.
 
#8 ·
Well; I did the fluid change on my Rear Differential and my Transfercase.

The job took about 1/2 hour for the rear and about 1 hour for the Transfercase. The only reason it took that long for the Transfercase is that the filler plug is Very hard to get at.

I used Castrol's Syntec 75W-90 Synthetic Gear Oil($12.50/946mL) and needed only 1 bottle for both.

The Rear Diff took about 500 to 520 mL of oil and the Transfercase about 300 to 320 mL of oil.

Tool/Parts you need:
A- Drain Pan
B- Rags or Paper Towels
C- Gear Oil
D- 2 Aluminum Crush washer for the Rear Diff Plugs
E- Liquid Gasket for Transfer Case Plugs
F- 10 mm Allen Key-type wrench for the Rear Dill Plugs and for
the Drain Plug on the Transfer Case
G- 12 mm Boxed end wrench for the Filler Plug on the
Transfercase. You should have 2(an 8" or so long one to
loosen + a short one about 5" or less to work after loosening)
H- Liquid Wrench or some other penetrating oil
I- 1/4" Inside Diameter Tubing about 12" long(To pump the oil in)
J- Cardboard (it gets messy)

How To:

1)-Park on level ground. I used 2 2x4's stacked so the whole car sat up an extra 3" off the ground for clearance.

2)-Spray some Liquid Wrench on Filler and Drain Plugs and let sit for a few minutes to soak.

3)-IMPORTANT....Remove the Filler Plug FIRST*. If you cant undo the filler plug; STOP and have it done in a shop. No need to go any further if you can't fill:D
There may be some oil that comes out of the Filler Plug so have your drain pan under it.

4)-Remove Drain Plug and let oil completely drain. The drain plug on the Rear Dill has a built in Magnet. Wipe it clean. After the oil is drained; install the new crush washer and install the drain plug.

5)-Attach the 1/4" Tubing to the Oil bottle. Insert the Tubing into the Filler hole. Squeeze the Oil bottle and fill until the oil over-flows out of the filler hole.

6)-Install new crush washer on filler plug and tighten. Wipe area clean or use degreaser afterwards.

The proceedure is the same for both Rear Diff and Transfer Case with the execption of the crush washer on the Rear Dill and Liquid Gasket for the Transfer Case.

Be carefull about dripping oil onto the exhaust pipe when doing the Transfer Case. Stuff rags or paper towels up in the "drip zone".

Here are some photos.
 

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#69 ·
Well; I did the fluid change on my Rear Differential and my Transfercase.

The job took about 1/2 hour for the rear and about 1 hour for the Transfercase. The only reason it took that long for the Transfercase is that the filler plug is Very hard to get at.

I used Castrol's Syntec 75W-90 Synthetic Gear Oil($12.50/946mL) and needed only 1 bottle for both.

The Rear Diff took about 500 to 520 mL of oil and the Transfercase about 300 to 320 mL of oil.

Tool/Parts you need:
A- Drain Pan
B- Rags or Paper Towels
C- Gear Oil
D- 2 Aluminum Crush washer for the Rear Diff Plugs
E- Liquid Gasket for Transfer Case Plugs
F- 10 mm Allen Key-type wrench for the Rear Dill Plugs and for
the Drain Plug on the Transfer Case
G- 12 mm Boxed end wrench for the Filler Plug on the
Transfercase. You should have 2(an 8" or so long one to
loosen + a short one about 5" or less to work after loosening)
H- Liquid Wrench or some other penetrating oil
I- 1/4" Inside Diameter Tubing about 12" long(To pump the oil in)
J- Cardboard (it gets messy)

How To:

1)-Park on level ground. I used 2 2x4's stacked so the whole car sat up an extra 3" off the ground for clearance.

2)-Spray some Liquid Wrench on Filler and Drain Plugs and let sit for a few minutes to soak.

3)-IMPORTANT....Remove the Filler Plug FIRST*. If you cant undo the filler plug; STOP and have it done in a shop. No need to go any further if you can't fill:D
There may be some oil that comes out of the Filler Plug so have your drain pan under it.

4)-Remove Drain Plug and let oil completely drain. The drain plug on the Rear Dill has a built in Magnet. Wipe it clean. After the oil is drained; install the new crush washer and install the drain plug.

5)-Attach the 1/4" Tubing to the Oil bottle. Insert the Tubing into the Filler hole. Squeeze the Oil bottle and fill until the oil over-flows out of the filler hole.

6)-Install new crush washer on filler plug and tighten. Wipe area clean or use degreaser afterwards.

The proceedure is the same for both Rear Diff and Transfer Case with the execption of the crush washer on the Rear Dill and Liquid Gasket for the Transfer Case.

Be carefull about dripping oil onto the exhaust pipe when doing the Transfer Case. Stuff rags or paper towels up in the "drip zone".

Here are some photos.
Seriously- you are the best! Thanks for this!
 
#9 ·
Photo of the Rear Differential with plugs out. Oil saturation around the holes are from spraying the Liquid Wrench and not from a leak.
 

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#10 ·
Shot of the Drail Plug. It has a long magnet built into the tip of the plug that should be wiped clean before re-installing. Also you can see the old aluminum crush washer.
The plugs are removed using a 10 mm allen wrench with an extension pipe for leverage.
 

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#36 ·
washers for rear differential

Can the old aluminum crush washers be reused, or it is best to replace with new? Autozone could not figuer out what washers I need, and I was also told you can use metal (copper, aluminum) washers as long as they are not too beaten up. Is that true? I always replace the copper washers when I do oil change.
 
#12 ·
Here's a shot of the 1/4" tubing used to fill/squeeze oil into the filler hole.
 

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#13 ·
A photo of the Gear Oil. The Old oil is on the Right compared to the new oil on the Left.
 

Attachments

#14 ·
I didn't get a chance to photograph the work on the Transfer Case.

The filler plug is up and just behind some structual member and very tight to get to.

The only tool you can use (I had) was a 12mm boxed end wrench to get in. I used a longer one first to loosen it and then I had to use a shorty 12mm boxed end(about 3 to 4" long) to get it in there and work it the rest of the way off.

Once that filler plug was off; it was easy like the rear diff.
Those plugs where fitted with liquid gasket(grey).

I hope this will help others do the job too if they would like to get a little personal with their MO:D
 

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#15 ·
BikerJohn-

:29: Nice job!

I made this thread a "sticky" so it will always appear near (or at) the top of the maintenence section so others can easily reference it.

Thanks again!

-njjoe
 
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#16 ·
Thanks Joe. I'm sure it will help others who want to do some tinkering;)
 
#18 ·
I guess I am luckier than most. I have a 2004 sl AWD. 99K miles. I have never had an ounce of trouble with the CVT or the TC.
However, this past Saturday, I heated up the transmission by driving it in low 1 for an extended period. I should have known better. I was pulling my boat to the lake.
I had no transmission as I attempted to pull away from the dock after launching the boat.
After waiting an hour for the towtruck, I got in the car and it shifted into gear. I acrtully was able to drive back home with out any assistance.
Anyways, being that the CVT is covered under the 120k warranty, I thought I might as well take it in to Nissan to have it checked out.
Long story short, they said "good news, we will replace your transmission". That night I started reading these posts here.
After reviewing many of the horror stories on this site, and seeing the related problems with the TC's, I thought I better have the Transfer case fluid repalced while they are doing this work.
Nissan said, "No problem. $289.00 we will flush out the TC". "It's separate and not covered by the waranty". I thought, "Cool, brand new tranny and a fresh service on the TC!"
But now I'm wondering....
So here's my question...Aren't they going to have to replace the fluid in the CT any way when they pull out the transmission?
Are they trying to get an extra $300.00 out of me?
AND...Will this new transmission be covered for the next 120K miles?
Thanks,
Biggijohn.
 
#19 ·
CVT replacement requires the removal of the transfer case meaning the TC oil is removed and replaced in the process. So do not even ask them to do anything. They are charging you for something the warranty is paying for already. But don't confuse the TC fluid which is a regular gear oil 80w-90 from the CVT fluid which is the nissan NS2. They are 2 different fluids.

The new cvt is only good for the same 120k miles. Once you pass that you are on your own to cough up 5-6k for a new one when it fails again. They dont reset. You wish! :D What? You feelin lucky?:D
 
#20 ·
CVT replacement requires the removal of the transfer case meaning the TC oil is removed and replaced in the process. So do not even ask them to do anything.
Why are you claiming the TC oil is changed when the transfer case is removed? Is it not a sealed unit with it's own supply?

-njjoe
 
#21 ·
The TC is sealed if you do not touch it. Once CVT, TC and AXLE is parted from each other the seal will be broken and fluids can mix and spill. I think turbizzy made that point when replacing the right axle seal on an awd.
Even if they just top off the TC fluid during removal and assembly of the new CVT, paying $289 for a TC fluid change/flush is just too much. All they are doing is unscrewing 2 bolts and replacing the fluid with ease since its out already. Coulda sworn that they replaced my TC fluid when I had a TC/CVT seals leak repaired under warranty 3 years back.

Just took a quick look at the FSM and I maybe wrong in saying that they needed to drain the TC fluid when replacing the CVT. I just thought its just the proper way of doing it since its already out and only takes a pint of oil. Topping it off is certainly part of it though. Anyways, if The price is right for him then cool. I just drained and refilled my TC fluid few months back for $15.
 
#22 ·
Turbizzy said ... "Replacing the seal is not difficult at all, but the work to remove the transfercase can get involved. Basically what i do is remove the exhaust y pipe, engine sub frame, rear exhaust manifold, drain a few qts of cvt fluid and all of the TC fluid, remove the rh axle and remove the TC, replace seal and vise versa, top fluids, etc.
 
#23 ·
Trying to check/change my Tcase oil and I cant get the damn filler bolt off. I can only turn it about 1/8 of a turn with my long wrench and the smaller wrench is even harder to work with.

Has anyone found a tool that would make this easier? Ive seen curved boxed wrenches and ratcheting wrenches, anyone had any luck with those?

I can see I have a small leak from the the Tcase and wanted to be able to keep a regular eye on it until I can afford to get it fixed.

I wish i had a lift..

Thanks for any help..
 
#24 ·
Try the 1/4" drive ratchet with 12 mm socket. Then add a pipe extension. I used an old 3/4" copper pipe about a foot long or so. You can turn it little by little with no problem. Putting the filler bolt back in with the ultra grey on it is a bit tricky also. I use a long box wrench to put it on the thread then continue with the 1/4" ratchet to tighten it.
 
#25 ·
I wasn't able to get a socket in there, so I found a stubby ratcheting boxed wrench, its about 5" long and the closed end has a ratcheting mechanism that requires very little swing.

So I bought it for $8. It works well for removing the hard to get to filler bolt. Anyone else that has trouble, this tool worked for me.
 
#26 ·
did you have trouble getting a allen wrench to the filler bolt of the rear differential? my allen wrench couldnt get to the hex because of that steel frame on the way. the transfer case fill bolt was tough as well. any suggestions on how to get those off. will work on those in another time.
 
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