Thread: Transfer Case and Diff service interval?

No, if it has a full dealer service history then they won't have been done.

I would think every 3 years would be a good place to start. Mine was nearly 9 years when I did mine, and although the oil wasn't pretty, it certainly wasn't the worst stuff I've ever seen. They don't hold much and are not hard to do.

Cheers - Gav

Harlie
I have always changed my auto,transfer box and diff oils at 80K, regardless of vehicle.

Laurie

i had mine done 20K ago, wasn't too expensive - had it done at a local land rover specialist. They did the trans at the same time, and advised I should get diffs, trans and TC done every 50-60K, especially as they say I must use it for what its made for and not just nice city commuting.

What oil goes in the Transfer case? It is thick, really thick.

Originally Posted by harlie

What oil goes in the Transfer case? It is thick, really thick.

It is a Castrol special BOT 26 FMB1, LR part number STC4861. There is no substitute for this oil, it was specially developed for the New Venture transfer cases. It is a fully synthetic 75W90 oil, but doesn't look that thick in the bottle.

This is the bottle you are looking for...



The TC holds just under 1 litre, so 1 bottle will do the job. You will need a small hand pump to get the oil in the TC, there is no room just to pour it in. A small top up bottle from Super Crap or Bursons for about $20 will have you sorted. I got a Kinchrome one for $23. Part number K8144. Great for TC's and diffs.



Cheers - Gav

Thanks Gav, I now have that bottle in my hands ($52).

Interesting thing I notice is the spec on the other side SAE 75W-90, API GL4. Why can't we use another product that meets SAE 75W-90, API GL4?? Or is there another requirement not covered in the Spec?

Came across this issue with our VW, the dealer sells an oil that is not available anywhere else, but several other oil companies sell oil that meets VW 507.00 standard (for example).

The diff wants SAE 75W-90, API GL5 (readily available) and after a bit of reading I can see that GL4 can’t be substituted for GL5.

Heads up for anyone doing this; You need a 14mm Allen key for the Diffs, arriving tomorrow....

BTW what came out of the Trans case was not pretty, which is exactly the opposite of what came out of the Auto, it looked as clean as it gets but it's only been in there for 30,000kms where the Trans case has been there for 160.

Not sure why you couldn't use a different oil, but there are several threads on FFRR about this, and at the end of the day, everyone recommends using the Castrol stuff. I believe there is something in the spec not covered by other oils, but stuffed if I know what that is. For the price and the service interval, I don't see any point not using it.

Diffs you can use any oil that meets the spec by the look of it - plenty of alternatives, just the TC that seems to have only the one type.

Interesting about the colour of it, mine was ok - quite dark, but still a golden colour, whereas my auto fluid was black, but that was after I had just turned the trannie into scrap....

Oh, and yes - big Allen key for the diffs, but I did mine at a mates workshop who had one at hand.

Mine wasn't golden, it was dark sludgy brown.

Well after feeding the 52$ oil in, it is a lot thinker than the 75-90 for the diff, came out of the bottle maybe a bit thinner than what came out of the TC but not much. The bottle pictured above is definitely a thicker oil than other 75-90 at 26 degrees, so yep use the proper stuff.

BTW the trans case oil for the TDV8 & Supercharged (jag engines) is $92/L. Idiot at Austral Service (not Parts) wanted to sell me that one, didn't bother with a VIN check he knew everything and after a bingle with me, someone else came and took over, looked it up based on VIN and guess what. 2 different oils for L322 Trans case - BMW based vehicles use the cheaper stuff. This ****ing about is my reason for not wanting to use dealer products, actually to avoid having any dealings with them. The dealer up here is just the pits, I know so many people that have gone away from LR simply because of our dealer. So I would also question what they would have put in my car - no check just poor the wrong stuff in....