Transfer case oil change procedure

[S52]

Just got done doing the front and rear diffs.

Lots of metal shavings in there as has been reported. My rig is right at 2,100 miles. Glad I got this done. Both the fill and drain plug magnets were not visible, covered with metal dust and small particles.

Did the transfer case a week ago. The oil in there was clean and probably didn't really need to be done.

No way I would have wanted to wait until the factory recommended 10K mile service for the diffs.

 

[CountyV8]

Just got done doing the front and rear diffs.

Lots of metal shavings in there as has been reported. My rig is right at 2,100 miles. Glad I got this done. Both the fill and drain plug magnets were not visible, covered with metal dust and small particles.

Did the transfer case a week ago. The oil in there was clean and probably didn't really need to be done.

No way I would have wanted to wait until the factory recommended 10K mile service for the diffs.

I can see from you profile picture that your "Solihull product" has turned you into a master mechanic how far from full do you have to fill the diffs as I think its not fill to spill .

 

[etbandit]

True, but I also said that this first measurement was not exact. But actually this measurement doesn't matter at all. If 2.1 liters come out and 2.1 liters have to be refilled according to the table, what else do you want to measure?
I'm more interested in the reason for such a low oil level. Since I can't answer that, I sent an email to my dealer today and asked him about it. If I get an answer, I'll share it.

Can i ask how you changed your diff oils?

Was it simply loosening the diff inlet nut, removing the diff drain plug to drain the old oil, and then refilling with the same amount of diff oil that was drained, after re-plugging the drain outlet? And then putting the inlet nut back?

Thanks

 

[Greasemonkey]

That's exactly how I did it. A further inquiry through my dealer at Ineos also revealed that only 2.1 liters should be filled. This is definitely less than if you filled it up to overflow as usual. Why this is so has not been answered. The question of whether a special tool is needed to measure the oil level was also not answered. Basically, it's not a problem to fill in just 2.1 liters, but then you should also give an understandable reason why you're doing it differently than the rest of the manufacturers. However, it would have been more service-friendly to arrange the inspection opening on the differential so that it is filled up to the overflow. That would have cleared up any misunderstandings. But that seems to be the new motto: Why keep it simple when it can be complicated?

 

[S52]

I can see from you profile picture that your "Solihull product" has turned you into a master mechanic how far from full do you have to fill the diffs as I think its not fill to spill .

I referenced the "Quick Reference Oils" guide that has been posted here. I also measured the amount of fluid drained and topped off back to the same amount. About 2 Liters of oil drained from both diffs and about 1.75L from the transfer case.

The diffs are definitely not "fill to spill" per the 2.1 liter spec. The level is about an inch below the fill port when properly serviced.

 

[S52]

Can i ask how you changed your diff oils?

Was it simply loosening the diff inlet nut, removing the diff drain plug to drain the old oil, and then refilling with the same amount of diff oil that was drained, after re-plugging the drain outlet? And then putting the inlet nut back?

Thanks

Thats exactly right. Super easy job. Its a bit tight to use a ratchet and socket so I wound up using a 12mm Allen key to loosen/ tighten the fill and drain ports. Measured the fluid drained which was right at 2 liters, then used a hand pump to refill. About a 20 minute job per diff.

The transfer case required an 8mm allen socket. Lots more room there so a socket and ratchet were good to go for that job.

 

[DenisM]

Thats exactly right. Super easy job. Its a bit tight to use a ratchet and socket so I wound up using a 12mm Allen key to loosen/ tighten the fill and drain ports. Measured the fluid drained which was right at 2 liters, then used a hand pump to refill. About a 20 minute job per diff.

The transfer case required an 8mm allen socket. Lots more room there so a socket and ratchet were good to go for that job.

Just a thought .....you might want to check the true volume for the transfer case oil change to take account of the additional amount required for transfer case cooler. When my t/f case was exchanged for a new one as part of a recall over a year ago, the tech. who undertook the job advised that the new t/f case was "overfilled" from the factory to take account of the t/f case cooler volume.