Change out differential and transfer case fluids

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ryanjl

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I bought my 2012 as a CPO around the first of the year with around 41k miles on it. It's got around 52k on it now, and thought I'd change the transfer and diff fluids.

When I drained the transfer case fluid, however, it looked brand new. The fluid was clear, and the drain plug hadn't attracted any gunk.

Thinking that someone may have changed the transfer case fluid only, I drained the fluid in the rear differential. The fluid there looked near brand new too, although the drain plug had attracted some gunk.

I ran out of time before I could do the front differential.

Now, I'm thinking that the fluid has been changed previously sometime in this Rover's life, as I can't imagine the fluid in any vehicle staying that clean for 52k miles. I looked at the rundown of everything that was done at the dealership when it was offered as a CPO vehicle, and the fluids were not on there. I believe this vehicle was leased by the first owner, so I doubt they were meticulously maintaining this vehicle well ahead of Rover's suggested maintenance schedule. I wonder if my dealership (where this Rover had been maintained its whole life) uses its own accelerated schedule?

The underside of my LR4 could almost pass as a brand new car.
 

crash1121

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I'm looking forward to changing my LR4's t-case, front diff, and rear diff fluids during New Years weekend (35k miles). I'll report back with how the fluids look. Given that it's lived the majority of its life in L.A. traffic, I'm expecting them to be a bit dirty...

I also plan to have my Rover shop (exact shop in this video) change the transmission fluid/filter sometime in the spring. Seems like a job I don't really want to tackle myself:

 

Pfunk951

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Just finished the job.. Huge thanks, this write-up made it a breeze...!:biggrin:

I did the diffs first, as they used the same fluid and I didn't want to contaminate the pump with transfer case fluid in the middle of the job..

58919 on the clock, no idea if the fluids were changed before.. Transfer case and diff fluids came out a dark bronze, the new fluids were light bronze.. The diff plugs had the same amount of goo on them as seen in the previous pics..

The torque specs for the diffs is 21 ft/lbs on the drain plugs and 25 ft/lbs on the fill plugs. If you have new plugs, these torque settings are a joke as the sealer on them will require more than that to get them to screw in..

Easy job, great way to save some loot and to make sure it is done right.. I even found a slow oil leak while under there from what appeared to be an oil cooler.. I have a feeling one of the lines wasn't screwed in tight, snugged it up and no leak (yet)..

Mike

Edit: Apparently that "oil leak" from the "cooler" is not engine oil.. That box was the automatic transmission fluid cooler.. Great, off to start another thread!
 
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crash1121

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Got my fluids changed over the weekend as planned, just after cracking 36k miles. Many thanks to those who provided some helpful tips which made this an even easier DIY.

My front & rear diff fluids looked pretty much new, but both drain plugs had (minimal) shavings. The transfer case fluid was pretty dark, but the drain plug was perfectly clean. All in all, I'm glad I changed the fluids when I did. I'll be doing this service every 35k miles, and I believe I'll have its tranny fluid & filter changed every 50k miles.

Happy New Year, everyone!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Quijote

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Interesting. Judging by the last three comments, it may seem that 30-40k mile interval changes may be a bit premature. I put on 7500 miles a year and was planning on doing mine this Fall at 4 years and 30k miles. I may hold off another year or two.
 

crash1121

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Yeah, I’ll agree mine was a bit premature. I was mainly anxious to see what the fluids looked like after the previous owner drove 28k miles in L.A. stop-and-go traffic. It’ll be interesting to see what these fluids look like after 35k miles of very mixed driving (cross-country trips, off-roading, towing, etc.).

Peace of mind was all worth it in the end for me. :)
 

Pfunk951

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"Peace of mind was all worth it in the end for me. :)"

x2 on that.. I have a a buddy at work that is replacing a front diff on his LR3- $2400. Mind you it has 110k on it, but he bought is used and had no proof that the fluids were ever done..

It was was also good to poke around under there and make sure all was well.

Mike
 

mbw

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I've had my diffs done, around 45k i think. Im around 52k miles now. Has anyone started thinking about trans fluid changes yet? I think the ZF 6HP28 is pretty solid, but could certainly benefit from fluid changes.

I have also been looking to see if that LR3 metal transmission pan with separate filter mod would work on an LR4. That way you can just take off the plastic one, cut the uptake tube off with a saw and replace with the metal version without taking the cross member off and undoing engine mounts and lifting the drive train.
 

Pfunk951

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I have heard of this mod, but never got any definitive info on how to do it and where to get the part(s).. I am very interested..

I think that this is worthy of a thread, as we are all starting to ascend in milage and are browsing our options.. I've seen the LR3 video and I'm pretty lukewarm about all of that nonsense of removing all those components.. I'll get one posted tonight..

Mike
 

RGLR4

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Hi All,

Great thread! New here and looking to change 2011 LR4 HSE drive fluids (75k service) on my girlfriend's LR4. Went to Newport Beach dealer today to get the fluids. They told me to "fill until spill" on the differentials. This is how I've always done it on other cars, but after reading this thread I'm a bit confused. I had them call back and verify with the tech on hand. I mentioned reading online the capacities are much lower- Of course they blew it off as people not knowing what they're talking about... Anyone have the actual shop manual and could send me a snap shot of the instructions?? They wouldn't show that to me...

Thank you in advance!
Ryan
 

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