[joel p]

Change the transfer case oil often, our local dealer said maintenance wasn’t followed on ours at 100 k miles and no warranty and the axel was shredded and basically was whining and needed replaced also. It could have been related to just wear and failure but $5k later it’s something to do more often and document .

 

[PoManzPathy]

Change the transfer case oil often, our local dealer said maintenance wasn’t followed on ours at 100 k miles and no warranty and the axel was shredded and basically was whining and needed replaced also. It could have been related to just wear and failure but $5k later it’s something to do more often and document .

For sure on this. On these particular style of vehicles, front wheel drive with part time 4x4, the T-case is an all too neglected component. They only hold ounces of gear oil and are packed near hot exhaust components. The gears within them are working any time the vehicle is rolling as well.

I don't think I mentioned it in this thread, but last year and about 10K miles ago, I had a local shop I like do a T-case drain/fill for me while the Pathfinder was in for it's mandatory yearly state inspection. He only charged me like $45 for this service. WELL worth it. He said the drained oil didn't look awful, but it wasn't great. This would have been the 3rd drain/fill and the Pathfinder had ~74K miles on it at the time. He used 80w90 because any shop is going to use what Nissan recommends.

 

[AsylumDEG]

For sure on this. On these particular style of vehicles, front wheel drive with part time 4x4, the T-case is an all too neglected component. They only hold ounces of gear oil and are packed near hot exhaust components. The gears within them are working any time the vehicle is rolling as well.

I don't think I mentioned it in this thread, but last year and about 10K miles ago, I had a local shop I like do a T-case drain/fill for me while the Pathfinder was in for it's mandatory yearly state inspection. He only charged me like $45 for this service. WELL worth it. He said the drained oil didn't look awful, but it wasn't great. This would have been the 3rd drain/fill and the Pathfinder had ~74K miles on it at the time. He used 80w90 because any shop is going to use what Nissan recommends.

FWIW, I did transfer case at my local shop at ~54K for good measure (nothing indicated the need) and started having a horrible rattling sound start after I picked it up - seemed to happen at 40+mph and increased with speed. Turned out there was a shield underneath that was removed for the transfer and wasn't fully tightened back down when they put it all back together. Couple of wrench turns and its all snug and quiet again - whew! LOL ~65k now and going strong.

 

[joel p]

For sure on this. On these particular style of vehicles, front wheel drive with part time 4x4, the T-case is an all too neglected component. They only hold ounces of gear oil and are packed near hot exhaust components. The gears within them are working any time the vehicle is rolling as well. I don't think I mentioned it in this thread, but last year and about 10K miles ago, I had a local shop I like do a T-case drain/fill for me while the Pathfinder was in for it's mandatory yearly state inspection. He only charged me like $45 for this service. WELL worth it. He said the drained oil didn't look awful, but it wasn't great. This would have been the 3rd drain/fill and the Pathfinder had ~74K miles on it at the time. He used 80w90 because any shop is going to use what Nissan recommends.

Went through our mechanic details and it was changed about 30k ago, but something wasn’t happy and the axel went and took out the transfer case . Can’t prevent everything , and will talk to the dealership on how they said it was maintenance. Reason being the seals went out , common problem around 110k on almost all and that is a fluid replace then . Just never know

 

[PoManzPathy]

It's not uncommon for the o-ring seals to fail on the transfer case on these from what I understand. There's a later model Murano video floating around where this happened (same drivetrain as pathfinder). If you catch the oil leak soon enough, the T-case can be removed and a new seal kit installed. You'd still probably be talking a $2000 bill though.

Problem is, they hold so little oil, you have to be right on top of the repair.

 

[Akhil]

Bought my 2019 used as an ex-rental and I've currently got 25300 miles on it. It will bug me until I get the T-case and rear diff oils changed out, plus these T-cases aren't necessarily known to be problem free.

I am now changing the fluids at 85k miles and 10 years. They are overdue now. 30k is nothing.

 

[steve80]

About to change the Transfer case and Diff fluid, was thinking of using these:

75W90 - Royal Purple

80w90 - MotoMaster

any thoughts on these?

 

[Lightning Rod]

i'm about to do mine in the next few weeks and that's what i purchased also

 

[Akhil]

Yes, the transfer case runs between the front right CV shaft and transmission. 80w90 is indeed the Nissan recommendation. I'm my opinion synthetic 75w90 is a suitable alternative. As a follow up to this thread, I recently paid a local shop to do a 3rd drain/fill on my 2019 at 75k miles. Cost was under $50. Well worth it.

Changed the 2 oils and I found that the 2 oils are very different, rear differential and transfer case. I think it would be good to use what is recommended. The transfer case fluid was a lot more thick compared to the rear differential. Plus they aren't too costly either.

 

[steve80]

i'm about to do mine in the next few weeks and that's what i purchased also

i found Supertech 80w90 GL-5 at Walmart for 9$ CAD. I wonder if it's any good.

so you bought the ones that I listed?

 

[Akhil]

i found Supertech 80w90 GL-5 at Walmart for 9$ CAD. I wonder if it's any good.

so you bought the ones that I listed?

Amazon.com

Amazon.com: Valvoline SynPower SAE 75W-90 Full Synthetic Gear Oil 1 QT : Automotive

Buy Valvoline SynPower SAE 75W-90 Full Synthetic Gear Oil 1 QT: Gear Oils - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

[PoManzPathy]

Changed the 2 oils and I found that the 2 oils are very different, rear differential and transfer case. I think it would be good to use what is recommended. The transfer case fluid was a lot more thick compared to the rear differential. Plus they aren't too costly either.

I would imagine your T-case oil had to look different and be full of fine metallic glitter had this been it's first drain and fill.

Again, nature of the beast for this particular T-case.

 

[Lightning Rod]

i found Supertech 80w90 GL-5 at Walmart for 9$ CAD. I wonder if it's any good.

so you bought the ones that I listed?

yes, as I also use these fluids in my other vehicles for a long time with no issues

 

[steve80]

yes, as I also use these fluids in my other vehicles for a long time with no issues

ok cool, maybe ill return the Supertech one and get the ones you did.

Crazy how the dealership wants 200+ to change these fluids.

 

[Akhil]

I would imagine your T-case oil had to look different and be full of fine metallic glitter had this been it's first drain and fill.

Again, nature of the beast for this particular T-case.

I was talking about the new clean oil. The clean oil 75 and 80 are very different from each other. I would not feel comfortable interchanging them.

I found that in my transfer case, Nissan had filled an extremely inadequate amount of fluid and it came out very very dark black (only a few 10s of milliliters). I changed at 84k miles, but because my transmission was replaced by Nissan recall process at 42k miles, I thought they would have refilled it. I also found that my transmission was inadequately filled too (2.5 qt vs 4 qt capacity). It was a really bad repair job by Nissan in that recall. The car drives like new at 87k and 10 years however, only some cosmetic damages.

 

[eruby]

75W-90 and 80W-90 should both be 90 weight when warm. Only difference should be cold weather. Yes? No?

 

[Akhil]

75W-90 and 80W-90 should both be 90 weight when warm. Only difference should be cold weather. Yes? No?

75w90 vs. 80w90: A Comparison of the Gear Oils | Rx Mechanic --- reading this --- I would just go with the manufacture's recommendation as there must be reason for why they recommend on in one situation and another in another, as the internal design of transfer case vs rear differential may not need the same type lube. And the price difference is non-existent.

 

[steve80]

the manual says the Rear Diff takes 75w90 semi-synthetic.... I haven't been able to find semi-synthetic, only full synthetic.

called the dealer and they use BG Ultra Guard 75w90 full synthetic, so I guess the Royal Purple should be fine. the dealer also said they use penzoil non-synthetic in the t-case. they wanted 58$ for each bottle... wow.

 

[steve80]

I would imagine your T-case oil had to look different and be full of fine metallic glitter had this been it's first drain and fill.

Again, nature of the beast for this particular T-case.

i changed my diff yesterday and it was fairly dark and some crud in it. filled it with .5L royal purple synthetic.

today i changed my transfer case (what a pain to get to the fill plug) and wow, it was thick and brown like engine oil. no crud/bits in it though, and nothing on the drain plug (maybe it's not magnetic?) filled it with .3L penzoil non-synthetic.

should the t-case fluid be like old engine oil? i know it's next to the exhaust, etc... but wow.. it was nasty.

 

[PoManzPathy]

should the t-case fluid be like old engine oil? i know it's next to the exhaust, etc... but wow.. it was nasty.

Based on what owner's here have experienced, this seems to be how it is. If you shine a bright light into it, I'd be surprised if you can't see metallic glitter in there. These units hold so little gear oil and are in motion and under load any time the wheels are rolling, the gear oil in them takes a beating. Most owners don't know they have a transfer case, let alone the need to change the oil in it regularly.

In 95K miles, I've only drained/refilled the rear diff once on mine. The T-case has been drained/refilled 3x.