I finally changed the front differential fluid on my wife's GS350. The location of the fill plug is somewhat difficult to access but is still very do-able with a 14mm wrench. After the fill plug is loose its all down hill from there. Hope this DIY video helps owners out. Good Luck!

 

Great video Dan!

Did you end up using the same 75w90 as the rear diff? Any difference in noise afterwards?

Good to know the drain plugs are regular 14mm sockets instead of the Allens like in the rear.

 

Great video and nice garage setup there! What was the GS mileage at oil change? The oil looked clean. In the past, I kind'a jumped the gun early and changed both front and rear diffs just to realize the oil was perfectly normal. Changing diff oil is expensive from a dealership or even a regular auto shop standpoint so I will have to change the fluids myself when the time comes.

 

Thanks I appreciate it! I hope it helps you members save a few bucks. I hate seeing people getting ripped off at the dealer or service garage.

Yes, I ended up using Mobil 75w90 in both my front and rear differential -- use at your own risk. The car only has 45k miles on it, so the diffs are still quiet as can be. The reason I like to change them on a regular basis is to keep them this way (tip top shape). I'm shooting for 300k miles out of this car.

Thanks I appreciate it! The lift has been the single best garage purchase and it wasn't that expensive.

The oil was a lot cleaner in the front diff than the rear differential that's for sure. The rear differential needed it bad. Even though the oil looked clean there was still quite a bit of metal shavings from the gears meshing and wearing themselves in (normal). The magnetic drain plug needed to be cleaned badly as you don't want this stuff mixing around and causing premature failure. The next change shouldn't be nearly as bad as the differential gears would have broken in by this time. The mileage on our GS350 is at 45k miles.

I'm surprised by how expensive changing the differential fluid is at the dealer, in my opinion this job is easier than an oil change and the parts costs is much lower (bigger profit for them).

 

Thank you for the info Dan! I too, actually change my diff oils often, like every 50k miles on my previous awd cars and trucks - I'll do the same with my GS and my wife's truck when the time comes to change them fluids.