We had a beautiful day today so I thought I would finish some of the odds and ends on my truck that I have been meaning to get to. I've only had the truck for a few months and I have been in the process of changing all the fluids and other maintenance items. I went to drain the transfer case fluid and as soon as I opened the drain plug bright red fluid shot out. I went and smelled it and sure enough, it was transmission fluid. Some dipstick making $7 and hour put the wrong fluid in. The fluid looks pretty clean so I am hoping it hasn't been in there long. I filled it up with gear oil, drained it and filled it up again. I'm going to drive it a week and then change it again. I just don't trust anybody else to do the job right.

If you have a story like this please share.

 

NOOOO!!!! You are supposed to use ATF in the transfer case!

 

Really??? I have never owned a vehicle where you put ATF in the transfer case. I just double checked the owners manual and it says 90W. Is there a reason people use ATF in the transfer case? I guess I will be looking that up the rest of the night.

 

Also states this on range rovers.net under the tutorial http://www.rangerovers.net/maintenance/transferoil.html

 

I just scanned the page in my owners manual that shows that it requires 90W gear oil.

 

Scott, where did you get that page? Now I am really confused. My factory owners manual for a 1997 Range Rover clearly shows that it takes gear oil but the sources you show tell me to use ATF. Why would LR put the wrong specs in the owners manual? Seems like a significant error to me.

 

Don't have a clue as to why that happened. I got that page from the rave service manual. All range rovers from 1995 to 2002 use ATF, including classics from 89 to 95 (some earlier classics use gear oil). You sure you don't have a discovery manual? Only other thing I can think of, is that the Vitesse uses gear oil... but I doubt that. Check and see if yours has a borg warner transfer case.

 

It is the original factory manual that came with it. It is for a 1997 Range Rover. It even has the original dealers business card in it. Here is the part number of the manual: LRNA1997CW. Can somebody else with a 1997 please check their manuals for me? You can find the specs on page 165. Guess I won't be driving the Rover to work tomorrow.

 

This explains a lot, apparently you can put both in. http://rangerovers.net/forum/viewtop...ar+oil#p217676

I'll check my manual tomorrow when I get back home.

 

Hmm, thanks for looking into it Scott. I might have to put a call in to the dealer tomorrow. I am also going to wait and see what a few other people have used. I would love to get somebody else with a 1997 to check their manual to see what it says. I'd like to hear the reasons they use ATF. I would think the thicker gear oil would protect a little better but that is just MHO. Every truck I have ever had before has used gear oil. I am pretty sure my old discovery used gear oil too but its been a while.