I just changed the oil in my rear differential without any issues. I'm trying to do the same for the transfer case to complete the job. I have an Outlander Sport ES 4WD 2014.

All pictures, posts, and videos I can find in the past 24 hours show a similar setup. There is one drain plug and one to add the new fluid. When I tried to complete this yesterday, I was confused as mine has, what appears to be, 2 drain plugs, very close to each other. One is 10mm Hex, the same as my rear differential, but the other plug is a much larger hex, perhaps 17mm? I have NO idea what this larger plug is and I'm concerned that I will open the wrong drain plug and then not know what it is to replace the fluid.

Any help on this is much appreciated as I have looked everywhere I can, including here, but cannot find the same issue, everyone else just has the 10mm hex. I'm 90% sure it is the 10mm hex that is the correct one to open and drain. My question, as well as confirming this, is what is the larger drain plug for? I thought it may be for the transmission (CVT), but I found that drain plug on the bottom of the transmission pan...

I saw one on video that it had oil written on the filler plug, and I do see that. I also saw that some cars have old written/etched into the transfer case, but mine only has a weird arrow symbol that I'm unsure of so do not understand, and what confused me more was that the oil filler plug was at one end of the arrow and the other end was the larger drain plug. BTW, the larger drain plug is closer to the filler plug, so that confused me even more.

Here is a picture I found on ebay (this isn't mine, don't worry! lol)... I just need to know what the middle larger hex is for?

 

Your assessment is about right. As you can see the service manual does not list a third plug/bolt. I wonder whether the transfer case for the V6 equipped full size Outlander would be like the picture you posted. Forgive me, the weather here is not nice enough to crawl under my car and check the exact look of the transfer case under my car.

 

Thank you so much for responding. I think I will order the transmission fluid and when I have this, I can open both, not at the same time, and see what comes out. It has to be transmission fluid, right? That shares the front differential (ATF). The transfer case uses gear oil, and that is the 10mm drain plug... (I think lol)... I cannot think of anything else logical.

As the fluids should be easy to tell apart, hopefully, this is the case and I can drain and fill both... The only thing that is confusing me is that the transmission pan has a drain plug, so the only thing I can think of is that due to it sharing the front differential, it has a cleanout there as well.

 

No, it is not a trans fluid, it is more viscous than that. You have to use Diaqueen CVT J4 fluid ONLY for the CVT and gear oil for the transfer case. Please do yourself a favor and buy the exact fluid that is listed on the attached figure. People (and sometimes even service centers/dealerships as per testimonies in this forum) use substitute fluids (potentially with different specifications) and later when things go wrong blame the manufacturer for making a "substandard" product. Stick strictly to the recommended brands, specifications, and procedures if you want longevity.

 

Hi Mikiekmitsu. Did you ever find out which drain hole is which? Looking to change the transfer case oil and would be nice to know. Thanks a million!!!

 

It is the 10mm hex key one on the top left. Make sure you undo the filler plug first. Nothing worse than draining something, then finding out you can undo the plug to fill it. I use a 17mm ring spanner (wrench for my US friends)

 

Thank you very much for the quick reply. Saved me a headache!!!

 

Should I install new gaskets on filler and drain plug whem changing transfer oil?

 

Yes. Every time.

 

ok but whats the purpose of the 17mm drain plug then :-) anyone ?