Hi guys,
I swapped out my Royal Purple 75W140 transfer case oil after 20,000 miles this morning
(I swapped the transfer case OEM oil at 40,000 miles with Royal Purple 75W140,
now 60,000 total miles on the odometer)
Great news!! absolutely no signs of sludge whatsoever, here is what the plug looks like on the left photo below,
no sludge, some metallic particles is observed on the magnet but that is as expected.
The right photo is for comparison and how the plug looked for the very first time when I removed the fill plug after 38,000 miles on the odometer, notice the thick gunk and how the oil is starting to cake up only after 38,000 miles on a brand new car.

here is video of pumping out the 20,000 miles Royal Purple oil, notice how nice and flowing it is and the low viscosity (almost like brand new oil), not thick and viscous like the OEM oil when I first swapped out the OEM oil, that little $21 electric pump is the greatest thing ever!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/12V-5A-Oil-Diesel-Fuel-Fluid-Extractor-Electric-Transfer-Scavenge-Suction-Pump-/311107634544?hash=item486f75c570
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123848368-21-electric-sunction-extractor-transfer-pump-for-transfer-case-oil-changes
What the heck was Ford and Mazda thinking using such low oil capacity ???!!! It's just madness to think that little oil can last the lifetime of the vehicle, I guess they could care less as long as the car lasts up to 60K then it's our problem.
I'm not going to wait 20K next time, I'm going to make this as part of my regular maintenance when I change my engine oil every 6000 miles, I'm going to change the transfer case oil at the same time.

here is a better comparison in the sun, the oil on the right is the drippings from pumping out the old 20,000 mile oil (light translucent gray color, disregard the debris you see that was dirt from the cross beam as the oil dripped, oil still looks good after 20,000 miles, looks like it can go for another 20,000 miles)
the oil on the left is brand new oil straight from the Royal Purple bottle, it is with friction modifier mixed in already
and is a translucent purple color
here is video of me pumping and refilling with new Royal Purple oil, I find it easier to hold the bottle and push up against the cross beam.
I know there are a lot of opinions which brand to use, I have no affiliation with Royal Purple and just want the best for my car. Also, if Royal Purple is good enough for Corvette, Mustang, Extreme Rally race guys, it's good enough for me, plus I have actual CX-9 proof it's good after 20,000 miles:
I can fully understand why some members would rather go to a shop or dealer to get this done,
I would say $89-$99 is a fair price with the customer supplying the Royal Purple oil. Might as well bring along the $21 electric pump for them just in case to use since that one has the tiny hose to get deep into the transfer case, don't want to have the car on the lift and they can't suck the old oil out.
It's very easy for a novice person but I'm not going to sugarcoat it, it's disgusting and messy, one member hit it right on the head when he said " it's worse than cleaning the toilet". I had to toss out the shirt I had on because it smelled so bad, no matter how careful you may be , you'll always get some drippings on you (TO ANYONE DOING THIS : MAKE SURE TO WEAR YOUR SAFETY GLASSES !!! WHEN YOU PULL THE TUBES OUT OF THE FILL HOLE SOME OIL DROPS ALWAYS GETS SPLATTERED).
And make sure you don't get any oil on your forearms then wipe your face, sounds sensible but trust me I caught myself a couple of times when I was wiping the sweat then realized there was oil on my forearms.
If dealers insist it can't be done, just show them our "how-to" website and say
yes, it can and should be done, don't wait until oil starts venting out and leaks :
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/show...Changing-CX-9-transfer-case-gear-oil-(photos)
I swapped out my Royal Purple 75W140 transfer case oil after 20,000 miles this morning
(I swapped the transfer case OEM oil at 40,000 miles with Royal Purple 75W140,
now 60,000 total miles on the odometer)
Great news!! absolutely no signs of sludge whatsoever, here is what the plug looks like on the left photo below,
no sludge, some metallic particles is observed on the magnet but that is as expected.
The right photo is for comparison and how the plug looked for the very first time when I removed the fill plug after 38,000 miles on the odometer, notice the thick gunk and how the oil is starting to cake up only after 38,000 miles on a brand new car.

here is video of pumping out the 20,000 miles Royal Purple oil, notice how nice and flowing it is and the low viscosity (almost like brand new oil), not thick and viscous like the OEM oil when I first swapped out the OEM oil, that little $21 electric pump is the greatest thing ever!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/12V-5A-Oil-Diesel-Fuel-Fluid-Extractor-Electric-Transfer-Scavenge-Suction-Pump-/311107634544?hash=item486f75c570
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123848368-21-electric-sunction-extractor-transfer-pump-for-transfer-case-oil-changes
What the heck was Ford and Mazda thinking using such low oil capacity ???!!! It's just madness to think that little oil can last the lifetime of the vehicle, I guess they could care less as long as the car lasts up to 60K then it's our problem.
I'm not going to wait 20K next time, I'm going to make this as part of my regular maintenance when I change my engine oil every 6000 miles, I'm going to change the transfer case oil at the same time.

here is a better comparison in the sun, the oil on the right is the drippings from pumping out the old 20,000 mile oil (light translucent gray color, disregard the debris you see that was dirt from the cross beam as the oil dripped, oil still looks good after 20,000 miles, looks like it can go for another 20,000 miles)
the oil on the left is brand new oil straight from the Royal Purple bottle, it is with friction modifier mixed in already
and is a translucent purple color
here is video of me pumping and refilling with new Royal Purple oil, I find it easier to hold the bottle and push up against the cross beam.
I know there are a lot of opinions which brand to use, I have no affiliation with Royal Purple and just want the best for my car. Also, if Royal Purple is good enough for Corvette, Mustang, Extreme Rally race guys, it's good enough for me, plus I have actual CX-9 proof it's good after 20,000 miles:
I can fully understand why some members would rather go to a shop or dealer to get this done,
I would say $89-$99 is a fair price with the customer supplying the Royal Purple oil. Might as well bring along the $21 electric pump for them just in case to use since that one has the tiny hose to get deep into the transfer case, don't want to have the car on the lift and they can't suck the old oil out.
It's very easy for a novice person but I'm not going to sugarcoat it, it's disgusting and messy, one member hit it right on the head when he said " it's worse than cleaning the toilet". I had to toss out the shirt I had on because it smelled so bad, no matter how careful you may be , you'll always get some drippings on you (TO ANYONE DOING THIS : MAKE SURE TO WEAR YOUR SAFETY GLASSES !!! WHEN YOU PULL THE TUBES OUT OF THE FILL HOLE SOME OIL DROPS ALWAYS GETS SPLATTERED).
And make sure you don't get any oil on your forearms then wipe your face, sounds sensible but trust me I caught myself a couple of times when I was wiping the sweat then realized there was oil on my forearms.
If dealers insist it can't be done, just show them our "how-to" website and say
yes, it can and should be done, don't wait until oil starts venting out and leaks :
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/show...Changing-CX-9-transfer-case-gear-oil-(photos)
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