Looking to get some assistance with identifying either the potential liquid or origination of said liquid. I have a 2004 SR5, about 163k on the clock.
Recently I've noticed my car having a little bit of a "hot" smell or like something on metal getting hot after I've driven it for a period of time. I've got some photos and a video I took. A few things to note: my oil level is fine according to my dipstick and my coolant level has decreased a bit (I suspect this may be coolant leaking). There are two locations which may or may not be related.
The first location here is up front on the vehicle (driver's side) just behind/below the radiator. Here are the photos. Is this a spot leaking on my radiator? It looks like it's got something dripping on it or leaking out since it looks pretty darn wet to me.
Here's the link to the first area.
The second area seems to affect the skid plate near the oil pan location. The bottom side of the skid plate looks wet and has some liquid on it, in addition to the top of the skid plate. There's a few photos of it and I have a video I'll link.
Here's a link to the second set of photos.
Here's a video.
Update #1:
New link with photos after the skid plate has been removed.
Update 2/1/19, 1202 PST
This update is here in the OP and I will add as a reply in this thread.
I had my vehicle taken into a shop very near to my workplace yesterday. They diagnosed the fluid leak and (of course) came up with a plethora of items to replace/service. This topic has sort of evolved into my 'repair/maintenance' thread. Some of the suggested fixes are important to me and I would like to fix them ASAP. I use my 4R as my daily driver, travel forest roads with it, and do a little light off-roading (nothing crazy). Here's a list of what the shop wanted to fix, for what price, and what I am going to attempt myself. All prices are parts and labor included so people can get an idea of what a shop is charging. I did not pay for any of the listed services.
- Front right differential axle side cover seal leak, racked and found class 3 leak, needs to be replaced, would also like to service front differential when seal is replaced -- $168.33
- Front right wheel bearing and assembly replace, loose -- $545.26
- Rear brake pads unevenly worn, replace brake pads, rotors, and brake calipers -- $712.55
- Bad battery, failed load test, replace -- $203.41
- Dirty cabin air filter, replace -- $89.94
- K&N intake filter cleaning -- $64.79
- License plate bulbs/3rd brake light out, replace -- $28.88
I took my truck to O'Reilly's today and asked them to check my battery and alternator for me. Alternator is in great shape and everything passes, but my battery is definitely in the last 1/4 of its life. Okay, so the battery is "going." I wouldn't call it "bad" just yet.
Anyway just to be clear, I replaced the license plate bulbs and 3rd brake light this morning - for a grand total of $7 (and I still have an extra 3rd brake light bulb). I can take care of my cabin air filter and the K&N on my intake. I am going to get a new battery in a couple weeks when I get paid. Easy removal and install. I've watched some YouTube videos on how to replace the wheel bearing and hub assemblies and I am confident I can do that myself. I've got the tools, the time, the patience, and the beer. I'll check out my own brake pads at this point and confirm these issues, but I am also confident I can replace the brake parts as needed. It's not difficult.
The only job I'm unsure about is the differential axle seal leak. I feel like I'm a good part of the way there if I have my wheel off and stuff for the wheel bearing and hub assembly job. I also don't understand why I need the wheel bearing and hub assembly. Is it easier to just replace both parts? Should I replace both of my front wheel bearings and hub assemblies at the same time while I'm doing that? Someone suggested a Blue Pit bearing kit. Any other brands people might suggest?
I want to thank everyone who offered advice and suggestions in this thread. It helped a lot and I learned a lot more about the fluids potentially leaking from cars. And I'm going to tackle each of these things as long as they're needed mostly by myself, except maybe the seal leak.
TLDR; Took my truck to a shop. They found a lot to fix/maintain. It's a ridiculous amount of money. With some help from this forum and YouTube you can save yourself a hell of a lot of money if you do things yourself. And not everything is necessary immediately.