Grease Ooozing out ? w/pic

[Oneluv13T4R]

2003 2wd toyota 4runner

FYI I dont ever ask for help on here I search and read for hours on here and with that you have always helped me solve my problems, so for me to ask I'm stumped.

driver side rear wheel ..axle,seal I dunno?
there is no splattering anywhere on dust shield,wheel well, or back of the tire just this. What made me look around was a single thunk i get when going over dips

First
things that happened to this tire 2 weeks prior to this issue... the night before i went on a 3 day desert run i replaced 3 broken wheel studs and 1 was being a super PIA and I was banging and prying for about an hour before getting it all put back together. possibly banging and prying a lil to hard against something?
Oh and all was well with no issues til we got home or atleast noticed or heard.

Second during our run in a wash section a sharp rock sticking out the side of the wash blew my tire and gouged my rim and it was a big hit bang boom and i mean BOOM. It put a fist size hole in the sidewall of my tire...So we changed out the tire and off we went no problems atleast noticed or heard.

So a few days later we start hearing a thunk as you get to the gutter backing out of the driveway or pull into the driveway. Also any dips in the road just a Thunk... no other sounds. no whirling,whinig,squealing nothing.

Something that just needs grease repacked and tightened down?
A seal and grease?
Wheeling bearing?
Hub?
Axle?

Just need some direction before I toss money the wrong direction
Thank you in advance for any help on this







View attachment 174858

 

[fdbyrne]

That's really strange. There is no grease in there except for the grease packed into the actual bearing assembly and it's sealed up pretty tight. There's also an o-ring that should keep anything from leaking out even if the bearing somehow broke open.

You may have to pull the axle to get a good idea of what's going on. If it's bearing grease I'm sure you'll see obvious damage to the inboard side of the bearing assembly. If it actually is grease, that's the only place that I can think of that it would be coming from.

 

[MayneKev]

It's hard to diagnose anything from a picture. I see where it's coming from though. If your wheel bearing was damaged, it would be audible while driving down the road, the best way to check is to get that wheel off the ground and check if there's any play by wiggling it back and forth at 12 and 6. A bad wheel bearing will cause damage to the axle seal, but it would be leaking gear oil, lots of it, and not oozing a brownish grease. Those are really your only options as there is not a whole lot going on back there...

 

[Oneluv13T4R]

[MENTION=131642]MayneKev[/MENTION] [MENTION=118509]fdbyrne[/MENTION] Well it's a start as I am baffled myself.
Question just thinking of any possibilities, does any of my gear oil travel down the axle to that point. And let's say if crossed a couple of good size rivers could have water gotten in there turning it into that brown grease sludge coming out right there? Or water got into a bearing if it was damaged prior to a river crossing creating this brown sludge?

 

[MayneKev]

Yes that is entirely possible. If an axle seal is shot, that is where it would be leaking from, the outer most point. If there's water in there I would recommend draining your diff fluid asap and refilling it. Would be a good idea anyway if it hasn't been done for awhile or if ever. You'll also get a good idea of what the old diff fluid looks like, whether it's clean, dirty, or looks like what's oozing out.

 

[Oneluv13T4R]

[MENTION=131642]MayneKev[/MENTION]
Wuurd!! Thank you I figured but was hoping you werent going to say yes it's possible...I guess thats tomorrows project. I will let you know my findings with pics as well, thanx brotha.
My gear oil is fresh Amsoil or Mobil 1 Syn cant remember which but with only about 10k. I;m strict on maintenance and keep log/chart on my garage wall.