Oil Leak - transfer case??

T

tollboothwilley

New member
The last couple days I've noticed a small oil leak - its been dripping on my driveway. It seems to be a very clean/clear oil and my guess is its the transfer case. I haven't played around to look at it yet. Wanted to get your guys' thoughts first.


In this pic you can see a small droplet forming on the right side of the black cover piece with 3 holes. On the driveway(kinda steep) that part obviously is the low point.


Thanks for your input
 
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Could be the seal between the transfer case and the actuator. I encountered a bunch of those stories while I was researching my actuator freezing up.

BLUF: if it is the actuator area that is leaking, there are two types of seals involved- an o-ring that seals the actuator to the transfer case, and two actuator shaft seals that are inside of the circumference of the O-ring that seal the actuator shafts from the transfer case.

In the case of the first o-ring, you can get the part from a toyota/lexus dealer, but in the second (actuator shaft) case, you have to go aftermarket to find the seals- they have a reenforcing spring built into them.

Clean off the drip of oil with some carb or brake cleaner and look at the area between the transfer case and actuator and see if it reappears...
 
I have this leak too and one thing to mention is that there are two schools of thought on how to replace the seal/o-ring. One is that you have to take the transfer case off then disassemble it to get the actuator off. This is what Toyota says. Others including some on this forum say you can disassemble the actuator in place them remove it without touching the transfer case.

I'm still undecided whether the 2nd (easier) method is something that the average DIY mechanic can do since there is no written procedure (just photos and description from forums).
 
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Some have tried a product called White Shepherd by Universal Products. You can get it at most auto parts stores. I used it twice, one time each in two of our three 4runners. The first time I put in the entire bottle. It sealed the o-ring leak but caused a seal leak on the front output shaft. It hasn't leaked a drip since. That was about a year ago. Recently, we bought another 2003 4runner. It was leaking a bit when I bought it. after a couple of weeks, it started leaking pretty good, about a 2 inch circle over night. I put in two syringes full of White Shepherd, about 2 or 3 ounces. That was about three or four weeks ago. It is almost completely dry now, just a hint of fluid on the bottom of the black metal cover, no drips in the driveway. I also engaged the 4lo a couple of times, not sure if that helped or not. So far so good. I checked around for the cost to repair, the least expensive fix was to apply some rtv for about $300. For a replacement of the seals, costs varied from about $400 at an indy differential shop to $2600 at one of the local Toyota dealers, absolutely crazy! So far I am happy with the White Shepherd, but, don't use too much. I intended to drain the transfer case and replace the gear fluid within a week or so, but since it still is a little moist, I am leaving it in for now. Phil
 
So far there hasn't been a successful repair of the seal that did not follow the FSM in terms of how to do it. (I'm not including the one where a member rebuilt his actuator as the last I saw of that, he still had to adjust the timing of his gears and I still maintain that is probably far more technical than most members will be able to do; thus a bit too risky for me to recommend personally.)

Most of the "Shortcut" methods have ended up in damage to the transfer case shift rods and/or new seal when trying to fanangle it back in/out. I would verify it IS the actuator seal before you do anything else though.
 
transfer case leak fix

I also had a drip from the transfer case where it meets the actuator box. A reputable transmission shop estimated it would cost $2500 to remove the transfer case in order to replace the ($5) seal.

Instead, I added a few ounces of Blue Devil Oil Stop Leak when I topped off the transfer case gear oil. It worked great. I haven't had a single drop leak out since.

2004 4Runner Limited / 120k miles
 
GLP said:
That is a temporary fix. Long term you will want to replace the actuator o-ring that is leaking. Here is a thread on doing that.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/182074-fixing-transfer-case-shift-motor-leak-within.html
Click to expand...

Not everyone has the time or the mechanical know how and determination to do these things. Its not an easy fix and can risk messing up the transfer case or actuator for an amateur. Plus let alone all the tools needed to fix it. All that for a $5-10 O-ring. Doesn't justify the $1,000-$2,500.00 repair price if the O ring will one day eventually leak again.

Plus the fact that not all of us are planning to keep the 4runner for long term, so the bandaid fix gives temporary relief in the mean time.
 
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lj4r said:
Some have tried a product called White Shepherd by Universal Products. You can get it at most auto parts stores. I used it twice, one time each in two of our three 4runners. The first time I put in the entire bottle. It sealed the o-ring leak but caused a seal leak on the front output shaft. It hasn't leaked a drip since. That was about a year ago. Recently, we bought another 2003 4runner. It was leaking a bit when I bought it. after a couple of weeks, it started leaking pretty good, about a 2 inch circle over night. I put in two syringes full of White Shepherd, about 2 or 3 ounces. That was about three or four weeks ago. It is almost completely dry now, just a hint of fluid on the bottom of the black metal cover, no drips in the driveway. I also engaged the 4lo a couple of times, not sure if that helped or not. So far so good. I checked around for the cost to repair, the least expensive fix was to apply some rtv for about $300. For a replacement of the seals, costs varied from about $400 at an indy differential shop to $2600 at one of the local Toyota dealers, absolutely crazy! So far I am happy with the White Shepherd, but, don't use too much. I intended to drain the transfer case and replace the gear fluid within a week or so, but since it still is a little moist, I am leaving it in for now. Phil
Click to expand...

Just curious if you've got an update on how the two syringes of white shepherd worked on the second 4runner? Any ill effects? Did it stop the leak? Did you do the drain and fill, and did it still hold up?

Just purchased an 03 and got underneath the vehicle today. Same leak. I'm not about to pull the transfer case myself.
 
The transfer cases on two of our three 4runners are still dry. One has started to drip a bit. Similar to what you are seeing on your vehicle. I need to add some stop leak to see if it will seal up the leak again. Thanks Toyota for an incredibly stupid design. Phil.
 
White Shepherd

Where would one find said product? Was it bought out by another company? Seems like the most economical solution even though it's temporary.
 
CaseyT said:
Where would one find said product? Was it bought out by another company? Seems like the most economical solution even though it's temporary.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure White Shepard was made or bought out by Blue Devil, they make numerous stop leak products..but as far as I know White Shepard is no longer sold anywhere unless you just find some old stock on a shelf somewhere.

Auto Care Products | Car Care Products | BlueDevil Products
 
lj4r said:
Some have tried a product called White Shepherd by Universal Products. You can get it at most auto parts stores. I used it twice, one time each in two of our three 4runners. The first time I put in the entire bottle. It sealed the o-ring leak but caused a seal leak on the front output shaft. It hasn't leaked a drip since. That was about a year ago. Recently, we bought another 2003 4runner. It was leaking a bit when I bought it. after a couple of weeks, it started leaking pretty good, about a 2 inch circle over night. I put in two syringes full of White Shepherd, about 2 or 3 ounces. That was about three or four weeks ago. It is almost completely dry now, just a hint of fluid on the bottom of the black metal cover, no drips in the driveway. I also engaged the 4lo a couple of times, not sure if that helped or not. So far so good. I checked around for the cost to repair, the least expensive fix was to apply some rtv for about $300. For a replacement of the seals, costs varied from about $400 at an indy differential shop to $2600 at one of the local Toyota dealers, absolutely crazy! So far I am happy with the White Shepherd, but, don't use too much. I intended to drain the transfer case and replace the gear fluid within a week or so, but since it still is a little moist, I am leaving it in for now. Phil
Click to expand...

lj4r I know it has been a long time, but how has the White Sheperd worked in stopping your 4runner oil leaks? :rockon:
 
Captsolo said:
lj4r I know it has been a long time, but how has the White Sheperd worked in stopping your 4runner oil leaks? :rockon:
Click to expand...

White Shepard Oil Stop Leak is no longer being made....BUT the Blue Devil company bought them them out several years ago, so look for Blue Devil Oil Stop Leak which is the same product.

I posted this info in the post before your post.
 
Navy 4Runner said:
I also had a drip from the transfer case where it meets the actuator box. A reputable transmission shop estimated it would cost $2500 to remove the transfer case in order to replace the ($5) seal.

Instead, I added a few ounces of Blue Devil Oil Stop Leak when I topped off the transfer case gear oil. It worked great. I haven't had a single drop leak out since.

2004 4Runner Limited / 120k miles
Click to expand...

How long/Well did that hold up? I have the dreaded leak currently and am begrudgingly considering some BlueDevil. Thanks
 
Munch74 said:
How long/Well did that hold up? I have the dreaded leak currently and am begrudgingly considering some BlueDevil. Thanks
Click to expand...

That member hasn't been on the forum since 2 day after he posted that, so that's almost 5 years now so you're not going to get a response from him.

If I were you I would just try the BlueDevil, the worst that can happen is the leak doesn't stop, IMHO.

Most of these types of stop leak soften the seals/O-rings so they can seal again.
 
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AuSeeker said:
That member hasn't been on the forum since 2 day after he posted that, so that's almost 5 years now so you're not going to get a response from him.

If I were you I would just try the BlueDevil, the worst that can happen is the leak doesn't stop, IMHO.

Most of these types of stop leak soften the seals/O-rings so they can seal again.
Click to expand...

Lol that’s a fair point. I guess I’ll give it a try and see how it goes. Thanks for the advice :-)
 
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