Oil Leaks

[jaybirdy2k]

I have oil leaking from a couple of spots. Take a look at the pics. The leaks are coming from the transmission and differential. I believe the front differential is just the drain bolt but it is running down the entire part to the back. The rear diff i am not sure where it is coming from (last pic). Oil is coming by the little hole in the center of the trans. i can push against the plate and see oil squeeze out. Very small amount though.

Would i have to take out the trans to fix the leak or just loosen the bolts and get enough room to clean and seal it?

I will be sealing the oil pan as well.

 

[Clone of the Mean]

Engine oil, diff fluid, tranny fluid? My kid was convinced his transmission was puking fluid all over the ground, turns out the PS pump was leaking and running down the back of his engine. He almost dropped a few grand on a new transmission someone so graciously offered to him.

 

[Lil Red Yarder]

get some of the oil on a rag and see if it smells like gear oil or motor oil. or you can get some on your finger and if its kinda sticky it will be tranny or diff seal. If its not gear oil then you might have a bad rear main seal

 

[jaybirdy2k]

The rear diff. leak is sticky. The front leak i believe is motor oil. How hard is it to change the rear main seal?

 

[SV_Dude]

It's too hard to determine where a leak is coming from when your starting platform is already dirty as heck. Spray some good degreaser all around your undercarraige. Then wash the whole area down and make it as clean as possible. Then take it for a short drive and look again for leaks. By doing this you should be able to spot the leak and the source pretty easily.

 

[Bad_Vision]

It's too hard to determine where a leak is coming from when your starting platform is already dirty as heck. Spray some good degreaser all around your undercarraige. Then wash the whole area down and make it as clean as possible. Then take it for a short drive and look again for leaks. By doing this you should be able to spot the leak and the source pretty easily.

this is the easy way to find the leak.

my opinion is that you do a top down re gasket
start with valve covers then oil pan its cheap and easy to do so then once your engine is sealed back up then you can determine if the pig is leaking.

 

[jaybirdy2k]

I think the previous owner put regular oil in the front diff maybe. It feels just like regular motor oil. I will clean it today hopefully.

The rear diff is sticky all above and the sides.
what seal would be in the rear diff? Is it easy to change?

 

[Bad_Vision]

unfortunately no the main differential seal is very complex to do but the pinion seal is not so if its leaking on the driveshaft end your ok but if its leaking around the pumpkin then your in for a battle and if you want to re gear now is the time to do it!

you will have to pull the axle shafts out so do the wheel bearings and all the seals.
the front is not as complex but you will end up pulling the hole thing apart also. i say if your going to fix the leaks anyway youll have it apart so spend the extra 160 and regear for the future.

 

[KidVermicious]

Can you do the pinion seal without taking apart the chunk?

 

[Bad_Vision]

yes the pinion seal can be done without the pig coming out.
youll need a gear puller to pull the pinion flange off the pinion shaft. its not more then a hour job if you have all the tools.

 

[jaybirdy2k]

Found the leaks. Oil pan, Rear transfer case to Trans area and rear shaft. I do know how to seal the pan. I cleaned all of the areas and used a rag to seal off each area to isolate the front leak. Thank god it was only the pan.

I didn't realize the rear shaft had a seal. Is it coming from the transfer and dripping out?

Can i just take out the rear transfer to do these seals? Is that a pita?

 

[SV_Dude]

For the oil pan, go to toyota and order some FIPG. It's about $20 for a tube but it's well worth it. Make sure that your oil pan mount surface is flat. Put a straight edge on the mating surface of the oil pan to make sure that it's flat. If not, get a large piece of steel to lay the mating surface of the oil pan down on. Then get a large flat punch and hammer down on the top of the mating surface of the pan to level it out. Do that all around and your oil pan should be evenly flat and seal nicely against the engine block.

For the transfer case, it's a simple job. I will be doing it to mine soon as well. Download the FSM to see the exact procedures if you're not familiar with it.

 

[Bad_Vision]

in your first picture the location of your red box is not a location that has fluid to hold in now behind the circle flange twordes the transfer case is the output seal that can leak but those bolts you have highlighted do not hold fluid!

 

[tor-redneck]

those wet spots were made by toyota on purpose. i use mine to keep my u joints lubed....

 

[tor-redneck]

now that i think about it i need to rebuild my front axle. one thing ive learned about these rigs is its pretty much all easy if you have the tools.