WTF?! Strange grease suddenly appears on front susp.

[Cubslover]

I did an oil change a couple weeks ago and forgot the crush washer, so I decided to crawl back under the truck to put the washer on and noticed this silverish grease everywhere. The majority is on the passenger side, both near the CV joints, but it does not look like typical CV joint grease.

There is a little bit of noise in the right front which I've attributed to a wheel bearing (typical noise). Could it be the CV joint?

I took the truck in for it's Post-lift alignment (I did the lift myself and this grease was not there before).

Would this be something they would have applied?

 

[THEROK]

I did an oil change a couple weeks ago and forgot the crush washer, so I decided to crawl back under the truck to put the washer on and noticed this silverish grease everywhere. The majority is on the passenger side, both near the CV joints, but it does not look like typical CV joint grease.

There is a little bit of noise in the right front which I've attributed to a wheel bearing (typical noise). Could it be the CV joint?

I took the truck in for it's Post-lift alignment (I did the lift myself and this grease was not there before).

Would this be something they would have applied?

not sure what cv joint grease you've seen but that's cv grease. just get it replaced. toyota sells a replacement kit. i had the dealer handle it.

 

[Cubslover]

****. Ok. It looks more like it in picture, in life, it looks much stranger.

Does this call for a boot replacement or joint replacement as well?

Have you heard of AUP half Shafts?

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=2389272

 

[Kmvreter]

****. Ok. It looks more like it in picture, in life, it looks much stranger.

Does this call for a boot replacement or joint replacement as well?

More than likely just the clamps. Check the link in my signature for the DIY fix to save big dollars.

 

[Cubslover]

More than likely just the clamps. Check the link in my signature for the DIY fix to save big dollars.

Will do, thanks bro.

One last question, how do I determine if the noise in the front right is the Half Shaft or a bearing? If it's the shaft, I could get it all knocked out in one shot.

 

[MikesToy]

not sure what cv joint grease you've seen but that's cv grease.

At first i thought it was puke. Is that how fresh cv grease looks like?

 

[Doozi]

Looks like he had some water get into the boot.

 

[Cubslover]

Looks like he had some water get into the boot.

I did run around in some creeks, but this was before my alignment.

 

[iDRiVaT4R]

Is it me or does the shaft not look centered? I know the shafts are typically off center a little bit but the pics make it look way off center.

Like others have suggested, does look like watered down grease.

 

[Border411]

More than likely just the clamps. Check the link in my signature for the DIY fix to save big dollars.

I looked through that whole thread and didnt see what you were talking about. Where was it? I think I need to do that too.

 

[Cubslover]

Is it me or does the shaft not look centered? I know the shafts are typically off center a little bit but the pics make it look way off center.

Like others have suggested, does look like watered down grease.

It does seem off center a bit. I installed the RevTech Diff Drop with my lift, as I said, I have some noise in the front right, I wonder if it is tied into the half shaft.

 

[chaz]

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/maintenance/37107-front-lh-inner-cv-boot-leaking.html

 

[Kmvreter]

I looked through that whole thread and didnt see what you were talking about. Where was it? I think I need to do that too.

Read my signature carefully. It's a link in one of the 3 posts.

Thanks Chaz for posting the direct link, above.

 

[scottm]

Slap a zip-tie around the small end of the CV boot for now, but that's a lot of grease, you'll need to re-grease the CV joint. Can be done by pulling the boot back and injecting grease with a grease needle, but if you have water mixed with the grease in there (grey/white looking grease) you need to clean the joint and re-grease soon.

 

[chaz]

heres a recent thread of what happens when water gets in. http://www.toyota-4runner.org/suspension/75149-check-cv-joints.html

 

[galactic_04]

Agreed, the zip tie will work for now. Autozone also sells a re-clamp kit that's steel bands. The kit is an easy install.

 

[Cubslover]

Would it behoove me to pull and separate the halfshaft from the hub and spin the hub to see if it is a bearing before replacing the axle?

 

[Rix]

Would it behoove me to pull and separate the halfshaft from the hub and spin the hub to see if it is a bearing before replacing the axle?

Alot of times, you can't hear or feel the noise UNTIL you unload the bearing by unbolting the halfshaft's lock nut.
unless you can run it with all 4 off the ground in 4 hi, and poke around witha stethoscope.
I've replaced 6 or 7 of those front wheel bearings now, and seen others in the shop replace more.

Oh.... and nearly every tacoma/fj/4runner I've seen with a lift has leaking c.v. boots at the calmps.