leaky axle?

my truck started leaking oil a few days ago... i thought it was engine oil at first, but upon removing the skid plate, i realized the oil must be comming out of the front axle.







anyone have any idea? a friend of mine said the axle should have grease, not oil... but what's comming out of it is oil-like

 

maybe its leaking out of the transfer case?

 

by any chance you went mudding and landed on a deep ditch or hit a large rock? you might have a tiny crack, and should have that looked at, and soon before it gets anyworse.

 

I have no idea how old your truck is, however here's my take on it.

Is your axle original or rebuilt and does it have any grease nipples or nipple adapters? Assuming it is NOT oil filled and is grease packed as per your friend and if it was rebuilt or greased during service, I would suspect that a wrong type of grease may have been added.

Wrong type/cheap grease does experience premature thermal break down and turns into oil. That’s my suspicion. If it is grease packed, pump sufficient Toyota recommended grease into your axle till all the old grease is flushed out. You'll know by the colour change when to stop. Be generous. Then check if problem still exists. I'd love to know what you find.

 

My truck is an 01.

i just bought it, and the dealer said it's a new axle. i have no idea about the nipples. i'm new to this 4wd thing.

i'm going to take it to a mechanic friend of mine on monday. i'm sure he'll know what's up.

 

i took it in, they said i have a torn seal at the differential.