Please Help: Did I Break Something?

To be honest I already wiped it off and forgot to smell it

 

Taste it and we will really know!

 

If it was CV joint grease it would have made you work to remove it.

CV joint lube is like no other lube. It is super sticky! Nasty stuff!

 

No, this stuff came right off with a paper towel.

 

Tar doesn’t just wipe off without a solvent

 

Now I'm getting worried again. Anything else I should check?

 

If it was my case I would crawl under and check everything under, suspension, axles... if it got to your lower door there should me evidence under...

If you can’t find it or everything is clean under I would guess it is not part of the truck...

 

The way that is splattered, it looks like it was kicked up by your tire just like the mud. If the CV boots are fine, you are probably being overly paranoid. If you were following someone, they should probably check out their vehicle.

 

I looked pretty extensively at everything underneath on that side of the truck. I didn't see any traces of grease anywhere.

 

We weren't following anyone. However on our way up the trail we passed a van parked on the side of the trail with a broken rear axle. Later in the day as we headed back down the trail we noticed the van was gone so we assumed they got it towed out. Maybe they dropped some grease along the way?

 

That looks just like moly grease like what you'd use on your u-joints. Probably just drove over some or something similar that got kicked up, doesn't look like it came from underneath

 

Thanks for the quick replies everyone. Because of the fact that I can't find literally any other trace of grease anywhere underneath I'm going to go with it not originating from my truck. We did pass a van with a broken axle yesterday so maybe I picked some of their grease up on the trail.

 

You do get internet points for taking care of your investment, even if it was unwarranted.

 

That is not from your truck.

 

Check your tire treads and see if there is anything on the grooves. I know its a long shot that it might still be there but wouldnt hurt if you a still concerned.

 

Better to be over paranoid and do the do diligence to check things out. Most people don’t and end up with worse problems down the road.

 

I did glance the treads over but just the parts of the tire that were easily visible. I'll check more thoroughly but I didn't see anything.

 

Out of curiosity, what is the most common cause of damaging a CV boot?

 

Debris is a pain in the ass ( sticks, rocks, ect.) Also if you stress your CV and they rub together. From other people's helpful hints if you can put a piece of paper between em freely on flat ground you're good. Don't take that to the bank though just word of mouth.

 

Lifting the truck over 3".

Backing up while turning the wheel hard left or right, then having the tire fall into a rut. Really compounds the stretching of the boots. Doing this in very cold weather adds to the likely hood of a torn boot.

The second most common is tow truck drivers using their "J" hooks on your half shafts. It is a secure place to hook to when winching up onto the tow truck, but it also years the boots.

Be aware, CV joint is very robust. I tore a boot at the 26,000 mile point. Since they are easy to change, I decided to run it to failure. The truck went over 300,000 miles and that CV never broke. I never changed that CV.