How big of a problem is this? CV?

Hey folks, did a tire rotation and oil change yesterday and when I was under the truck I noticed this on the drivers side. The passenger side looked ok/dry. Am I correct this is the CV joint/axel?

I'm guessing a seal has gone bad? Does this need to be fixed ASAP or do I have time?

2013 Sport with 118,000klm.

Much appreciated!

 

It’s not a huge deal. But it needs to be addressed before long.
It doesn’t look to be slinging oil yet.
It’s likely the axle seal.

You could pop the fill plug out, and see how much it takes to top it off.
It’s the plug in the top right of your picture.

It’s actually pretty common fo this to happen.
I usually see it start to get moist on the bottom first.
Mine did it. But not as bad as yours. (But would have been eventually)

Here is mine.

 

Thanks, recently I was ripping on a very bumpy FSR road to some hot springs for about 22km so not sure if that had anything to do with it...?

 

Drivers side CV is a sloppy fit due to that needle bearing that many change to ECGS solid bushing so if you go in for the seal change to the bushing. 175k and my sloppy CV is still original and if you grab and shake you will see. As above check diff fluid add as required.

 

nothing to panic about just yet. I wouldn't worry too much about it until it starts to drip when parked, leaving a puddle. Then you need to address it or just keep adding/topping off the fluid.

 

Just to make sure it's clarified....your CV joint and boot are fine. What is leaking (albeit just slightly) is your diff seal. It's the seal that goes around the axle stub as it enters the diff. Very cheap part but it's a bit of a pain to change. That being said, yours is not leaking considerably.

Do you know when you changed the diff fluid last? If you're at 118km then you're likely due for a diff fluid and transfer case fluid change. If it were me, when I did the fluid, I'd drain the front diff and measure how much came out. If it's reasonable, I'd just fill it up with new fluid, clean the affected area, and rock on.

 

Thanks,

I got all of the diff fluids changed at 100,000km.

SO when the time really comes, I can just replace the seal (or change to bushings) without needing to replace the entire CV axel... Correct?

 

Yeah if you changed the fluid recently then I'd say just wipe off the gunk and see if you end up with any dripping. If no dripping, you're good to go. A little seepage like that isn't a problem. If/when you pull the axle out to change the diff seal all of the fluid will pour out so assume you're going to do a fluid change then too. The front diff doesn't need a ton though so it's not expensive.
Here's a vid of a guy replacing a seal (passenger side).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHrJGWhYxsw

 

This.

Make sure fluid is topped off (hell you should probably just swap it out completely for maintenance) and untill it becomes a constant leak where it drips, dont worryaboutdit

 

If CVs are not making any noise and boots not ripped no need to change.
Stock are pretty long-lasting as I'm at 175k miles and original on an 09.