Where is this coming from..?

It’s oil (not grease), the boot is intact, the shock is not leaking, the brakes are not leaking, no fluids of any kind dripping from above, the front diff shows no leaks anywhere.

I’m a little stumped.



(the grease on the LCA is intentional)

 

Maybe you ran over something. I’d wash it all off really good and check daily to see if it returns.

 

I'm not gonna say the difference in fluids and how to tell because you probably already know

1. boot can have a pinhole leak that's invisible to see
2. if any coating is on the frame or body, heat can make it liquify and drip down
3. oil leaks move downward along components (gravity) and backwards from wind, making finding them tricky

IF it's oil, you can clean the shit out of everything, and spray any suspect areas with Gold Bond (white) that is used by dealers as a diagnostic tool.
It changes appearance in the presence of a leak.
No leak? Stays a solid white film. Leak? Turns clear.

And, there's UV oil additive that can be put into the oil. Smells bad. Again, IF it's the engine oil. Which, at that point, after leaking out, is looked for wearing those yellow glasses to protect your eyes and a UV flashlight

I'm not gonna say it can be suspension bushings or ball joints, because BJ's have grease that can look different
and I don't think the bushings on these are filled with hydraulic fluid, nor the motor mounts

But, at this mileage, I wouldn't be surprised to see issues with the steering rack
I know mine is leaking from the boots
Not trying to drop $1k on a Tundra rack rn so for now I just keep it topped up wit some Lucas StopLeak and M1 ATF.

if you do clean things up
like engine bay detail, degrease, wash, rinse
brakleen
spraying Gold Bond, yellow can from walmart
only limitation there is really
-time
-money (parts cost of the cans, cleaning supplies, etc.)
-trying to not breathe the fumes of all that shit

looks like there's some leak drippage onto the LCA bolt nut, which looks kind of black
one thing I did notice on my leak from the P/S rack boot, is for some reason it is also very black. Probably the only black fluid from the truck.
I think it could have to do with the M1 ATF picking up crap on it's way out discoloring it
I already know in my case that is where it's from
but if I didn't, and was unsure if it's oil or ATF, I'd probably try getting my hand dirty, then smearing it between my fingers to see if there's a cleaning effect, and what it smells like
as ATF and engine oil smell different, and engine oil just smears/lubricates while ATF being high in detergents will have a cleaning effect almost like soap

boot does look dry in the pic though so maybe it is not P/S rack
you can always temporarily loosen the outer boot clamp, stick a straight long pick tool inside and pry on it a bit open to see if anything drips out

I've also got a slow leak from what appears to be a P/S line. That's another one that can happen

I've heard cases of fluid hoses getting stiff from age no longer sealing as well, with the repair being either (free) to temporarily undo, loosen, and re-install
or ideally replace

 

So far I’m leaning toward this explanation.

 

I didn’t know about the Gold Bond.

Thanks for the tip.

 

THIS^^

I have several mechanic friends and this was how they almost always solved an unknown fluid leak - clean it up and see where/how/if it returns

 

Look up.

 

Is gear oil coming out the front diff vent?

 

Not that is apparent.