Oil on back of transfer case?

Hi all, I'm new to the forum and this is my first Tacoma. I just bought the truck last week. It's a 2021 TRD Sport with 25k miles. Originally a lease and I am the second owner. I noticed that there is some oil on the back of the transfer case. It's not dripping at all, just a little wet. I tried to follow it and see if it's coming from further up and just blown back, but it's pretty hard to tell. What do you all think? Are there any known issues?

 

Clean the entire area well with good degreaser and a garden hose. Then monitor closely over the next few weeks. This will help pin point the location

 

Good advice SR-71. That is my plan next weekend, it's been raining for 3 days straight here.

 

T-case is a clam shell with two halves. Tighten up the bolts just snug. I don't remember the torq spec, it could be as low as 13ft. I had one of the bolt loose on mine, causing a small seep.

Also check the fluid level, pretty simple thing to do.

 

Awesome, thanks InThePlains.

 

If you still have warranty, let them figure it out....
I know alot of times on ford transmissions & tranfercases with similar drain & fill plugs with that style crush washer.
Alot of times the plug isnt tight enough causing seepage past the metal washer...

 

I wouldnt be just tightening bolts or even touching it if you still have warranty.
Wouldnt be just tightening bolts regardless, silicone seal.....
Also looks like it may be coming from further forward at the gasket where the entire tranfercase mounts to the rear of the trans....
Really hard to tell from the upclose pics...
Actually looks like its coming from really forward on the trans to me looking at pic #3 but then again, cant see the entire picture to really analyze what's going on....

 

Speaking from recent experience with changing my transfer case oil for the first time at about 70k miles. I had some weeping coming from the fill plug area, evident by the damp look and dust accumulation.

Truck sat overnight in a cool garage. When I removed the fill plug, there was a bit of air pressure released from the transfer case. I found this to be odd. Knowing what I knew, I checked the breather under the hood. It seemed to be jammed up (wouldn't move freely). I had to manipulate it quite a bit to free it up. Tested it with compressed air and it seemed good after the TLC.

My theory was my breather plug was faulty and allowed pressure to build in the T-case when driving and warming up. Maybe just enough to make T-case fluid weep out. Maybe worth a look in your case.

 

^
I 2nd this. Auto or manual? If manual, the only seals that could be suspect is the input shaft seal on the tcase or the rear main seal. Only difference with the auto is that it has a seal on the trans output I believe.

 

Thanks for all the replies guys.

It's an automatic. I had it on my mechanic buddies lift today. He thinks it's the input seal and it's flinging oil on the sides and blowing back to where my pictures are near the fill/drain. We checked the level and it's fine so I have time to sort it out. I have a 90 day bumper to bumper warranty, so I'm going back to the dealer to have them figure it out. If they give me run around then we'll clean it up real good like suggested and try to find the source.

I'll keep you all posted.

 

Take better pictures, zoomed out from both directions....
just incase they clean it off & just send you down the road without a repair since the warranty is very short lived....
Just like anything, theres good techs & bad techs....

Would have been very dumb if you would have cleaned it off as suggested...
the leak could have taken 6 months to present itself again & you would have just washed away all evidence....

 

Good advice slater, thanks.

 

Curious as to how cleaning the area to pin point the source of leak is dumb?

 

I don't think any offense was meant Strictly. Cleaning the area to pinpoint the leak is a great idea, but with a warranty the dealer probably would have told me everything is fine without the evidence and only being 90 days I could get pushed off until they wouldn't take responsibility.

 

Cuz you have warranty & by cleaning it you just got rid of all evidence that it in fact is an actual leak & not just seepage....
Depending on the severity of the leak, it may take 6 months before you even get a drip, that would have screwed the OP in this situation....
Techs dont want to see pics, some are lazy & dont want to do the job to begin with...
So if he shows-up with a clean transmission & whining about a leak, the tech will just send him down the road saying it was a loose plug & I fixed it, or NPF it cuz theres minimal evidence....

Ford actually presents tech with samples of oil leaks, if it collects dirt like the pics here its considered a "sweat" & they advise us to not repair the leak...
If I dont repair a leak, I dont make money...
I wasnt one of the many lazy ones....

If youre good its very rare that you need to clean-off all or any oil leak residue in-order to isolate the source of the leak...
All the evidence & pathway is all there for you to analyze,
eliminating that as a customer would be a bone head move....

Yes if its customer pay & you dont really have the funds & you want to spin your wheels, go right ahead...
But all the evidence you want to get rid of tells a very detailed story if you have a clue....

Been in the dealership engine / trans oil leak repair game for 32 years....
Its what I did, day in & day out.
Just saying...

 

That could be a very slow leak & what you have there is 2-3 years of seepage,
cleaning it off & driving it around for just a few days or months may show NOTHING....
But youre within a short window of opportunity to get this repaired...
As stated, good techs & bad, someone inspected that truck before it was put on the front line & they put their blinders on...

Another thing if this 90 day warranty is from just a used car lot & not an actual dealer...
They may have their tech clean it off, tell you it was a loose drain plug or fitting, etc, send you down the road without doing a repair...
or tell you they fixed it when in fact they didnt....

Just giving you every scenario, ive seen many...

90 day warranty from used car lot comes out of the lots expense / pocket...
Theyre shady & its all about keeping profit.

 

Looks to me like it's coming from the (dry) cavity between the transmission and transfer case. So either output shaft seal of transmission or input shaft seal of transfer case.

Unbolt the transfer case, pull it back a bit and I'll bet some fluid will come spilling out

 

You mentioned input shaft, input shaft where?
Input shaft would be the very front of the transmission / front pump area where the torque converter is...
or the front of the transfer case where the transfer case mounts to the rear of the transmission.

 

Like others have advised: Put a piece of cardboard down and clean/spray the entire case thoroughly with Brakleen before you do anything else. Don't fool with tightening anything. You could make it worse and the dealer will be off the hook.

It looks fairly fresh. It may just be that they drained and changed the gear oil in it and left a mess. Otherwise, I'd suspect the drain-plug gasket. Drive it around for a while and see if the leak returns. If it does and it's clean oil this time it will tell you a lot.

Welcome to TacomaWorld

 

Ahh yes if you still have a warranty, take a bunch of good pics and get it back to the dealer.

If I were a betting man Id say you will end up dealing with it yourself on down the road, but for now best to try the warranty route