Grease on transfer case and transmission

Took a peak under my truck today and noticed a significant amount of grease on the bottom of the transfer case and on the bottom of the transmission forward of the exhaust crossover. I had the transfer case fluid changed by the dealership at 160,000 miles. I also had them grease my ujoints. It almost looks like the techs over greased the ujoints. Looks similar to the consistency of ujoint grease but I can’t tell. Is it possible that this is just residual grease form a sloppy job at the dealership or is something leaking. Vehicle drives normally. 4low works fine.

 

Looks like too much grease was applied.

 

Looks like a bad o-ring/seal based on the 2nd and 3rd pics

 

Hmm but why the u joints are coated in grease?

 

could it be ujoint grease on the transfer case but a bad seal on the transmission as well? Guess I’ll be taking it in. Seems to me the dealership should have spotted a leaking seal during the transfer case fluid change.

 

That’s just from overgreasing the joints

 

Best way is to clean up the area first then observe for a couple of weeks

 

I have to make an 800 mile road trip this weekend. Will it be fine to drive that far? No leaks below the truck so I assume if it is leaking it is very slowly and a small amount.

 

U joints will sling old purged grease onto the underside but not forward. Pop out your TC fill bolt and stick a pinky in there, see if it’s still full.

 

That ain't grease from the u-joint...

 

If you're really concerned you can pop open the transfer case fill plug to check the level. Super easy to check.

 

U joint would leave a pretty straight line side to side above it on the undercarriage. It's spinning so it will fling it. Also the grease is thick and won't creep forward like that.

 

Clean everything up, check the fluid in the transfer case. If the level is normal drive and observe.

 

I will check the fluid level tomorrow morning when I have better light and bring it to an independent Toyota mechanic. Thank you everyone for the replies.

 

Little update on the problem. All reputable independent shops were booked out for weeks so I took it the my local dealer. They told me the seal needs to be replaced and quoted me around $800 for parts and labor. Is this price reasonable?

 

You need to determine how much it’s leaking. If it’s weeping a teaspoon a year I wouldn’t pay $800 until it got much much worse.

 

Like others have said, clean it up, check the fluid level, then observe. In that time, take it to a more trusted mechanic when they have availability. If the fluid isn't low, then you are fine driving it.