Help Where is all this Fluid/Oil/Grease Coming From

Hello all,

I crawled under my truck this morning and found lots of oil and gunk sprayed everywhere on the bottom. Attached are pictures. Wondering if this is something I need to be concerned with or not...

 

Be concerned.

 

Check around the oil pan and transfer case (if you're 4x4). If you can't find a fresh trail, rinse everything down with some Simple Green and check over a few drives.

 

Check rear main, oil filter, oil pan, etc.

 

I wouldn't drive it till you find out

 

I changed the oil a few days ago. Checked level and it's good. Filter is good and so is drain plug. I have had some build up of gunk down there since I bought the truck (a year ago) but it definitely seems to have intensified. As you can see in one of the pics drips are forming... any other ideas? It is a 4x4 3.4l v6

Thanks for all the help

 

I would be curious

 

Based on the pics, it seems to be coming from the underside. We can't really pin point the exact cause, so you're going to have to get under there and look around. @matt 157 could be correct in that the rear main seal is leaking.

 

I see it splattered on the transfer case skid so that's what makes me have reason to believe it would be coming from the rear main. If you overfilled your oil by accident that could do it. Check and see if you're losing oil with time and be sure it's on level ground

 

I'll dig around and see what I can see. I'm young and this is the first vehicle I have ever worked on. I have done all the work on it but I'm still learning. So I'll check it out to the best of my ability. And see if I can pin point the source...

 

If you're still in high school you may want to sign up for a year in autoshop. That was the most valuable class I ever took. (They still do have autoshops, don't they?)

 

Take it to a car wash and use the degreaser and pressure washer and clean the top and bottom of the motor and tranny, its going to be really hard to find the leak or leaks when everything is caked in oil

 

looks like engine oil from the pics...

Is it standard or auto trans? either way check your trans fluid/oil level.

 

I graduated in 1999 here in Florida and none of the high schools had auto shop class. I thought that was only on TV and movies ha.

 

It's a standard. Oil level is good. No leak coming from filter. Drain plug is torqued. Took it to a shop to throw it up on a lift. They said shifter gaskets may be the culprit. Tranny fluid was just a hair low.

 

These trucks tend to come slightly low on fluid, so I am not surprised.

 

sounds like the trans then

 

Are you the one that got stuck? Maybe that contributed?

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/stuck.486877

 

Hahaha thats funny. No that was not me. funny coincidence though...

 

Gear oil and Engine oil smell much different can you tell the difference.

Then it will be easier to figure out

Was it possible you drove through a puddle that was more oil then water ??