... it pours gear oil. Yet more expenses for this damned 4Runner.
The truck was making a scraping noise when moving, so I suspected a wheel bearing or something worse. What I found was a layer of metal from the muffler had separated due to rust, and it was rubbing against the driveshaft. This was easy to fix.
Unfortunately, I also discovered the something worse: gear oil leaking from the front diff. Lots of it. It looks like it’s coming from the right-hand output shaft, so either a seal or the bearing is toast. Hooray.
The optimist in me thinks that this is a great opportunity to install a locker, or even to install a new gear set for 35" tires. The realist in me wonders how he’ll pay for both the basic repairs and this year’s summer vacation...