after getting fifteen inches of snow last night , i used my 87 pickup to go to work.everything worked fine , but as i was within a mie of my house i started smeling gear oil . this is the first time i have used 4wd after getting the truck last july. this truck sat for 9 years at least .i got home and parked on the snow and let it sit for a few hours. i see no leaks, but i can still smell gear oil . i will need to wait until it is dry out to crawl underneath. any ideas what this could be?

 

Well check the front diff gear oil. If it looks or smells burnt replace it. I don't know but does the front diff have a breather on it. Might have been plugged up with snow and ice. Maybe that can cause the problem. Remember when checking your fluids (differential,tranny,t-case, anything with a separate drain and fill plug.

ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS make sure you can get the fill plug loose and out before pulling the drain plug. It would really suck to have drained you oil. Only to find out you can't put new stuff in. Just a tip. Let us know what you find

 

Do you know if there was gear oil in the front axle to begin with? First thing I do when getting a new truck is to check and change if needed all the fluids, you never know what kind of service a prior owner did or didn't do. Good advise on making sure the fill plug comes out before draining.

 

check the front output shaft on transfer might sling a little on the exaust