I noticed the other day that I had oil spattered all over my rear tow hitch and bumper. My rear diff is leaking gear oil.
It's coming from the front side of it probably from the seal. I parked it for a few days and the leaking almost stopped so I'm guessing that some sort of pressure is building up inside and blowing the oil out. Maybe my breather thingie is clogged. Has anyone had this problem? And if so what needed to be fixed and how much did it cost? I don't want to get reamed. thanks guys!

 

I had my seal replaced, my gears looked at, an additive for smoother flow, and an oil change for less than $150 a few months ago. But that was on my 1st gen.

I too need to double check on my rear diff breather.

 

Pull the breather out and clean it. It is a terribly simple device, just a loose cap over the end of the fitting to keep dirt and water out, yet allow air to pass in and out as needed. Or better yet, replace it with a raised breather tube:

http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri...html#Breathers

 

Chances are even after i replace the breather it will still leak right?

 

not necesaarily... oil has a way of swelling up seals... and if there is no where for pressure to go, it goes the way of least resistance, if the breather is clogged and you clean it, the pressure may be bled off through it rather than the extreme pressure trying to blow past a seal... its harder to blow oil out of a seal then a proper working pressure valve

 

ok so i got under there today to install my diff breather extension and see where the fluid was coming from. On a whim i decided to tighten all the 3rd member nuts, they were ALL loose. Not loose enough to hand tighten but i needed only gravity to tighten them @ 1st with my ratchet. No more leaks, go figure.....

 

Always check the simple things first. Nuts do loosen up. I find mine leaks a bit, but I think it is mainly the OEM paper gasket I used when I last installed it. I think the paper sort of acts like a wick and leaks oil like that. My front diff was re-installed with sealant and it is leak free. So when I swap axles the diff will be going back in with sealant this time. I'll probably pop for a tube of Toyota orange FIPG (for gear oil use).