Oil Spot Under Transmission

[BackFromTheDead]

Hi everyone - long time, no see...

The FJ60 is running fine, except for maybe a slight decrease in MPG. But then again, it's been a year since a tune-up/filter change.

However, I've noticed a small (2 inch) wet spot in the driveway, and it looks like it's coming from the manual transmission housing. The underside of the transmission is visibly oily, and it looks like the source may be either the seal between the engine and the tranny, and also maybe the trasfer case and the tranny.

In any case, it doesn't look like a significant leak, but I can only imagine the work involved in trying to replace the seal between the tranny and the engine or transfer case.

Would you be concerned with this, or just keep tabs on the tranny gear oil levels? All my experience is under the hood - I really don't know anything about the drivetrain.

[REKCUT]

I would power wash the underside and then watch to find out for sure where its comming from. Also check the oil level every fill up to find out loss amount

[Esther]

I would do what Rekcut says. Monitoring that leak is the best first step.
If you are not going to replace the rear main seal yourself, a shop will charge anywhere from 800 to 1000 to do it. Once it is down, you might as well check out the clutch plate and all the other stuff in there. A little drip could turn out to be a big project if you want it to be.
John

[Cruiserdrew]

You should immediately check the level in the t-case. When the seal between the t-case and the tranny goes bad, oil gets pumped into the transmission and out of the t-case. Then it can leak out of the tranny seals. This also causes bad things to happen in the t-case.

So..get some data, check your levels and report back. If you are lucky, it's teh rear output seal which is an easy fix.