Possible rear main seal oil leak

[jci]

Went to do a break in oil change today at 2900 miles on my TRD Off road. After I removed the under tray, I saw oil residue on the transmission end bell. Instantly stopped and took pictures. Showed a service advisor and we both suspect it could be leaking from the rear main seal. Scheduled an appointment to drop the truck off this Friday.

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[TacoFreak]

Yeah, looks like a rear main to me, and your Tacoma isn't the only one. But it is a straightforward repair and parts should be available, so there should be very little down time.

Please let us know how this turns out.

 

[2GenTaco]

Wipe it all down and wait to see if it comes back. Could be assembly lube from input shaft.

 

[Gfenza89]

Wipe it all down and wait to see if it comes back. Could be assembly lube from input shaft.

3rd gens were same way. It’s asssembly lube for sure. Wipe the residue with your finger I guarantee you it’ll be real sticky feeling and not like oil. My 3rd gen was the same way, so was a part of the steering rack. Wiped both spots and they were sticky and didn’t smell like oil. It’s assembly lube heating up and oozing its way down.

 

[Gfenza89]

Yeah, looks like a rear main to me, and your Tacoma isn't the only one. But it is a straightforward repair and parts should be available, so there should be very little down time.

Please let us know how this turns out.

Its assembly lube guarantee it. My 3rd gen was the same way and I’ve seen numerous Tundra threads of the same thing. Wipe it with his finger and I guarantee it will be a sticky substance like grease and not thin like oil. It’s lube heating up and creeping down. Also I bet it won’t smell like engine oil

 

[TacoFreak]

Its assembly lube guarantee it. My 3rd gen was the same way and I’ve seen numerous Tundra threads of the same thing. Wipe it with his finger and I guarantee it will be a sticky substance like grease and not thin like oil. It’s lube heating up and creeping down. Also I bet it won’t smell like engine oil

Good information and I hope that is the source of the oil on @jci's truck. Checking it out the way you suggest could help figure that out. I also wondered if there was any oil under his truck, which would point to a rear main failure. If there isn't any then assembly lube seems more likely.

I will be interested to hear what the dealer says and does next.

 

[Gfenza89]

Good information and I hope that is the source of the oil on @jci's truck. Checking it out the way you suggest could help figure that out. I also wondered if there was any oil under his truck, which would point to a rear main failure. If there isn't any then assembly lube seems more likely.

I will be interested to hear what the dealer says and does next.

Some things your better off not jumping to conclusions. I would wipe it first and determine the smell the viscosity “texture”. Then I would smell it. If all checks out and it doesn’t smell or feel like oil I would spray brake clean wipe it away and move on and completely avoid the dealer fiasco. Of course check the area again in another 1k miles just to double check

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