Strange Axle leak

[rebelmp]

Hey all, After a drive the other night, I parked and noticed a leak in the rear diff, but it looked like it was right at the drain plug, so I thought maybe I got lucky and it just came loose. Still think that might be the case, but also have a real strange wet spot up the arm towards the drivers side tire. Couldn't find anyting on here mentioning leaks outside of the seals. etc, so thought I'd put the pic up and see if anyone has any thoughts or suggestions...

[RRoller123]

That is very odd. It could be being flung by the driveshaft spinning, and then collecting on the axle housing, but you would expect it all over the place, in a 360deg pattern, and it only seems on the driver's side. There is nothing forward of this that would deposit oil there exclusively. It also does not seem to be leaking from the tire end and running back. I would suggest that you spray clean the whole axle housing area and see if the leak is from a small crack/etc. in the axle housing. Hope not.

[redcars]

I agree you should clean it and see where it is leaking from. I was thinking maybe a rust through hole. Once you have it cleaned up and know where the leak is coming from then you will be able to work a fix. Let us know what you find out. Good luck.

[rebelmp]

Hey guys, wanted to let you know I figured this out. After getting underneath there with a power drill with a wire brush and finding out that it was beautifully smooth and full metal under all the gunk, I did a little more checking. Turns out, one of the previous owners lost the nut holding the brake line hydraulic tee to the rear axle. You can see in the photo, their replacement was to zip tie the thing to it. The zip tie had moved so it was between the tee and the brake hose, pushing the hose back a bit. So, the brake fluid was leaking there, but it was gathering on the zip tie and moving down the tie and gathering on the bottom of the axle. Thanks for the help guys.

Side note, i'd have never noticed the leak if the gunk wasn't on the axle to show me the wetness, but, at the same time, I could never find the cause without it being clean. Seems I had to get rid of my early warning system.