I noticed a random clunk/bump while running some errands this morning. So when I got home I got under the rear of the car and noticed that there was a greasy/grimey buildup on the 10 bolt. There was a good amount of it on the left side and it was creeping up the axle. The right side was fine though. There were no other sounds other than the occasional clunk. No whine or anything. Does this mean it is going to blow soon? I cant afford a 12 bolt with a part time job and going to school full time.
Or am I overreacting? Please tell me this is normal.

 

Is is coming from the end of the rear end housing at the axle? If it is wet there, you probably have a worn axle that is wallowing around (causing clunking) and causing the seal to leak. To check, remove the wheel and pull up/down on the axle. There should not be any appreciable play.

 

Okay thanks Ill try that. Oops just remembered the new drivetrain forum. Sorry mods!

 

Well, I tried it and there was no play. It is all wet around the one side of the housing. Any more ideas?

 

So, is it leaking at the axle or exactly where? You may just have a bad axle seal.

 

It is hard to tell where exactly it is leaking. But it is on the side of the housing and on the axle. I am in between classes right now so I cant play with it too much and I noticed that when I pulled into the driveway it was making creaking sounds. Thanks for the quick responses.

 

Mine is like that too, underneath. I haven't noticed any clunks or anything. I'm on my LT install so I can't drive it and it hasn't been driven for like a month. That will probably be my next project

 

Might be obvious ....but if its leaking did you check the gear oil level and refill it if needed. One time my front drive unit on Toy 4x4 was making some wierd noise when I engaged it.....I started adding gear oil and 2 quarts later it finally was full .....I tried it again and it made noise for awhile and then it was back to normal after a few miles....dont know if a 10 bolt would fair as well .