Tell me this isn't what i think it is.
 

So today I changed out my fuel filter, and when I was down under I noticed this

Attachment 688806

Both sides, this red fluid on the rotor dust cover. Same color as the redline diff oil I put in... Wth is goin on here?

Looks like your axle seals are leaking.

Did you overfill the diff?

My first thought would also be axle seal leak, but that is some nasty diff oil if that is what it is.....

Also, does or has the car been sitting a lot? Usually axle seal leaks result in a nice coating of diff fluid/oil on the entire inside of the wheel, covering brake components as well....Since it is just (apparently) trickling down the back side of the backing plate it seems a bit strange....

By the looks of things it has been leaking for a while . Like rwatson 5651 said it might be overfull . check fluid on level ground .. Do you happen to be parking on a good side slope ? that could cause the diff oil to run down the axle tubes and cause problems at the seals .. Brakes are probably getting wet with oil also . Gerald m.

Could be assembly lube. Has it been rebuilt?

Check the vent on the axle also.

your car is leaking slime call the ghostbusters. that shit looks nasty :lol:. that stopped being diff fluid a long time ago. most of them leak so slow you wont barley notice mine does and i filled it 2 years ago and it still is fine

. i would be more concerned if that was brake fluid though. my leaky calipers used to look just like that. without ht slime of course. :icon_tup:

Looks like you use Heavy Shockproof.

And your axle seals leak.

They're not bad to change, although you can limp it along by pulling the axles out and siliconing the bearings to the housing.

BTW - Shockproof only has its special properties for 5,000mi or so, after that it is just regular gear oil. When it changes color from red to purple is a good idea to change it.

Also BTW - I overfill my diffs all the time, putting two full quarts into the rear. The last half-quart has to go in (slowly) through the vent hole. The seals don't leak.

How hard is it to change axle seals? The fluid has only been in the diff for two months or so and yeah it is the shockproof. It looks nasty because the dust shield is covered in grime. Pros of nw living, your undercarriage will never look clean. Not even during the summer lol. I probably did overfill it though I put in around 2 quarts. What vent are you guys talking about? I didn't see one when I was down there.. then again I wasn't looking for one either. It's a gs with gsl rear.

Oh and brake fluid crossed my mind but I checked my res and its full. It's got all new calipers and rotors so I highly doubt it even as a slow leak.

Nope but sure as hell needs to be lol.

I don't really park on hills. My driveway is flat, and my work parking lot is flat. It's on both sides too. tjeyre pretty much symmetrical leaks.

You need to pull the axle then pop the seal out and pop in the new one. A proper seal installing mandrel helps greatly, or you can use a large socket on an extension, as long as it's as large as the seal. You don't want to get it in crooked or distort it.

I've never replaced one, I just silicone the bearing. Usually it leaks for me because the housing is so distorted that a new one won't seal either, that or the axle bearing is toast. I have six GSL-SE axles and only one of them has a good bearing :)

Axle seals are relatively easy to replace and fairly cheap. I've replaced them on my FB rear axle, as well as my Toyota 8" rear axle -- same process, different size. It's been a while since I did it on the FB, but you can usually use a large screwdriver to pry the old seal out, then as peejay says, use a large socket to install the new one.

Before you start buying parts, however, check your bearings. If they're too far gone, they will allow enough axle movement that you may be leaking axle oil due to that.

All bearings were replaced so they should be fine. Are you running the Toyota 8" in a fb?

How does the silicone hold up versus an actual seal replacement?

It lasts a few months, which is about as long as I get to go before having to pull the axle back out again for whatever reason.

Hmm. Well I guess I have another project to add to the list. Sucks having all this stuff to do that seems so important and not having enough money or time to get it all done when I want.