...anyone else ever have this problem?

i have a '98 4x4 - bought used and still tracking down issues one by one. the most recent being fluid leaks. i know for sure i have an oil leak, somewhere, possibly rear main?

but the thing that i am baffled by is the buld up i am getting on my tailgate. thin film of something. dont know if its oil, transmission fluid or something else of that nature but am assuming its blowing up from under the vehicle and (somehow) onto the tailgate. recently my wife were trasnporting some things in the truck and she had to follow me in her car and when we got home she was telling me that something oily was blowing onto her car as she was following me.

i find this rather alarming. can anyone give insight on this?

 

Definitely sounds like you have a leak somewhere. There are MANY possibilities. Transmission either at the pan, cooler lines, or front/rear seals. Engine oil either through the pan gasket, front/rear seals, or cooler/filter lines. And pretty much anywhere in between those items.

There are a lot of places for stuff to leak and without being there with the vehicle, it is near impossible to state where the leak is coming from without guessing.

The engine oil cooler/filter lines are under pressure and are not known for their reliability, but they rarely spray oil. If the lines rub together to cause a leak, it could be sufficient to cause the oil to spray out.

The transmission cooler lines shouldn't be under a lot of pressure, but like the oil cooler/filter lines, if they rub together or against something else, it could create a small pin-hole leak that could spray fluid out.

A leak from the front transmission seal, the back of the oil pan gasket, or from a leaking rear main seal could drain out through one of the holes in the transmission bellhousing and onto the exhaust where it could burn off slightly causing a sooty mess behind you.

Bottom line, you will need to get under there and find the source of the leak. You may have to clean things up before you can finally make the determination of the source. There are some UV dyes that can be added to the various fluids to make leak detection easier.

 

you know - i honestly think its got to be oil coming from somewhere. i have to add oil on a regular basis AND this may be attributed to another problem im noticing while driving.

when starting and driving from a cold start my oil pressure is just fine. after driving a while the oil pressure drops significantly when i come to a stop and goes right back up when i step back on the gas again.

 

@A leak from the front transmission seal, the back of the oil pan gasket, or from a leaking rear main seal could drain out through one of the holes in the transmission bellhousing and onto the exhaust where it could burn off slightly causing a sooty mess behind you.


i think that could be my problem . if that is my problem when i pull my starter there should be trans fluid all over it right? here a pic of the spay all over my tailgate

 

No pic.

 

darn well its my other picture on my profile .i have been looking around more under the truck and was checking out the 3 vacuum lines , when i pulledon the thicker one it pulled right down , it looked as if it had melted by the tail pipe or some thing and there was transmission fluid coming out it , so now i think im back to the transfer case seal and switch . i think maybe all the trans fluid was coming out the vent tube and draining down the transmission ....well i hoe thats it and not the front seal . i also noticed my vacuum actuator that i just replace it also stuck sucked in ???? does that have to do with the switch being bad iun the transfer case. could all the trans fluid in the vacuum line be causing my hesitation at 2000 to 3500 rpm's. and i cant find that darn vent thing where is it located or can i just get a new one