unusual 2010 kun26 diff housing leak

[theg]

I have oil leaking out of the diff housing bracing . Anyone seen this before . I think this indicates a leak through the main housing tube located behind the bracing .
The bracing has gasket silicone on its ends but I think this is for keeping water and mud from getting between the bracing and the tube to stop rust forming .
Ive searched many online hilux diff pictures and have not seen a single one leaking like this .

[Mud Dog]

Hi and welcome Mark.
I've never come across one that leaks without some form of injury. I cannot see clearly enough from your pics but it looks like the housing has been dented there ... might be mistaken.

Fortunately it's only just weeping and it's not a matter of urgency but it would need to be seen to, and that means stripping and welding. In the short term you could try caulk it with soap .. the bar kind and the harder the better, like a laundry soap bar. The normal toilet soap will work for a while but it's too soft to last very well. You would first clean the area and knead small pieces of soap at a time (no water added), and apply it like a putty pressing it on firmly. Could last up to a year until you can get around to the proper repair.

[theg]

Im suspicious there is a manufacture weld fault in the main axle tubes behind the bracing .
Its the only way I can see oil getting in there. Im guessing its supposed to be free of oil and sealed up with silicone just to keep water and mud from getting between the housing tube and brace .
The condition of the housing is still as factory delivered with no damage to the housing .
Both sides are leaking ,one more than the other .
I will remove the sealer today and allow the oil trapped behind the bracings to exit .
Interested to see if only a few drops or more comes out .
Will post more info after this is done.

[theg]

Silicone removed .
One side had approx 3 drips of oil in it and the other side had approx 12 drips .
Im wondering if theres a pinhole in the welding of the main axle tubes and over 10 yrs and 200,000 klms its managed to put this oil through the holes into the void behind the braces .

[Mud Dog]

Quite possible. Just had a look at my rear axes and neither has that bracing. However yours doesn't look like an after market job IRO the closeness of the fit ... looks like it was pressed to an exact fit, but the welding looks manual and not machine, so I'm wondering. Then there's that sticker tag that suggests it's ex-factory.

It's not leaking much so it's not serious - even doubt that you will get any water ingress with water crossings. Maybe you can just re-seal it with something like Sika-Flex that will give a good seal and is impervious to oil. The alternative would be to complete a weld seal all the way around the gusset and that means stripping completely ... also run the risk of heat distortion / warping. I think I would just re-seal it properly with a decent product like Sika-Flex.

[pietpetoors]

Clean the housing in the area of the brace and inspect for possible cracks in the housing.