Differential Fluid dripping from breather hose

[nrogers]

I have a 1999 Isuzu VehiCross and yesterday I was walking past it and smelled some kind of fluid. I opened the hood and there was a puddle under the breather hose for the differential that comes out by the power steering reservoir. My problem is that I can't figure out why differential fluid would be coming out of the breather hose. I have not messed with the differential fluids since I got the car last year.

[PK]

Extremely unlikely to be diff oil unless you have been playing in the water and fill the diff up with water.

What colour and thickness is the oil??
Diff oil is pretty dark and heavy.
Power steering oil is the same as AFT - redish colour.

PK

[nrogers]

I have not been any any high water or mud. I know it's 90 wieght diff fluid. I took some and compared it.

[tom4bren]

I'd drain some of the fluid from the pumpkin to see if it's contaminated with water anyway. That's the only thing I can think of that would push the fluid up & out of the breather.

BTW, I disconnected my breather tube & replaced with a bellows that I found online. So far, works like a charm. The main reason I did that though was because with my lift & diff drop, I was afraid that the hose would pull loose from the diff with suspension travel.

[Triathlete]

Tom...your front diff does not move with suspension travel.

NROGERS...any noise from the diff area when driving? Maybe bad bearings causing heat buildup and fluid expansion? Or maybe it was just a one time fluke...clean the area and keep an eye on it for a while. Also other fluid might appear thicker after being heated. Diff fluid has a pretty strong smell.

[tom4bren]

Yer right ... what was I thinkin??? How 'bout diff drop & body roll (to the left)???

I just remembered how tight the hose was after the diff drop ... even snaking a little more down from the top.

[Triathlete]

Tightness I can see...they usually don't put much slack in anything.