Help Plz: 2012 CrewMax ~153k miles leaking from behind transmission
Title says it all, I feel pretty stupid since I’ve been very lucky to never have a transmission/driveshaft issue on any truck I’ve driven. I’m hoping some of y’all’s experiences can help me determine what’s going on here.
Basically I noticed a tiny amount (like 2-4 drops of that dark, sweet/chemically smelling fluid, it smells almost like burnt coolant but idk how coolant would get back there) of the pictured black fluid dripping from the area shown before taking a 2 hour trip with ~500 pounds of junk loaded. Then, maybe 30-40 minutes into the trip I saw white smoke billowing from the rear paired with a sharp whining noise from roughly the area of the cabin above the transmission. I pulled off the highway immediately and parked in a lot where I stepped out and saw what you see here.
I have a mechanic I trust who I towed it to, but I’d quite like to know if anyone here has any idea what issue I’m looking at :/
Truck specs: 2012 CrewMax, 153k miles, rough country lift kit, regular preventative maintenance