Possible ATF Leak... Transfer Case?

[270_BMW]

Hey Guys... so with the cold snap moving through the Mid-West of course everyone is rushing to winterize their vehicles, myself included -- thinking I was ready to move about the frozen wasteland, unhindered in my unstoppable X5...but I got a bit of a surprise this morning after returning from Lowes.

A puddle of what I believe to be ATF sitting in the drive way, looking to be located below the right side of the transfer case.

Possibly unrelated, but on the way home (about a 15 mile round trip) I noticed an odd sound when cruising at 35MPH, like I running over segmented rumble strips on the side of the road in a constant pattern until I decelerated to around 30MPH, it was still present but not as loud.

Eventually went away, but was still enough to cause some concern. Does this sound like a transfer case problem in the works? Also would you think a cold snap from 50 Degrees to -17 Windchill overnight would be something of a cause?

Thanks in advance.

Will be checking back in here later... gotta get a water heater replaced in the meantime, picked a hell of a time to go out. When it rains it pours right?

[Elkman]

I've got a story from last winter during a 0-degree cold snap. I started my Kubota utility tractor to feed hay to the cattle, and I also noticed some funny sounds. Pulled it back in the barn and there was transmission fluid all over the concrete. Turned out it was the frigid temps, cold metal/rubber, and probably ice crystals, ripped the seal in the transmission around the front drive shaft. I have no idea if this is what happened to you, but with the temps you had to deal with, it's a possibility.

Hope things pick up for you. Sometimes, when it rains, it pours!

[80stech]

The transfer case fluid is usually clear and there is less than a liter of it. You should probably poke your head under and see what you can see.