I was getting ready to take a long trip in my 2007 5.9 automatic to pick up a 12 valve manual truck I’ve been wanting for awhile.. 1200 miles with a hauler on the back. Before my trip I changed my oil, checked ALL the fluids and greased ALL the fittings. My trans fluid was about a quart low and when I climbed under the truck with a flashlight there were drops of trans fluid on the pan and transfer case as well as coating the underside of the truck. I wiped everything down and sprayed everything with CRC Electric Cleaner. That dried everything up and gave everything a “chalky” dry look. I then went out on the expressway and did a 10 mile loop at speed. I looked under the truck and saw MINOR signs of fluid but wasn’t sure if it was residual from earlier. I let the truck sit for a few hours and after dark I climbed under with a camera and flashlight. There was some fluid around the seam of the “dust cover“ and a little around the seam on the transfer case. I took some photos. It looks like there might be a crack in the transfer case…it looks moist around there too. I keep my U-joints greased and don’t hammer my truck. What would cause a crack in the case? I replaced it about 100,000 miles ago. Can I just change the face plate without dropping it or do I need to drop the whole thing? Also is this something that HAS to happen now or can I baby it and live with it for a little while? It’s not dripping enough to make a drop or puddle on the driveway. My truck has 250,000 miles on it btw.

Is it realistic or even an option to braze the crack real quick?

Any thoughts?

Thanks y’all