[BlueStreak]

I was checking the origin of a very small leak under my '05 SSR Automatic, just to the rear of the engine.

When it was jacked up and I crawled under, I noticed a shiny housing with a large circular hole in it open to the ground and could see the teeth of a large gear inside.

Attached are some photos.

Exactly what am I seeing here? Is this the way it is supposed to be?

With our dirt and gravel roads around here, all sorts of crap can go flying up this big opening!

You can call me ignorant but I don't want anything to go wrong with this truck so tell me if I should be worried.

In the times I have been under my truck while it was on a lift, I think I would have noticed a hole like that. I do not remember any such thing. Hope someone lets us know what it is and how it should be covered.