+2 on the u-joints. Last summer I was chasing my tail on a vibrtion. Swore it was comming from the front end. My front wheel bearings were loose and bad but that didn't fix it.

I then crawled under and checked the u-joints and man did the rear drive shaft have some play. One of the u-joints had no needle bearings left in it. All it had was metal dust <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/zombie.gif" alt="" />

As for the leak on top I believe there is a gasket where the shift lever bolts to the transmission. You'll need to pull the center console out to access the shifter.