[S10Newbie2020]

Hi, wonderful forum this place is so active! I have discovered an oil leak on the rear of my engine and I’m not sure what to make of it. It seems like the pan is warped maybe from the block? I would greatly appreciate some assistance as I don’t want to drop this pan if I don’t have to. I would think if it’s the pan gasket I would see leakage elsewhere but this is the only spot. This was my late grandfathers truck and I have been restoring it back to mint condition. This is the last piece I need to fix. The leak is a slight drip that seems to not occur until after about 10 min after the engine has been parked and turned off. Thank you!

 

[oldeerslayer]

Engine oil isn't red. Runs yellowish to black depending on how long it's been in. Since I see a pair of trans cooling lines I assume it's a 4l60E automatic. My guess is your front seal is leaking. Doesn't happen often, but does happen. Just drop the trans and pop in a new one. IIRC you'll need to pull the front pump to change it. Not real difficult, but a little guidance helps. A Factory Service Manual would be helpful. I wouldn't place the life of my trans in the hands of a Haynes or Chilton comic book. There are also transmission repair manuals available from ATSG.
Or take it to a local trans shop once it's out. I'm sure they wouldn't charge too much to do a simple front seal. Avoid the Nationwide trans repair chains like Aamco. They can't be trusted. PM me if you want some horror stories.

 

[Salty Crusty]

^ as usual, he's right, that's tranny fluid. Bruce Jenner...er, Kaitlin hasn't been hanging around your truck by any chance, has he/she/it???
Kitty litter under the leak in its parking spot and you'll be fine.
Or...clean the whole area with brake parts cleaner until it's spotless. Use Gorilla duct tape to secure an absorbent pad in that spot and swap it out at every oil change. A cheap maxi-pad works as good as anything.
Fix it or fix around it, it depends on how much time, effort and money you're willing to invest.

 

[S10Newbie2020]

Engine oil isn't red. Runs yellowish to black depending on how long it's been in. Since I see a pair of trans cooling lines I assume it's a 4l60E automatic. My guess is your front seal is leaking. Doesn't happen often, but does happen. Just drop the trans and pop in a new one. IIRC you'll need to pull the front pump to change it. Not real difficult, but a little guidance helps. A Factory Service Manual would be helpful. I wouldn't place the life of my trans in the hands of a Haynes or Chilton comic book. There are also transmission repair manuals available from ATSG.
Or take it to a local trans shop once it's out. I'm sure they wouldn't charge too much to do a simple front seal. Avoid the Nationwide trans repair chains like Aamco. They can't be trusted. PM me if you want some horror stories.

wonderful thank you for the feedback! I don’t mind dropping the trans and spending some good time doing it the right way. If i don’t have to drop the oil pan I’m winning. Once this leak is fixed then I’m good to go until the next leak comes! If I pop that silver cap off will that give me access to the seal location to determine if it’s wet in there with whatever fluid it may be? I do not recall the fluid being reddish like that when I initially took the picture so I’ll look at the leak again to make sure if it’s ATF or not. Although, I did do a fresh oil change so that fluid should be clear with a hint of yellow not that color so it is highly probable that it is ATF

 

[oldeerslayer]

That little silver cap will only let you see the bottom of the torque converter. The seal is actually hidden in a recess in the trans end of the TC. It actually seals around the TC.
Crusty's correct that if it's only a tiny leak and you aren't losing any amount of ATF worth mentioning, ignore it.
I had to change one a few years back that was really leaking, otherwise it's really not worth the bother or expense. If you're worried about your garage floor put a plastic cottage cheese lid over that spot to catch the few drips.

 

[S10Newbie2020]

That little silver cap will only let you see the bottom of the torque converter. The seal is actually hidden in a recess in the trans end of the TC. It actually seals around the TC.
Crusty's correct that if it's only a tiny leak and you aren't losing any amount of ATF worth mentioning, ignore it.
I had to change one a few years back that was really leaking, otherwise it's really not worth the bother or expense. If you're worried about your garage floor put a plastic cottage cheese lid over that spot to catch the few drips.

Looked again after driving it around. The picture definitely made it look like ATF but it’s motor oil. Popped open the bell housing peep hole (the bigger silver cap shows you flywheel side) and found a ton of gunk build up on rear main seal and gasket. Looks like it’s been leaking for years based on how much gunk there is.

I’ll take this over a leaky oil pan gasket any day. What do you think?

 

[S10Newbie2020]

does anyone have any instructions for this 2wd model for replacing the rear main seal and gasket? I cannot find straight forward instructions anywhere. That would be greatly appreciated! I assume I just need to drop drive shaft, disconnect starter, tranny cooler lines, hoist tranny and pull it back, drop bell housing, remove flywheel, and I am there. But having more specific instructions like marking points on the flywheel, how to properly seat the new seal, etc. Would be helpful!

 

[Sandberm]

Mines been leaking for YEARS. Not enough to even tell between 5,000 mile oil changes.