Why is there fluid coming from the bell housing of your manual transmission?

Answer 1

The first step would be to determine what kind of fluid it is that you actually see. Many manual transmissions use gear oil (the same type of fluid that lubricates the gears in the differential). The confusion, however, tends to set into place when trying to decipher whether or not what you are seeing is either gear oil or engine oil because they both tend to be dark in color--brown/black.

So then, there are two likely culprits to choose from: The Input Shafft Seal on the transmission., or the Rear Main Oil Seal on the engine. Regardless of whichever one it is, the transmission has to be pulled to repair either one.

The rear main oil seal sits behind the Fly wheel or Flex Plate and seals the oil around the rear of the crank.

If you cant determine which type of fluid you are looking at and would just like to diagnose it down to the likely source before pulling the transmission, start by checking the fluid level in the transmission. There should be a fluid level check bolt somewhere on your vehicle that needs to be unscrewed to check and service a manual transmission. Refer to your vehicle manual for its location. If the fluid level is low, and by low I mean that you have no fluid touching your finger when you insert it in the service hole and bend the tip of your finger downward a tad, then you know what the source. And low engine oil whith no visible leaks except for the bell housing, screams Rear Mail Oil Seal.

Start removing the transmission for accuracy and repair.