915 Trans Oil Leak?

[gshiwota]

I'm looking at buying this '83 911SC and I have this picture of the underside of the engine. The engine appears to be bone dry and leak free however the transmission is covered in grease.

There's no oil on the ground so I suspect this is just 30 years of minor seepage. I've seen this on a few cars... what's the cause of this? Is this simply poor housekeeping when the trans fluid was changed or is this indicative of a rear seal or transmission seal problem?

Thanks in advance!

[yelcab1]

28 years of seepage. That is all. Power wash it, change a few seals, or just drive it until the synchros fall off then rebuild.

[Lapkritis]

The seal on the shifter rod on the front can wear/leak and cause this... check to make sure there's plenty of fluid in it. There is some coating on the transmissions to prevent corrosion from the factory... can be unsightly as well.

[Trackrash]

Looks normal for a driver.

Definitely check the trans fluid level.

Are there any maintenance records with the car? Any idea when the trans was last "serviced"?

Have you checked for broken head studs?

[tirwin]

I just recently dropped my engine to fix the classic triangle of death and rear main seal oil leaks. I also had a leak in the nose seal on the transmission shift linkage. My transmission was pretty covered in oil. I think with the triangle of death leaks you get oil running down the sides of the transmission. Air flow under the car tends to move it towards the rear of the car and coat the underside of the engine. Yours looks pretty clean in that regard.

If I was trusting of the seller I'd say things look pretty normal. If I was suspicious of the seller I would want to determine whether someone cleaned the engine before that picture was taken. That engine case looks awfully clean in comparison. I'm not trying to be paranoid or scare you off -- just an observation.

[Lapkritis]

^brake cleaner bath for a photoshoot. Agreed that too clean is more worrisome for a driver than natural habitat condition.

[gshiwota]

Thanks all. I forgot about the shifter nose seal on the trans. I think this may be the culprit as the grease looks heavier towards the front of the trans. I've changed these seals before I remember it being really rewarding 30 minute job.

Thanks again for the collective wisdom and brain trust on this site.

[KTL]

I'd be willing to bet the shift fork cover on the bottom of the trans is also contributing to the leak. It's only sealed by a super thin paper gasket and there's always oil pooling on top of the cover. It's #5 in this picture