tiny oil leak where engine meets transmission

I have noticed a small drip right on the bottom where the engine meets the transmission its pretty tiny (about one drop forms every 2 days) and there is no sign of it coming from higher up the engine, the rest of engine looks dry. There is just a oil damp area of about 7cm radiating out from the lowest point on the line where the engine and transmission meet and a drop forms every couple of days.

I can't really tell what colour the oil is as when I wipe it i just get a dirty black smear though it does not look red.

Any ideas?

Thanks
Stephen

It sounds like the bell housing to engine joint which doesn't have oil in it but is normally open to drain somewhere, so it could be engine or transmission oil whichever is not good if it is the crank seal then it could contaminate the clutch if you are really unlucky it depends on the shape of the flywheel, with out checking the manuel most seals for the crank or the trans can be changed without a full strip down but either one means the gearbox has to come out.

Ahh slight error its actually water, i just assumed it was oil.

Not sure if I'm relieved or not after all I suppose its not necessarily coming from the head gasket is it?

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not the head gasket unless it is weeping down the back of the motor and really unlikely to be coolant unless the block has cracked but again really unlikely most likely it is rain water/condensation collecting and mixing with a bit of dirt, I think a lot of the ARC car wash places do an under car body wash but it looks fairly clean in the pic.

An "under body car wash" sounds like a good idea as i want to waxoil underneath soon.

Is it a costly thing to have done?

When I drove it 200 miles home after i bought it the water drip was forming no faster then than now when its just sitting around. So i guess that means its not coming from anywhere important that would leak more when the engines running and things are under pressure.

I do wonder where its coming from though as it seems constant since i bought it last week.

Is it a 1.3 engine?

If so, on the back of the cylinder head there is:-

Water temp sensor
A metal plate held on by 2 bolts
10mm water bung

Any one of these could be leaking.

Under the inlet manifold there are a few thin pipes, plus at the end of the inlet manifold there is a water way. Another couple of possibilities. I'd be tempted to remove the rear engine cover under the back carpet and have a closer look.

yes it is 1.3

i'll have to work out what the cylinder head and inlet manifold are and have a look

doing mot tomorrow so I'll see if the man can see anything

Fingers crossed to the gods of rot and mots

Well i think the gods of rot have smiled on me but the gods of MOTs perhaps been indifferent.

Looks like the water has come from this tank which I am guessing is some sort of expansion tank for the coolant and seems a bit overly full.

Should I try and empty it out a bit I wonder?

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That is the coolant overflow tank.

Show us the colour of the water inside. Maybe empty some out onto some paper too.

That bottle getting overfilled is a symptom of coolant issues.

Have you got air under the metal filler cap?

The water is dirty brown, and which is the filler cap is it the one on the radiator?

I wasn't sure which cap to open as i don't which one is the filler.

But the water looks pretty brown in the bottle but only a hint of brown on the paper. To my inexpert eye it looks pretty clean.

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