Leak at Bellhousing

[CharlieB]

Hi guys and gals,
I have a new leak! There is fluid leaking from the side of the bellhousing where the clutch cable is attached.
It is leaking from the opening where the actuating lever sticks out of the housing.
Not sure if its important or not, but the leak started when I was running the car at idle in my driveway.
I was under the car looking for a coolant leak when I noticed the new leak.
Any ideas? I'm afraid it will involve dropping the transmission, but I hope I'm wrong in that assumption.
By the way, the car is a 76.
UPDATE
Well I just realized that there is supposed to be a rubber boot that covers the hole at the clutch cable.
Thanks

[76was124]

Can you tell what type of fluid it is? Engine oil, or gear oil? Also whether it is actually coming from inside the housing, or is it blowing back back from the engine area and just collecting on the clutch yoke because it's makes a nice collection point by sticking out? You probably want to check your gear box oil level. I would think oil in the clutch disk area ( bad engine rear main seal?) would be very noticeable with the clutch slipping ( or maybe even sticking).

[CharlieB]

Yeah good point. Im at the parts store now to get gear oil anyway. Ill take acloser look when i get home. Im not sure what type of fluid it is. I'll go for shoft ride around the neighborhood and see if the clutch is slipping. Thanks for the reply

[AriK]

Careful the type of gear oil you throw in there, these transmissions call for GL1 (not GL2-GL5). A search will yield other possibilities as well.

[CharlieB]

Thanks Arik, yeah I already have the tranny oil (GL-1), I got it at Tractor Supply.
My plan was to go for a spin around the neighborhood but I decided to tackle the leaking radiator issue first.
I have that done so I'm hoping to do a test run tonight after work.

[baltobernie]

My leak in that exact location is caused by a worn rear main seal.

[CharlieB]

Well I cleaned it up and filled all of the fluids and now I can't get it to leak.
Not sure why...but I'll take it.

[baltobernie]

Don't look!

[DUCeditor]

Don't look!

My take exactly.

No, it's not kosher. But it's served me well for near 30 years.

Blue smoke in the exhaust one would have to act on. Leaks that deplete the oil quickly too. Little ones that are nothing but s slightly messy nuisance do not, at least IMO.

I put a large taken-down corrugated carton in my garage, with some cat litter on it. At the end of the year I discard it and consider the leak problem solved.

Oil use? Maybe a quart replaced over the course of the season. As the kids say, "no biggie."



-don

[RRoller123]

+1 on the big cardboard carton taken apart and put down on the garage floor. It not only lets you see what is happening, what it is that is leaking, and where it is coming from, but it also alerts you instantly to any change in flow rate! Best tool available, and for free, that we could have.

[DUCeditor]

Years ago when I got my car I was told by my then mechanic -- a Fiat "master" from Rime, Italy-- that any Spider from that period is going to be prone to drips. And if I remember correctly there were two reasons. The gasket material back then tended to dry out and become less effective and that, especially on cars with steel blocks and aluminum heads, the expansion rates were unequal thus every heat cycle put stress on the gasketing.

I have always accepted this as "truth" but cannot say for sure that it is. It did, however, allow me to become comfortable with more than an occasional "drip." Enough that, although I monitor it, I rarely take note apart from the level not suddenly increasing.

-don