[Sjej]

I have a leak in between the oil pan & the transmission and I'm wondering if there's meant to be bolts in these holes. I'm assuming yes but I've only had this car for so long, so I'd like to make sure.

Either way, does anyone know the size of the bolts that go here so I can buy new ones if needed?

 

[Mountain Escape]

I have a leak in between the oil pan & the transmission and I'm wondering if there's meant to be bolts in these holes. I'm assuming yes but I've only had this car for so long, so I'd like to make sure.

Either way, does anyone know the size of the bolts that go here so I can buy new ones if needed?

Welcome to the city, Sjej.
until someone with more knowledge replies, you can possibly remove the neighboring bolt that would be facing the same direction, and see if that fits threads/depth. In your image it is the silver bolt that is just below 12 o'clock.

That is a lot of fluid visible. It is possible it is due to what looks like missing bolts, but likely the leak is deeper than that.
Do not remove the one that faces straight down, without a catch pan handy… It looks like a drain bolt.

if the bolt does not start threading on straight, because of the small cut out above the flange… It usually just means that was the first bolt that should have been installed.

you can fit a toothpick in those holes to test for depth, and apply lateral pressure as you remove it, to see if you feel threads.

 

[tomw]

If you are referring to the two holes on the left, in shadow, just left of center in the picture, it appears they have bolts threaded from the transmission side.
Other than that, I do not see any openings for missing bolts.
It is highly unlikely that engine:bell housing bolts would cause oil leakage. They would have to be bolts that plugged a hole, or so loose the torque converter is able to move out of position if it was an automatic transmission. A manual has two sourced of oil, the rear main seal on the crankshaft and the input shaft seal on the transmission. There may be oil gallery plugs that could allow leakage if loose, but that is very unlikely.
Have you checked that your PCV valve is functional? If gooed up, it may cause more crankcase pressure than normal because of blocked flow, which in turn could tend to push oil out at the easiest place. Check that the PCV develops a slight suction on the inlet side(tube from the air cleaner housing to the engine) using a postcard held to the inlet. It should develop a slight suction at idle within a few minutes or less.
tom

 

[dwightbresemann]

I don't think you are missing any bolts. Even if you were, there is no oil between the bell housing and the engine block. There is the rear main seal for the crankshaft. A little seepage is ok. The little amount of oil pictured should be of no concern.

 

[Sjej]

That is a lot of fluid visible. It is possible it is due to what looks like missing bolts, but likely the leak is deeper than that.
Do not remove the one that faces straight down, without a catch pan handy… It looks like a drain bolt.

if the bolt does not start threading on straight, because of the small cut out above the flange… It usually just means that was the first bolt that should have been installed.

you can fit a toothpick in those holes to test for depth, and apply lateral pressure as you remove it, to see if you feel threads.

I'll give it a try for sure but after reading the other replies it's probably something bigger

 

[Sjej]

Have you checked that your PCV valve is functional? If gooed up, it may cause more crankcase pressure than normal because of blocked flow, which in turn could tend to push oil out at the easiest place. Check that the PCV develops a slight suction on the inlet side(tube from the air cleaner housing to the engine) using a postcard held to the inlet. It should develop a slight suction at idle within a few minutes or less.
tom

I'll check the PCV valve when I can and I hadn't even thought of that. I was thinking a bad oil pan gasket or rear main seal, this car hasn't had much maintenance prior to being given to us.

 

[Sjej]

I don't think you are missing any bolts. Even if you were, there is no oil between the bell housing and the engine block. There is the rear main seal for the crankshaft. A little seepage is ok. The little amount of oil pictured should be of no concern.

View attachment 2458 View attachment 2459

It's a little concerning, it drips oil as the car is off and while sitting at my sister's house it lost nearly all of it's oil, if not all. but it's nothing i cant fix by topping it off, better that than paying a thousand for a new rear main seal or dropping the trans and doing it myself

 

[dwightbresemann]

Well if it's dripping, yes, that is a problem. The photo looked normal staining I see here at the shop every day. Auto part stores sell a bottle rear main seal conditioner. We use it for some customers, and it does work.

The advice from the above poster to replace the PCV is a good idea. A worn valve can lead to increase oil consumption.

 

[tomw]

When parked, take a picture after you move the vehicle. I think a small amount of oil can appear to be significantly more when it is spread out. Unless checking the oil level using the dipstick proves otherwise, the amount shown in the picture does not indicate a large leak.
Do you park on the level or a sloped surface? Continually parking with the passenger side higher than the drivers side(in a lot of FWD vehicles) can make a slow seep appear to be a big leak when parking on the level would reduce the leakage to manageable amounts.
tom

 

[Sjej]

Well if it's dripping, yes, that is a problem. The photo looked normal staining I see here at the shop every day. Auto part stores sell a bottle rear main seal conditioner. We use it for some customers, and it does work.

The advice from the above poster to replace the PCV is a good idea. A worn valve can lead to increase oil consumption.

View attachment 2461

That's smart. I'll look into it and inspect the PCV tomorrow when I work on it again. I'll try the rear main seal conditioner too, I'd love to do the job but I only recently last year started working on my own cars, so I'd rather give myself a bit more time and get experience before I move on to big jobs like those. That diagram is very helpful too, thank you

 

[Sjej]

When parked, take a picture after you move the vehicle. I think a small amount of oil can appear to be significantly more when it is spread out. Unless checking the oil level using the dipstick proves otherwise, the amount shown in the picture does not indicate a large leak.
Do you park on the level or a sloped surface? Continually parking with the passenger side higher than the drivers side(in a lot of FWD vehicles) can make a slow seep appear to be a big leak when parking on the level would reduce the leakage to manageable amounts.
tom

Definitely isn't a large leak at least not now, only slowly dripping. I've barely lost any oil since i topped off about a week or two ago.
It's on a level surface as well.