Does this look like the seal is leaking?

 

No pic?

 

Thanks. Fixed it.

 

which way does the lip of the seal face?

 

Does that dribble smell like engine oil or transmission fluid? That should tell you right there.

 

 

The dribble feels like oil but was an orangish color???

 

Orangish sounds like Dexcool...usually once a rear main starts leaking, it leaks quite a bit, and the flexplate/flywheel will be coated in oil, as well as the inside of the bellhousing. Are you getting puddles on the ground, and what does the fluid smell like?

*EDIT* I noticed some stains over to the left of the pic that look like your dribble mark under the rear main...any chance that you have/had a coolant leak that left a trail, maybe a head gasket or freeze plug?

 

I cant tell by the pic. I will say when i was boosting my crankcase, after GM flipped the rear main seal design, I was gettin drips off the bolts of the bolt on inspection cover of the 80e, and that cover had a pretty good amount of oil in it. Several cc's.

I never taste fluid, but I would see if its sweet like dexcool. lol.

 

Engine side of the flexplate is dry except the crank flange area- could be lube from the ARP bolts.

I was noticing it on the 80E dust cover as well. Just a drip, no puddles. Seemed more like oil, but maybe mixed with Dexcool. Back of the block seems dry, but I am wondering about the crossover plug on the left side from the stain.

Always seemed to be a bit of oil on the dust cover before the rebuild too. It was not orangish though. I mentioned this to the builder who said he didn't replace the seal because it looked OK.