Leaking Bellhousing and Hard to shift into first

[MM569457]

I have not yet. I’ll level it tomorow.

[Jeff G 78]

I'm not sure how mechanically inclined you are, but the parts are very cheap and the labor isn't hard if you just take your time.  You can do it in a weekend with simple tools and a floor jack.  Get the car up pretty high so you have room to work.  

[AK260]

Did you check the transmission fluid level yet? Check it with car level.
Leaks aren't the end of the world. As long as it has enough fluid in it. Heck, on some cars leaks are how you know it has oil in it!! [emoji1787]

You cracked me up with that - because it’s so true!!! On my old engine, the pan leaks were a self sustaining mechanism for stopping things rusting under the car :p

The oil pans are notorious for leaking and that part of it in particular, as Jeff said is very prone to leaking.

How much oil are you loosing when the car is flat? Is it the odd dime sized patch under the car after a day or is it spoonfuls? Scientific measures I know! If it’s main seal failure, I would get it done rather than live with it as it will only get worse with time / miles and potentially make a mess of other things in the bell housing.

Again, as mentioned already, I found my trans oil smelled a bit like raw fish or gone off salmon - hope that helps?

[Patcon]

I agree leaks into the bell housing aren't great. They can contaminate the clutch but that's probably getting replaced anyway at this point. I guess my main point is, if it has sufficient oil in it, transmission and engine, then it can still be driven. It'll leak but my old Ford diesel did too, for years & years, I just kept on driving it. 😄