Spots on the ground after a night on the interstate.

Hello. New member and owner here. The car I’ve dubbed “Leaky Lucy” started life with an ATF leak when I bought her. (Source and required replacement parts found), which has now been joined by additional leaks including the engine oil and some water.

I’m most concerned about the water. Last night I found build up at the tail pipe which I know is totally fine- but I’m not sure how or why the leak would build up directly
under the transmission/engine over night. Any thoughts?

 

water can come from a few places. Are you talking coolant or truly water? If you are finding puddles when parking but the coolant level never drops then I'd look for clogged drains including the gutter drain, the rubber moulding around the hood/fenders etc and the AC evaporator drain lines. If its coolant, then you have all the usual suspects - radiator seams, hoses, heater core, various gaskets.

 

The water hasn't happened again in the same capacity since. Fortunately, it was just water and not coolant. Based off all the water build-up I've seen on my AC Accumulator I'd imagine it all has to go somewhere and gravity says it has to go down.

The bigger problem that's arising is my oil leak. I'm extremely worried that it could be a rear main seal leak. That said, the area around the PCV is incredibly oily. I haven't cleaned it since purchasing a couple of weeks ago and also intend to replace to Oil Pan gasket this week.

I've heard that oil drips coming from the belling housing area may simply be a result of the aforementioned leaks and not the main seal. Any tips on how one could diagnose this issue for sure? Will upload a video of leaking area soon. Drips near the bell housing are very scary. The repair would cost as much as I paid for the car...

 

clean the engine with gunk foaming engine cleaner, hose off, let dry. add a vial of fluorescent oil dye via the oil filler cap. drive for a few miles, stop in a dark place, shut off the engine, pop the hood and use a UV flashlight (cheap on ebay) to look for the color of the dye you used (last batch I had was bright orange). if you don't see any traces of it, drive some more, repeat.

 

Rear main seal leaks are easy to tell. The oil leaks from the very bottom where the engine joins the transmission, blows back a little from there; when the engine stops the oil spot is on the ground right under the joint.
Make sure your crankcase ventilation is not plugged up--that causes most leaks in these cars.