rear main seal "has left the building"

[PK]

Depends if the leak is engine oil, or tranny oil.
If it is engine oil, and coming out of the bell housing bottom, then the rear main seal must be the culprit.
If it is tranny oil, then obviously not the engine rear main seal.

I agree with others, it has nothing to do with low oil levels. Rod bearings would have been knocking before the seal was damaged.

PK

[bartmanS4]

Depends if the leak is engine oil, or tranny oil.

PK

Very true, I just can't taste the difference. Between Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet? Yes. Different oils? Not so much.

[VX crazy]

I remember one year following Tone back from Moab and my truck was covered in oil when he had a rear main seal leak, all the oil he had to add at every stop lol!

[Jolly Roger VX'er]

I thought mine had a rear main oil seal leaking only to find it was trannie fluid from a cracked washer on the trannie drain plug. When it dripped on the dirty garage floor it looked like motor oil...but upon climbing under her I could see a drip hanging from the trannie drain plug and spray all around rear of engine. One call to merlin fixed her up...no more leak.

[angeno]

Thanks guys for the always excellent advice. I'll see if we can work the problem a little more definitively. I'll post once I know what's what for sure.