Rear main seal bad?
 

ok so i noticed that i was leaking oil... so i checked the oil pan plug, and it wasnt there, so then i started to look around and noticed that its comming down from around the back of the oil pan right by the tranny... i had my auto shop teacher look at it and he mentioned the rear main seal... i have a mazda reman with like 4K. anyone one had this problem? and this should be covered by warrenty correct? thanks

It's tough to tell sometimes if it's the rear seal or the pan. To be certain drop the clutch inspection cover off the bottom of the bell housing and look in there closely with a light. If you see oil running down behind the pressure plate you can be certain it's the rear seal. If it look good then clean the bottom of the engine well ans inspect the pan again later.

Leaks in this area are nearly always the rear seal or the pan.

If your clutch is slipping, you more than likely have a bad rear oil seal. If the seal is at the junction where the engine/tranny meet, it's probably the oil pan...which is a very common place to leak oil....trust me. I had 4 engine's in a row leak oil from that same spot...never got it right until 2 engine's ago.

I've never heard anyone have issues with clutch slippage due to a leaking rear seal. The oil never gets on the clutch since it originates from behind the flywheel and dribbles out the bottom of the bell housing. If it were to get oily the clutch would more than likely grab and chatter like brakes do; not slip.

I had a leaky rear main and never had a slipping clutch. My trans and undercarriage wer'e soaked with oil from the seal being blown back underneath the car. The oil also accumulated in the back of the cross member right by the oil pan.