I'm actually beginning to doubt whether the rear main seal is leaking. However, the housing plate has a seal that may be leaking as well. I will move to do the oil pan gasket in the coming days.
The first picture is a general overview of the area:
There is a thin stream of oil on the back of the engine behind the flex plate, but it is hard to see with the camera. Even by eye it can be hard to see because the oil is very clean there, but it is there.
The second picture shows a huge magnification of the area in the hole of the flex plate. You can just make out the bottom of the rear main seal there. I believe I see a little wetness on the seal, but I suspect there is more oil sitting on the oil pan gasket at the back. However, I don't see a lot draining down from there. It is entirely possible the oil is following the lip of the oil pan over the the right and left sides where it drips.
The quality of the second image is not so great because of the magnification factor. The orange streak may about 1/3 up from the bottom of the image is, I believe, oil. The rear main is barely visible in the top 1/3 of the image. I do believe I see a little oil there.
So, there is the possibility that the oil I see on the lip of the pan gasket in the 2nd image is coming from the rear main. However, the drips on the road are getting more significant and will leave a 6" round patch of oil by the end of the day.
The first picture is a general overview of the area:
There is a thin stream of oil on the back of the engine behind the flex plate, but it is hard to see with the camera. Even by eye it can be hard to see because the oil is very clean there, but it is there.
The second picture shows a huge magnification of the area in the hole of the flex plate. You can just make out the bottom of the rear main seal there. I believe I see a little wetness on the seal, but I suspect there is more oil sitting on the oil pan gasket at the back. However, I don't see a lot draining down from there. It is entirely possible the oil is following the lip of the oil pan over the the right and left sides where it drips.
The quality of the second image is not so great because of the magnification factor. The orange streak may about 1/3 up from the bottom of the image is, I believe, oil. The rear main is barely visible in the top 1/3 of the image. I do believe I see a little oil there.
So, there is the possibility that the oil I see on the lip of the pan gasket in the 2nd image is coming from the rear main. However, the drips on the road are getting more significant and will leave a 6" round patch of oil by the end of the day.