Well, I was changing the oil on my 5spd 09 GE8 this afternoon, and I noticed a trail of gritty black material on the bottom of the engine and trans where the two bolt together. The trail seems to originate at a tiny open channel in the bottom of a small (2"x5" ish) black angled stamped steel plate under the engine where the trans housing meets up to the engine block. If I had to guess, I would say the mystery gunk is road grime mixed with clutch material and a little oil. I don't know what the cause is, but I don't remember seeing it last time I changed the oil. I checked the clutch fluid level and condition and it's at the max line and completely clear. The engine oil was at the same level it's been every other time I've checked it since the last oil change. Since there isn't a lot of oil in the trail, it's entirely possible that the oil is coming from one of these sources (or the trans, didn't check) and I just can't see the small difference in level changes. Whatever the case, the fact that there is a leak in this location is a bit frustrating, since it seems to be near the clutch.

So I figured I would ask if anyone has seen anything similar on their GE8, or if they may know the cause of this gritty oil trail coming from the black plate under my engine. FYI, the car has 43,000 miles on it and most of them are highway. Also, I drive like a grandmother.

I'll try to upload a photo later on, but I'm currently posting from my phone and I guess I can't post pictures though the mobile site :/

 

Main seal leak? Seems low mileage for that I can't quite picture what you describe though, photos will help.

Wash the whole area off clean and see later where it's coming from. Road dirt and grime make it hard to locate leaks, for me at least. You should also be able to tell a little better what kind of fluid it is if it's fresh.