Hole in Bellhousing Plate? Vent? Drain?

Well - This is a first for me y'all!

Noticed a burning oil smell after sitting in traffic today (had the truck for two weeks and cannonballed it home 8 hours straight with no issues).

It had a few drips and such and isn't dumping tons of oil so I decided to get under the truck and poke around after a run to the butchershop.

And this is what I found to be the root of the problem...



Seems to be leaking oil from I think the valve cover and then running down into this redneck science experiment.

Can anyone try and explain this?

That's typical with the engine plate of a 460.

I think it's mostly to let heat and clutch dust escape.

Is the oil coming from inside (RMS) or down the back of the block (oil pressure sender, rear intake china wall, etc..)

There are several places that could be leaking and showing up there.  You haven't said what engine you have, and that really helps us as we try to answer questions, but some of the engines have an oil pressure fitting at the rear/top of the engine, right behind the intake manifold.  If it leaks there the oil will go down the back of the engine and drip where yours is dripping.

Ditto the intake manifold as there's a "China wall" between the two banks on a V8 and the intake is supposed to seal to it.  But sometimes it doesn't.

Then there are the valve covers, but on a V8 they don't usually leak down to where yours is leaking.

Last there's the rear main seal, which would easily put oil there.  But to use the word "easily" in conjunction with a rear main seal leak is a dereliction of duty as replacing that is NOT easy.

So I'd clean things off using brake cleaner and try to figure out where it is coming from.  

Hey all - sorry for the sparse info!

It's a 460 and I have never seen a cut like this on a plate even during my racing years so good to learn more about it!

I have checked the top fitting and it's all tight! I have a slightly moist oil pan as well and a second slight leak from the rear main seal. I've heard it's possible to do the oil pan gasket without pulling the engine ;) jk.

I need to change my ring gear (and starter... again!)
So, clutch & flywheel.

I figure if I'm in that deep I may as well raise the engine off it's mounts and replace my seemingly non-existent oil pan gasket.

I swapped this engine in in a hurry 15 years ago and used the gasket kit that same with the reman.  

If the RMS is leaking I need to pull the engine to get the main caps off for the rope type seal...