[Abstract]

I was doing an oil change on my 2004 2.4 Frontier w/ 5 speed manual 2WD and noticed what appeared to be a drop of oil hanging off the bottom of the transmission - upon closer inspection I noticed a small hole right at the bottom of the housing in the front - I know a decent amount about engines, but next to nothing about transmissions or the rest of the drivetrain - is there some fluid in there I can check? The transmission has been whiny in lower gears since I bought the truck a little over a year ago, and it seems to shift fine - and I have not noticed this hole before on previous oil changes, but it's entirely possible I missed it before. Just wondering if this is a serious problem and if its OK to continue to drive.

 

[Ryno_7]

It's a weep hole so the bell housing doesn't fill with oil if there's a leak. Most likely culprit is the rear main seal at the crankshaft. Transmission input shaft seal is another possibility. Check your fluid levels and keep an eye on it.

 

[Sabretooth]

Do you know what oil is it engine or trans? btw what does the 5sp call for? dexron,gear or what? an just guessing here start looking at slave unit if the frontier has em? rear main valve cover

 

[Cusser]

I also have a 2004 2.4 Frontier w/ 5 speed manual 2WD 100K (and '98 of same but 225K) and the manual gearbox takes 80W-90 gear oil (as does the differential).

I also just say keep an eye on it and check the transmission oil every year or two. When it's time for a clutch re-do, that's when to check replace the rear engine seal and transmission shaft seal.