rspec14

I pick up this car cheap seemed to be really clean but I have been noticing gear oil leaking from the linkage on the top side of the trans is this something I have to crack the trans to fix photo is not my actual car trans

holmesnmanny

No, there is a shift seal and a shift boot on that assembly. It's not entirely hard for the diy but there is a spring pin that is a bitch to get off. You can probably take it to a tranny shop and have them swap out both for like $200 or so. It's probably an hour job or so.

slowcivic2k

Given you have oil on top of the shifter I would say you could have an engine oil leak in the same area.

Looking at the vent tube and how clean the metal is in that area, I would suspect that you have transmission oil blowing through the vent, which could also be making a mess.

"What would I do": Clean all oil and debris using engine cleaner. Remove the vent cap and clean it thoroughly. Ensure the transmission oil level is correct (Follow proper procedure!!!). Then, drive the car and see where the oil appears from. You can also use oil dyes to help isolate engine from transmission, but I find this is unnecessary if you monitor the situation closely over time.