On today's outing to the dunes, I had transmission fluid dripping. Fearing the worst and lacking my socket to pull the plug and check fluid levels, I came back early rather than risk damage. Upon looking at some other transaxles around the garage, I think the fluid is coming from a small hole at the top of the nose cone.
First question -- what is this hole? Is it a vent that is intended to be open, or is it some kind of weep hole indicating a seal has blown? I'm really hoping it's just a vent so I won't have to tear it all apart and replace seals.
Next question -- I checked the fluid levels and it's slightly low, certainly not overfull. The fluid is filthy and somewhat foamy. It felt maybe a little thinner than it should have, but I can't be sure. Assuming the little hole was a vent, is poor/contaminated fluid sufficient to cause it to get spewed out?
Finally, anything else I should look into? This appears to be a late- model IRS transaxle and is mounted in a manx-style buggy.