om606 Rear Engine Oil Leak

[treetops]

Hi folks,

Its been awhile since Ive been around, but I always enjoyed the feedback and help from you all.

So my 99 E300 has a pretty bad oil leak coming from the rear of the engine. I cleaned up the underside yesterday, saw a plate sized puddle this morning and again later in the day after the car had been sitting for a bit. I went under again and the rear of the engine is covered in oil from the starter down and back to the where the trans meets the engine(crankshaft area).

Im not sure where its coming from and cant see any oil from above around the filter canister. The valve cover gasket doesn't look like its leaking from the passenger side and cant see under the manifold either. I do see that the starter, steering components, lower bell housing and back are covered in an oil slick. Ive got some ideas, but would love to hear from you.

Could it be the starter fitment, rear seal to the trans, or valve cover gasket??

Any suggestions are really helpful.

1st photo is after wiping down and "cleaning" second is after about 25 miles.