Oily Mess!

There is a bit of a story here, so hang with me: I've thought for awhile my car has leaking valve guides/steam seals due to it smoking a bit on start up and using some oil (quart/1000 miles). No big deal right?



A few days ago I was out driving, and went to accelerate. Car hesitated a bit and I noticed for the rest of the drive the engine sounded a little flat. Given as I had just gone over rail road tracks and I've had a rusty baffle in my muffler for awhile now I figured it had just broken free. The flat sound didn't go away, and while the power seems to be there it's using more fuel.



Fast forward to a couple days ago. I get the car and start it and notice a burning smell. Not an oil burning smell, but like something rubber or a gasket burning. This goes on for about 10 seconds. I get out, look around, see nothing, drive it. Get home and let it sit for a bit before going to check my oil before going to an appointment. I check it and it's really low (still above the L) despite having just checked it and had it nearly full last week.



I start looking around and oil is EVERYWHERE under the car. It's over the front right (Transmission) side of the crank case, the bottom right side of the crank case, the bottom left side of the transmission, the plate that separates the transmission from the motor, the differential housing, and the right rear side of the motor, and along the support in the middle of the engine. Left rear (belt) side of the motor is dry aside from some normal seepage at one spot. Front left has a little on it but that's probably just left over from oil changes.



I've checked the oil filter and it's tight. Fired up the car and revved it gently a few times, nothing. Let it idle, nothing. I can't see anything leaking or spraying at all. Then yesterday I'm driving it and idling for some time at a stop, and I can see puffs of smoke in the headlights of the car behind me and faintly smell oil burning. While driving it doesn't seem to be emitting smoke, but the wind could be taking care of it and it was raining to boot. The day before I saw nothing however. No spots in the driveway either, and the oil that was on it was mostly caked on with dirt, with just a small bit running down the center support under the engine.



I was going to get under it and try to clean it up to find the source of the leak before taking it to my mechanic. I can't imagine my oil pan gasket would just fail like that and spray everywhere. Valve cover is leaking no more than it's normal bit of seepage. Drain plug, oil cap, and dip stick are tight. I can't imagine it's leaking out of the oil pump or pressure sender and not some how getting on the back left side of the engine. The burning smell is there every cold start. It's hard to tell but I don't see it leaving spots when I drive it



The transmission always did have a little oil around the border of the metal plate that is where it seals to the engine, but I assumed this was left over from another mishap in the past. Any thoughts on what this leak could be?



EDIT: Cleaning this is an effort in futility However, to add details, the oil does not appear to have extended past the firewall/engine bay on the under side of the car, and the oil on the diff is limited to the left (passenger axle) side of it.