Possible tranny leak?

Hey everyone. New to the forum, so I apologize if I do anything incorrectly... lol. But umm, I have been having this issue with my car, so let me put it out there and see what if you can guide me in the right direction.

I took my car out and noticed that my car has been smoking from the front right side of the vehicle. It's not a coolant or radiator issue as that has all been fixed, however I noticed a leak (pink fluid) leaking onto a hot pipe which is causing it to smoke. I assume it's coming from the transmission and I think I took a picture of where the issue is, but I wanted to throw it out there and see what you guys think. If you guys can tell me based on the picture, what it seems to be, and maybe what it MAY cost me to fix, I would be greatly appreciated.

http://i735.photobucket.com/albums/ww359/twistedfreedom/DSC002932-1.jpg

Please note that this picture should be rotated to show the leak going downwards, but you get the idea.

That looks like the Driver's side or left side in the pic. What year is your Cavalier? It looks like the transmission stub shast to CV joint seal is leaking.

Its the passenger side. Is that expensive or is it a seal that needs to be repaired or whats your guess? Its a 1998 Sunfire.

OK I see now that it looks more like the passenger side. Is this a 4-speed without a dipstick or not? they have a check plug around there, that could be leaking. It looksl ike it is the seal leaking. It would cost the price of a CV shaft r&R, so what would that run maybe $100 or more. If you have a dipstick and can easily check the fluid, you could probably be OK to run it. If it's the 4-speed without the dipstick, you probably want to replace the seal since it looks like it is leaking pretty bad.

I beleive there is a dipstick. It's okay to run.. but just smells awful and I get awful looks cause you can see the smoke coming from the bottom, so I ll get it replaced anyways. I just needed an idea of what it might be and how much it might set me back. So hopefully that's what it is. Would you suggest getting this kind of job handled by the dealer?

It should be a job that any good shop can tackle OK. A dealer would presumably do a better job and maybe charge more, but not necessarily. you never know though it might pay to check around and see.

Awesome. Thank you so much for the tip. If that is what is wrong with it then it's a lot better than I expected.

Looks like that seal has been replaced recently, it should be rusty where the trans fluid washed the dirt off. That probably means that the case is damaged where the seal presses in. I've seen several where whoever replaced it gouged the case with a prybar while removing it. Make sure that whoever replaces it this time smooths out the sharp edges of any gouges that may be there, and apply some black RTV sealant around where the seal presses in. That should keep it from leaking in the future if the case is damaged. Also make sure the shaft is tight where it slides into the trans. A worn bearing in the trans could cause a new seal to go out prematurely.