I'm new to this forum. I have a 2001 V70XC I've had for a couple years. A few months ago, it started dripping oil. It would drip a drip a day or so and has steadily increased. Now it's dripping pretty quickly, maybe a drip every 5-10 minutes. I've cleaned the engine externally to try to find the source of the leak. The most I can narrow it down to is a small slot on the bottom of the engine between the oil pan and the transmission. It is shown in these photos:
Can any of you offer advice on troubleshooting I can do? Would a clogged PCV system cause this, or is it likely something worse, like the oil pan gasket or even the rear main seal? I am up to doing moderately complicated repairs, but troubleshooting is always an adventure.
Also, it seemed to start when I switched from 10W30 oil to 5W30. But again, the leak has progressively gotten worse.
Thanks in advance,
Josh