Whirring clutch and oil leak?

[jtbeemer]

I've been watching a very consistent oil leak pattern (I don't have a way myself to get under the car to see it) the past 3 weeks. I also seem to have a noisy clutch. It seems to whirr when depressed where it didn't seem to make any noise at all before. Am I imagining this noise or is that what everyone hears when the clutch is going bad?

The oil leak seems to be in the area of the rear main seal (and is 1" wide and about 5" long), then about 4 inches forward there is another leak (2" wide/4" long) which I assume is another seal or perhaps oil pan.

So...
1. Do I need to worry?
2. Should I repair this immediately?
3. What could I be looking at price wise?

The research I've done, along with the friend that will be helping me (and his friend a real honest to god mechanic) sees that the rear main seal is $50, other seals around this area are around $25. If I have to replace the clutch I'm reading like $300 in parts? Does that sound right?

What harm is there if I don't/can't replace the clutch. The noise seems to be getting louder but I'm just not sure. Thanks for the advice once again!