Originally Posted by phil alvirez

1st the condition of my 65,000 miles car: previous owners took great care on its appearance. no scratches. clean. mechanically not much, but ran fine in general. engine compartment had some dust, but nothing outstanding. regarding oils, i have changed oil to the engine, transmission and differential.
just to get an idea of the oil leak, 2 weeks ago i cleaned the engine with degreaser, and a little of water. not to run a lot, just to wash the oil.. on the passengers side there was a little oil below the small cover. on the drivers it was wet all the way down from the edge of the small cover. even at the shield below there was some dirt.
then yesterday opened the hood, removed the engine air filter cover and let it cool off for 5 hours. there was no oil signs on the passengers side. at the drivers still there was oil from the edge of the small cover down. then checked the torque on all small and large bolts. all were considerably below the indicated torque. i increased it to specifications. then used degreaser again.
am going to see if by just doing this it takes care of the leak. will wait 1 week driving it regularly and see if there is any leak. (although most likely the large leak at drivers side may need further action).
only if there are leaks i will proceed further. but considering that the engine is not dark as some pictures, i expect the inside of the covers to be just wet. will see.