Okay, this is a pretty nebulous subject, but I wasn't feeling too creative. My problem is this:
I bought a 1990 CRX Si from some guy less than a year ago with a cherry in/exterior and a suprisingly healthy plant at 180k. Not suprisingly after a few tenative trips here and there and then a really long one from Oakland to San Diego to reconoiter an approaching move for school, I started finding little puddles of oil under the engine when I pulled into the driveway. I'd just bought a car with almost 200,000 on it, so I took this in stride, figuring it was the rear main bearing seal or something (the drips came off the low-points of both the motor and trani, but seemed to originate at that little channel in the bell-housing cover-plate designed specifically for this purpose, I guess, or for freeze-plug hemorrages). Just for kicks, I got under the car and tightenned up the oil pan to see if that would dry things up. It didn't, and after a couple tries, I just ended up sheering off the studs like everyone always says you will when you're down there without a torque-wrench. No big loss, it just forced a decision I'd need to make soon anyway, so I availed myself of a JDM and trani (JDT?) and took the opportunity to replace both while I still had a garage at my disposal.
It wasn't the hardest swap-job I've done, but it had it's moments, one of which involved me snapping the connective rod (don't know what it's called exactly) inside the distributor cap without realizing it. This gave rise to a truly confusing and stressful period of trouble-shooting during which I cast doubt (and a handful of profanities/nearby tools) at the EFI, the fuel filter, the fuel pump, various throttle body regulators, and the spark plugs among other things. I decided to move with it anyway and miraculously limped it down here (about 1000 clicks), although I had to push it the last few blocks. Once that nighmare was over (ended up replacing both the cap and the coil since I'd burned the crap out of the contact inside -- oh yeah, and the alternator in a 7-11 parking lot a few weeks later, but that was loosely if at all related), guess what started happenning again? Well, if you're still awake, you probably said: oil leak, and you're correct. The damn thing started leaking oil in exactly the same place it had before. Unbelievable.
Anyway, I can still use it, and I'm tempted to do that instead of diving under the hood and sheering off pan bolts again (which I meticulously torqued to specification when I replaced the gasket on the JDM in the first place) because it doesn't leak just sitting around, and I don't use it much. As far as I can tell, it's a "pressurized leak" in that it just builds up a slobbery stream when I drive it, which around town means a little dot here and there whenever I park, but taken up north to see the folks means about a quart of Quaker State all over the exhaust system which smells like a Syrian oil-field fire around the Highway 5 Coalinga/Harris Ranch exit. As I said, I should just leave it, but I won't because it galls me to have put so much time and money into the thing and essentially wind up where I started. Since I replaced everything containing oil in the car, how can this be happenning again? What the hell am I missing? I see people saying "dizzy O-ring" and "valve-cover gasket" elsewhere on this site, and I have considerred both, but it's hard to localize the source.
I realize after all these words, my dilemma's hardly clearer than it was with just the title, but if anyone's got any ideas (or questions even) I'd be greatful to hear them out.
Thanks, guys.

-Ace

 

I will be less loquacious with my diagnosis

Same area..where the engine and transmission meet?

Rear main seal.

Good luck.