I am trying to learn the common oil leak scenarios on a 2003 1.7l LX. I have found/learned about the back circular plug and cured that. There really isn't anything "bad" going on, but I see the top of the oil pan wet a bit (no dripping; not that bad). I am wondering if that is a sign of the front cam seal?

We got this car this summer; I've only been tearing into it the last month or so before my step son is licensed and starts to drive it. I found:

a) No lock cylinder on the car complete - I stripped and rebuilt all lock cylinders with new wafers/tumblers, got a 2nd key cut and programmed. (this was time consuming!)
b) Had airbag recall done and fixed seat belt sensor issue.
c) Washer-fixed driver's seat adjustment mechanisms to stop seat rocking (cheap, easy!).
d) Added solvent to cure cold-weather shift flare. and now transitioning to Ester-based synthetic fluid to keep the seals healthy and solenoids pressurized.



I/we have put close to 1k miles on it finally the last month to test it all out. Runs nicely, drives nicely, I'm just worried that when I look down the front of the engine, the TOP of the oil pan mating area is a little wet. Is that indicative of a bad front cam seal? I am not opposed to going in there and poking around.

Thanks, and other ideas appreciated.