So I did a little poking around in my engine compartment trying to figure out where my oil leak is. My valve covers clearly leak, but it's not anything you can actually see happening in real time while idling. However, when parked and idling, you can see multiple drips on the ground--maybe one every 30 seconds or so. And you definitely smell it. No smoke, though.

I got underneath and figured out that the reason I have multiple drops in a horizontal line is that oil must be getting sprayed on the front cover in the engine compartment, and the lip of the front cover curves horizontally toward the back of the car and opens up right above a bar (didn't look to see if it was a part of the steering system or what) that goes from driver to passenger side across, and is getting covered in oil which is what's causing the multiple drips.

Any ideas on how I could figure out where that leak is? Or should I just take it in to a mechanic and have him give me a diagnosis? I'm just afraid I'd get some bogus diagnosis and end up fixing something that isn't broken. My early inclination is that it may be the crankshaft seal, because with the amount of oil leaking and the wide area where it's leaking, I think there must be some kind of oil spray, not just a drip.

Got any ideas? I'm going through a lot of oil.

 

So I just finished up my head job. And I looked everywhere for an 8 mm 12 point. .. so I Googled it and found out a 5/16 12 point is the same size. ... Mine torqued down just fine socket fits snugly I had one the whole time!

 

You probably just need new valve cover gaskets.
If you are at 120,000 miles and never changed them and
it is say 10+ years since the Rover was made then well.. time to get to it.

Changed them on our 1997 and it never leaked again.

Changed them on my 2001 almost 2 years ago - never has leaked again.