tba02

Hi All, After many years of other vehicles, I am back to owning a 1986 Brat. I've owned a 1982 Brat and 1981 Hatch 4x4, both about 20 years ago. Drove 'em hard and enjoyed every bit of it! About myself: Old enough to have owned a Subaru about 20 years ago. Good with a wrench and have turned them on my own rides for years. My other vehicles include a 1996 S10 Blazer that sees the mud and trails often, a 2000 Honda Rancher ATV that takes over where the Blazer runs out of room, a 1987 Yamaha Virago that is my daily transportation. The Brat; Picked it up with 229K miles, New front pads and rotors Reman calipers New front brake hoses New master cylinder New radiator & hoses New water pump New half shafts New front pipe and O2 sensor Reman distributor SnugTop cap (low version w/ OEM Sub emblams) The Problem: (EA81) Oil leak. It's not the V/C gaskets. I'm guessing rear main seal. Possibly oil pan gasket but I haven't dropped the plate to get a good look. There's years of normal crud that I need to clean up as well. I live in San Francisco and work space is the street and the curb as a lift The Question: Assuming I clean the normal crud out, and confirm it's not the oil pan gasket, where would you suggest I look next? Searches indicate oil pump seals and/or front seals? My gut tells me it's the rear main .. any good way to tell? Can I replace that with the engine in the car? .. and .. what's the largest tires .. oh, sorry. I'm sticking with 185/70's right now as I need the acceleration for the job this will be performing. Thanks for any insight you can provide, -- Grover