nissan KA24DE 2.4 liter engine oil leak (this motor from a 2004 xterra in a 2000 frontier xe ext. cab), front crank seal?

I have a 2000 nissan frontier xe extended cab with 164K but with a motor swap.
The new motor is from a 2004 Xterra with approx 75K and it is

- nissan KA24DE, inline 2.4 liter, 4 cylinder engine
- twin cam 16 valve (DOHC - dual overhead cam)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_KA_engine

It has an oil leak that covers the oil pan, the cross member (if that is what it is called), and on other parts going back a little bit in that area of the bottom of the engine.

Check out this thread:

http://www.freshalloy.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-12532.html

The oil mess on the bottom of our engine is similar to what that guy
describes. The first person responding says check the front crank
seal (and that it is cheap and easy to replace urself). So, tonight,
with flashlight in hand, I looked at more of the engine and I see wet oil
on the front of the motor above the lowest middle pulley (prob the
crank pulley). I'm not yet seeing any leaks coming from the top of
the motor (valve covers or heads), but still looking.

Check out the first 2 pics. Also, in the last pic u can get an idea where the
oil is dripping from, it is at the front AND toward the back of the
motor. If it is the front crankshaft seal, then the oil drip towards the back is
hopefully from blow back (not another leak!).

What do you guys think?

I took the first 2 pics of the front of the motor while I was standing in front of the truck by the passenger headlight:

http://bucket3.preeceweb.com/2000NissanFrontierXE/nissan-frontier-oil-leak-1.jpg

http://bucket3.preeceweb.com/2000NissanFrontierXE/nissan-frontier-oil-leak-2.jpg


Cardboard placed on ground below the motor, pic taken from the front of the truck:

http://bucket3.preeceweb.com/2000NissanFrontierXE/nissan-frontier-oil-leak-3.jpg


Thx

Here is a related thread that has some interesting info:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=141340&highlight=crank+seal

Here is a pic of the underside of the vehicle from the front.

http://bucket3.preeceweb.com/2000NissanFrontierXE/nissan-frontier-oil-leak-4.jpg

I took the vehicle to a nissan dealership today and the service dept says it is the timing chain cover that is leaking and needs to be resealed. They found a few other things too:

Failed Task:
- reseal timing chain cover ($948)
- replace all of the drive belts damaged / cracked ($200)
- fix power steering return hose leak ($173)

Caution Task:
- replace worn / loose motor mounts ($338 each x 2)
- the brake fluid is low and would replace it with new fluid ($100)
- they need to diagnose a manual transmission leak

We are going to take the truck to a mechanic friend who can hopefully do the most important tasks for a lot less money.

Thx

Good luck keep us posted