99 Contour 2.0 oil leak + jerkiness + idle issues

Hi. My girlfriend owns a 99 Contour LX (2.0, 5spd). Engine never got up to proper temp, so I replaced the tstat and now that problem is fixed. However, there's still another issue (actually two issues).

1) There appears to be a nice coating of oil building up on what appears to be brake lines (runs close to the downpipe), and it looks like the oil is burning on the downpipe as well. The car definitely leaks oil (more profusely when it's been ran it seems), and it's in the rear of the engine compartment next to the downpipe. Were there common failures with these engines where oil leaked from the rear?

2) Not sure if this is engine-related or tranny-related...with any kind of the throttle the response is smooth, but when you're in gear and let go off the gas, there is a delayed reaction: at first nothing happens (coasting as normal), but after a second of two the car jerks and then resumes it nice coasting, then it can jerk again and finally quit...rinse and repeat.

3) The idle loves to spike. It'll idle in the range it should be (according to my ears, yes this manual car did NOT COME WITH A TACH!!). Then something under the hood clicks, and then the idle spikes and slowly comes down...rinse and repeat. Not sure what that's about...I haven't paid any attention to it since I replaced the tstat, but I know it's a problem that's been there...what could that be?

Thanks. (no SES light btw)

Is the PCV system connected properly? This could explain the oil splattering everywhere as well as the rough idle.