New oil leak

Hi everyone,

First post, so sorry if it has been beaten into the ground in the past. I bought a 2004 Ford Escape XLT last year - it had a leaky oil pan gasket which I replaced about a month ago. After driving around with an oil leak for a year, I’ve gotten in the habbit of constantly looking under the car for any new leaks - I had been driving around for a few hours yesterday and noticed what looked like a slightly older oil spot when I got home. I looked under the car and noticed a tiny bit of oil gathering at the back of the oil pan. I checked the oil levels and it looked fine. I haven’t noticed any new oil leaking since.

I have heard that it could either be a bad PCV valve/hose or a valve cover. I’m not sure it’s the PCV system because I believe Ford advises the valve be changed out at the 100k service, which I just had done a couple months ago.

Any input on what this might be/how urgent it is to fix would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

@Dobb

Two logical choices here

faulty oil pan gasket repair (pinched gasket, cross threaded bolt, over/undertorqued bolt, etc)

rear main seal