[Keenercarguy]

So it appears it's time to bump an old thread. I dropped the car off in mid February at my "local" dealership in NC. They had it for about three weeks and they replaced the shortblock. Yes. The SHORTBLOCK. For those confused that's kinda the majority of the engine, minus the heads. The leak wasn't actually coming from my timing cover: it was coming from the T-joint where the timing cover meets the block. That section is also where the half blocks connect. The leak was (finally) found as a split between the two block halves right as they meet the timing cover. It is now (to my knowledge) fixed. I took it for a 7 hour drive through the mountains and highways today and it has lasted infinitely better than the multiple previous fix attempts. I'm actually confident in the fix for the first time since smoke poured from my engine bay.
I also talked to the mechanic who did all the work and am honestly confident that he know what he is doing. We discussed the actual original problem (while looking at my old short block in a box) as well as the FA20 in general and autocrossing/tracking. For the first time in almost a year I'm not worried about my car leaking oil.
IF ANYONE HAS A TIMING COVER LEAK, have the dealer put a dye in the oil and ensure that the leak is coming from the timing cover and not where the half blocks connect (and meet the cover). I've heard of a couple instances of people having recurring "timing cover oil leaks" and actually selling the car after a few fixes, there's a chance that they had a different problem masquerading as a TSB like I did. I don't want anyone else to lose the car they enjoy for such an unfortunate reason.