Oil leak at intermediate shaft cover

Tracking down oil leaks, mostly successful so far. Next one I'm focusing on is at the intermediate shaft end cover. Looks like I need to replace the gasket there, and maybe some sealant at the 3 bolts, or fresh aluminum washers?

In any case, first question is whether I need to drain the oil prior to removing the cover? I still want to put a few more miles on the break-in oil before changing it, so if I need to drain it to change that gasket I'll wait a bit.

U will need to dump the oil.

Since that leak seems to drip a little even when the car is sitting for a week, I figured I'd need to drain it.

That being the case, I'll order up a new gasket, nylocks and aluminum washers to do the whole bit with my upcoming oil change.

Thanks for the confirmation.

Unfortunately often times the leak isn't the gasket but the area where the two case halves meet. After resealing the plate let it sit with oil in the crankcase for a few days before putting the engine mount console back on. If it still leaks you'll need to get creative with RTV or sealant in that spot right behind the IMS cover.

Thanks, Frank. I actually figured the root cause might be where the case halves mate. My go-to product for that type of thing is Toyota FIPG. I'll use that in combination with the gasket when I do it.