Wondering if you guys can help me, I'm kinda losing my mind. My gf recently purchased a 02 4.7 HO GC and I've been struggling with an oil leak/high(ish) pressure issue. It's been about 2 months since she's bought it and I've already done 2 complete fills on the oil. When we got it, it was empty, and now 2 months later it's empty again. I've changed out the spark plugs, the head cover gaskets, and the PCV valve. I've noticed there's a leak mostly under her driver side towards the front, above the oil filter, but I can't see anything up there that might leak. I've also read that the oil pressure sending unit could be bad, but the symptoms don't exactly match what is happening.

The other issue, outside of the leak is: when the truck starts up until it gets warm, the oil pressure gauge is fine. However once you start driving around it fluctuates between the middle notch, I would assume is 40, and the 3/4 notch, favoring around the 3/4. When you accelerate, oil pressure lowers back down to the middle....however the truck starts smelling like burning oil pretty horribly, and there's noticeable -but nothing crazy- blue smoke coming from the exhaust.

I don't want to just Willy nilly start replacing parts and end up on a wild goose chase with the intent of just ripping the whole thing apart and putting in new everything lol.

P.S. I also noticed a small build up of oil in that "high output" plastic box that sits on top of the block, connecting the PCV hose, intake, and manifold together but I can't figure out how oil would build up in there, and how it's related to the leak and the oil filter.