Drain Oil before replacing front seals?

[Bendavis2]

I'm replacing my water pump, which is leaking, and figured I'd replace the front oil seals while I'm in there (and the belts too, of course.) But the basic engineer in me says that the oil seals hold the oil in the engine. I picture myself removing them briefly to install the new ones, and just as I do, quart after quart of oil pours out onto our driveway infuriating my wife and eco-friendly neighbors. The manual (chilton's) and various online guides make no mention of this. I've assumed that the non-pressurized oil slinks back to some dark corner of my engine to carefully plot it's next attempt to escape, and shouldn't leak out while I'm changing the seals...

But I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask, just to make sure I wasn't missing a step that is so completely obvious that even a beginner couldn't miss it.

Aside from the obvious benefit of changing the oil in my car, is there any reason to drain my oil before, during or after a waterpump/belt/front-seal change, as part of the procedure?

[924Sman]

Majority of the oil will be in the pan which is much lower than the seals with the exception of the oil pump seal and it is still above the oil level. Judgement call, drain it or not, makes no difference but if drained it is one less mess to clean up if a leak occurs.

Dal

[kdjones2000]

No need to drain, nothing will leak out from the seals. They only hold the oil back from leaking out of the engine while it is running.

Keith