Oil level was fine - I have a dipstick and the sensor was in the safe range and consistent with the dipstick.
Replacing the AOS was among the least fun jobs I have done - anywhere or anytime and I had a full garage with lift to work in. I cleaned the entire intake as it was soaked with oil. The intake manifolds had low spots where oil pooled. If I had not cleaned the intake out I might still be smoking.
This little clip with the new AOS was an excellent investment as squeezing that hose clamp.
As it turned out the smoking stopped almost instantly. Very subjectively the throttle response seemed crisper and low RPM response seemed stronger.
Onward.