88CRX_SiR

So I bought a B16A2 a while back from a guy that needed bills paid. Fully rebuild with all new Eagle and Crower internals, hot tanked, all new seals, and had 5 miles on it. Have the receipt for all the work, and confirmed with the, very reputable, shop that they had done all the work before I bought it.

Been chasing damn oil leaks since day one. Distributor, VTEC solenoid, valve cover, oil pan gaskets were all replaced since they used 8 tubes of rtv as well as gaskets and they leaked like hell. Dry as a bone now.

Oil pan gasket replaced with myhondahabit gasket and extended stud kit, honda bond in the four corners and torqued to 9lbs in the correct crisscross pattern as well as a brand new oil pan since the original was warped as hell from being over torqued.

So I think I've got it narrowed to the head gasket. Not excited about it. But running the motor and sitting under the car with a light, oil is coming from higher on the back of the block than I can see. So I look on top. Picture it from the rear of the motor looking at the head/block from under the intake manny.



So I took a blind shot down the block under the intake manny. Soooooo much oil....



So am I looking at a head gasket?

Former User

The two common leak sites on the rear of the block are the oil filter and oil pressure sending unit.

The oil filter typically leaks because it is mistakenly double gasketed.

88CRX_SiR

Fresh oil change 2 days ago, brand new filter, single gasket confirmed. I've made that mistake before.

But I don't think either one of those would have oil spraying up under the intake manifold.

Former User

Sounds like you haven't checked the sending unit.

tony_2018

head was probably not torqued and causing oil to leak.

88CRX_SiR

OPSU is dry as a bone after cleaning and running the motor. Not loose and no oil inside the plug. Plus I know it works well since I get to see that light every other week....

B serious

iTrader: (1)

Are you sure its new oil? I have found that if oil has been spilled in that area, it will appear to "leak" for a time period of about eternity. It fills all the pockets in the intake manifold area and gets trapped. Then it will randomly appear every now and then from taking turns and pulling the sick maneuvers that I do every day.

If you are sure that its fresh oil:

It could be a leaky distributor O-ring....but you'd see oil at the other side (on the head, near the VTEC solenoid) as well. You're saying the other side is dry?

I don't think its your head gasket...but...I guess it might be.

tony_2018

Clean it up, refill oil if its low and try again.

88CRX_SiR

I know it's fresh oil because I pressure washed the engine after I changed the oil 3 days ago now.

No oil under dizzy or vtec solenoid nor on top of the manifold, only on the bottom of it and all over the back of the block.

Also has a high idle and no vtec without any CELs.

Former User

Any chance the oil is leaking from the O-ring of the oil cooler?

88CRX_SiR

That is a possiblity, I'm gonna pull the manifold this weekend and get a good look at the block.

Also gonna check cylinder pressures.

B serious

iTrader: (1)

A2's don't have oil coolers, IIRC. But they should still have that breather box.

His oil leak is located above both those components though.

OP...you SURE that your valve cover isn't leaking at the back? Oil cap?

Could be your cam front seals. Could also be a crank front seal. Is oil spewed all over the t belt and components?

Former User

The diagram I posted is from the 96-00 Civic manual and shows the B16a2 engine.

88CRX_SiR

Positive no oil from valve cover. No oil on the head above the manifold, none on the belts either. Just where the head meets the block and below.

B serious

iTrader: (1)

Man, I just really remember my EM1 not having a cooler. I know that my 01 GSR didn't have a cooler because they stopped putting coolers in C1 engines after they went OBD2. Maybe I have all this mixed up.

Former User

Did the engine blow after you disconnected the coolant hoses going to nowhere?

B serious

iTrader: (1)

LOL. No...I've had a few EM1's and I always thought it was a bit easier to remove the oil filter than any of the cars that I had that had B18C-R's or B16B's or whatever. I don't remember feeling/seeing an oil cooler on those cars.

But....then I recall my 01 GSR not having a cooler....which I found out after I bought a cooler gasket. So maybe I'm mixing all this up. THE YEARS HAVE NOT BEEN KIND!

Former User

lexrob

Ive seen that once before on my first engine rebuild. Ended up being the headgasket because I didn't replace the dowels and it got kinda hung up on them.

It dumped about 4 qrts of out out the back of the head against the firewall onto my dads driveway within 3 seconds....

The center head stud doubles as the oil passage to feed the cylinder head which happens to be right "above" that little brass rivet in your picture. (if I remember right)

My guess would be that's what happened.

I purchased new dowels from Honda wacked em in with a hammer and reused the headgasket had no more problems.

88CRX_SiR

I'm gonna pull the manifold and valve cover tonight and check torque on the head studs and look for leaks on the back of the block.

But my idle has been getting increasingly higher. So I know oil pressure is dropping.

88CRX_SiR

No denying it now, oil in my coolant....

Dammit.

Former User

Well, at least you now know.

88CRX_SiR

Yeah, but it doesn't make me feel any better or the wife any happier. Lol

88CRX_SiR

So got the head off. Head gasket is definitely the culprit. Oil everywhere! But also noticed I'm burning some as well.



Oil and coolant inside the valve seats intake side.



This just got a lot more interesting.....

tony_2018

nice rebuild....