wch

Hi all -

I've got an oil leak in my 1993 Accord EX. I noticed it because when I drive around it smells like burning oil, and today I saw a little bit of smoke coming out from under the hood. Bad sign.

I changed my oil a few weeks ago, and I recall seeing oil coming down the back of the engine where the oil filter goes on. Today I looked -- from above, since I park on the street and don't have an easily available garage where I can jack up the car -- down through the spaces between the pipes in the intake manifold, and I can see that everything down there is covered with oil: the back of the engine and some tubes or hoses down there that I can't see very well. Above the manifold, everything looks clean (the manifold is clean too). Below the manifold, there's lots of oil.

Anyone out there have advice on how I should approach this? I'm curious to see if there's (A) an easy way to find the source of the leak, and (B) fix it. My current theory is that it's the cylinder head gasket, but I'd like to make sure before I try taking it all apart.

Other info that might be useful: when I changed my oil, there was oil above the filter, so that seems to indicate that it's not leaking from the filter. On the other hand, the burning oil smell was much less before the oil change. I also cleaned my EGR ports at the same time and cleaned out the EGR valve, and I put the valve back on with the old gasket which was pretty messed up because I didn't have a new one available at the time (I have it now).

Thanks for any help you can provide!

TheMuffinMan

iTrader: (1)

Clean off the motor (degreaser) drive around for a day and see if you can find the source

wch

I'll give it a shot. I just have to find a place where I can raise up the car and get under there to clean it up....

wch

Well, I checked again from above (still no place to jack it up and get under). I was able to fit a little inspection mirror down there to see a bit better.

I was able to see that the engine oil pressure switch was totally covered in oil, as was about 3 inches of the cable connected to it -- the oil seemed to stop where the cable turned upward. Oddly, the engine block right where the switch threaded in didn't seem to have oil on it, though I didn't have a very good view. Maybe the oil burns off quickly there? If you're reading this and you would know, please tell me.

The big pipe running horizontally is completely covered in oil, though I only looked at maybe the middle 8 inches of it.

The oil filter (which I replace a few weeks ago) is clean, but all around the area where it screws in, and a little above that, is covered in oil.

I wasn't able to see the upper part of the engine block because the big pipe block my mirror and lighting. I could only see from a little above the oil filter and below.

Ideas, anyone? Thanks!

mavvrik

Valve cover gasket

Bad_dude

The valve cover is above top, if it's dry around that, then would the leak be from under or some where else? If it was the valve cover gasket, wouldn't I see it from above? I am asking b/c I just replaced my gasket and now getting small leaks below. I did spray some carb cleaner from top down to clean. I wonder, if after a little more than a week, would the cleaned remnants starts to drop down now?
Thanks.

zak88lx

I bet it's the o-ring seal for the oil filter housing.
These seals split in the colder weather on the higher mile Accords of this generation.

Take a look with a flashlight at the space between the engine block and the oil filter base.
The leak will be faster with the car running.

You will need to remove the oil filter housing, replace the o-ring and top up the coolant afterwards as you will lose some.
Honda dealership can do this for about $185 dollars if you don't want to.

Zak

Bad_dude

I live in CA so it's definitely not the cold. But I'll check your suggestion. But why leak there now, after I have changed my oil for a little while now.
Thanks.

noobk1ng

Could it be the oil pan gasket? That would explain the lower oil.

journeyforce

Degrease the area where the oil is covering . Change the oil, add some leak dye from the parts store, buy one of those $20 battery powered blacklight units and after a few days of driving, check the place with the blacklight. You should be able to see a leak dye trail and you will be able to pin point your source

Cheers

L

nightime25

You said you changed the oil filter? just a hunch but do you know if the old filter gasket came off? and or did you put the new one on? Did this problem occur after you changed the oil?

brakedrum

As others said, it sure sounds like a piece of the old gasket remained and the new filter was put in on top of it. All the right symptoms. Inspecting and cleaning that seat is easy to forget when you're up under the car and everything is going along pretty good and you're anxious to get to the good part (pouring that new oil into your Honda engine).

I guess a cross-threaded or poor-sealing pan plug is a possibility, but the leak and smoke sounds too large to be that.

HondaTuner4267

as stated before sounds like there may be some of the old oil filter gasket still on there.
I would check that first then go from there. Not having a place to work on it would make for a challenge as well. Good luck!


check out www.cb7tuner.com for more detailed info on 90-93 accords

brakedrum

On most filters the o-ring is just kind of on there, not really secured by much other than a slot it sits in. It needs to be that way in order to make a good seal. Later when the housing is removed, that o-ring sometimes tries to stay with the car. The shop that changed your oil should have checked that and cleaned up that whole seat before putting new filter on. They owe you a new oil change.

Get that trash seal off of there. It is creating a gap that is letting oil escape. If you've been driving with this a few weeks, you've probably lost a quart or more of oil by now. Correct the situation like yesterday.

zak88lx

Any news?
Have you figured out what the problem was?

I still think it's the o-ring for the oil filter housing.
(O-RING 62.4X3.1 Part# 91316-PE7-730)

Refer to my earlier reply in this thread.

Zak

brakedrum

I'm not referring to a part of the car, and probably should never have used the word "o-ring." I'm talking about the simple little rubber gasket that comes on an oil filter. I have changed my oil more times than I can remember where I found the one off the filter I was removing still stuck to the car, despite having properly lubed it at install. Since I always check that area and wipe it off before screwing on a new filter, I have never missed one. I have known people to put new filters on and with that old gasket or piece of gasket under it, the new filter doesn't seal properly and lets oil blow out.

dafang

I chased a oil leak in the same area, mine stopped after replacing the oil pressure sending switch. Not too hard to replace once you remove oil filter and find right size wrench. Switch is less than $10 at Autozone.