greenquark

My accord 1990 DX leaks an oil drop here and there. I took a 1000 mile trip last weekend. I have noticed the leak has increased.

Any idea where this leak might come, judging the position of the oil puddle? Any idea where to look? The leak is under the passenger side. It is not transmission fluid. So i am pretty sure is motor oil

And another puzzling question. I refill the power steering cointainer to the max line. But after driving for a while, the level goes down to the min line. If I don;t put any fluid in it. The level stays at the min ( it doesn't go down that line). Where does the liquid go? If leaking, it should leak it all, isn't it?

I wonder if it is time to put this car to rest

ryguy1220

First check your filter. I believe theyre closer to the passenger side. Just make sure its snug. Second, the power steering pump might've been dry so itll suck some of the fluid in. Try filling it again it might stay full.

greenquark

Hi there,

I will do check the oil filter, it is located at the center, but the oil can percolate to that area.

About hte power steering: I have refilled the container like 3 times, it always goes to the min mark. I will keep adding it just to see. I checked a few spots for leaks but couldn't find any. I read the possible spots for power steering fluid leak in this forum!

NerfGunner420

that is your power steering lines most likely leaking at least my model has a power steering cooler along with transmission cooler

Fitz Williams

iTrader: (1)

Oil leak from the distributor o-ring is a good possibility and a cheap fix.

NerfGunner420

be a man jack up the car put it on jack stands or a friend who has some + flashlight you'll know where its coming from

94 accord typeR

u know the PS fluid is leaking, have u check the oil level? if the oil level is consistent then the leak is PS fluid. diagnose from there

greenquark

Ok, I went under the car and I couldn't see where the oil leak is coming from . the drop here and there, but when I wipe them and see if it comes back, filter is cozy, nothing .

I took some pictures though which I am showing here.

Photo0:engline block, distributor
Photo1:engline block, distributor
photo2: distributor and the front part of it.
photo3:the bottom view of the distributor.
photo4:distributor and the back of it

Any ideas?

Lost Again

Start with a dist o-ring - vc gasket, only do the upper seals for now. Be sure to seal the
"corners" of the vc with a dab of silicone.

Then some serious cleaning under there....dang that is basty.

greenquark

If by VC gasket you meant the one you see in blue , in picture #3 , it was replaced a month ago. I will change the dist -o ring.

How to do cleaning, is another story...any links?

MAD_MIKE

Cleaning is easy.

Use some Simple Green or 409. Liberally spray cleaner on all surfaces, let soak in for a few minutes and then spray off with a hose.

Don't flood the engine with water. Keep the sprayer/hose moving.
Don't cover any sensors or 'bag' components, this will cause damage.
Don't steam clean!

Ideally, if you have a coin-op car wash nearby there will be the power wand, use the wand/soap option after applying the cleaner. This will blast off most of the gunk. Avoid flooding components, such as the distributor, spark plug tubes, alternator, etc.

Avoid the 'purple' cleaners. These can damage/eat plastics and rubber components.
Avoid 'GUNK' engine cleaners. They are not as good as they claim to be, and if not all of the cleaner is removed there will always have a hint of the GUNK cleaner smell when the engine is warm.

Areas where the oil may be leaking.
Valve cover.
Distributor O ring(external)
Distributor oil seal(internal)
Rear main seal.
But these can only be confirmed after cleaning all the oil residual oil off and then starting/driving the car for a few minutes to locate the source.

greenquark

Thanks for the input. I h ave read/watched how to replace the o-ring for teh distributor. I am afraid about the de-timing of the engine with epic outputs :/...any trick DIY way around this? how to mark the right position?

tim73

Distributor only goes in one way. Pop cap off, wires off, unbolt, pull out(Eyeball where there distributor sat, As it can rotate a little). Replace oring, pop back in...rebolt.

94 accord typeR

paint. simply paint the dizzy and the block with a single line and line these up on install. most engine components already have paint marks from the factory. u can paint as many lines as u need to make sure the dizzy is lined up

greenquark

just paint it when I took the screws off and pull the distributor out?

Thanks in advance

94 accord typeR

paint before u take the dizzy off. or u can use a gel pen as long as it shows up on the metal. Whiteout will work.

if u do this before removal then u will always know the dizzy position for correct timing

when u go to install u will have paint marks on the dizzy and the head and when u line the marks up perfectly ur timing will be accurate

holmesnmanny

Using a sharpie, put a line across both the distributor and the head in the front of the engine/car. Then when you put the distributor back on just line the mark back up.

greenquark

Finally I changed the o-ring . Took me some time to figure out the old o-ring was tehre ( it was so brittle I thought it was a metal thing.

I cleaned the area as much I could. I don;t see any leaking around the dizzy now. I still see one or two drops of oil after I park . I must say the leak is not as before, but there is still some oil leak.

I recently took the accord to the mechanic to get the valve cover gasket replaced, the whole set.

I checked the spark plugs and the two next to the distributor had a bit of oil ( i could feel it with my fingers) . Is this supposed to happen after replacing the valve cover gasket?

holmesnmanny

There are two sets of spark plug gaskets. One rests under the valve cover, the other set is under the rocker arm assembly. You need to replace that set too. I'm guessing your mechanic didn't. There is a how-to in the faq's for how to replace those if you choose to do it yourself. They are called spark plug tube seals.

greenquark

Good to know. What puzzles me is that the drops I see next day under the car are dark. Not red/trany fluid. It is like the used oil it had before I changed the oil 4 days ago. I mean, the oil the car has now is honey color. But the color I see in the drops is dark , like used oil.

holmesnmanny

Those drips could be coming from a rear main seal leak. I was referring to the spark plug holes.

greenquark

Yes,
I got what you were saying. NExt thing to do is to replace the o-rings on the rocker arm assembly. I wonder why the mechanic didn;t suggest me to change those too?

94 accord typeR

nope those NGK V-power are the best fit. OEM same ones Honda would sell you. if u want upgraded NGK's that's just fine!

P.S. i did some searching and these PS pumps do leak quite often and rebuild kits are available

holmesnmanny

Did you gap the plugs properly ?

greenquark

Yes 1 to 1.1 mm gap. Damn , just pisses me off . I was going to get the NGK and ended up paying attention to the clerk at the store.

Power steering fluid is constant. No leaking.

So all in all , should I leave the autolite spark plugs until next replacement or should I get the NGK best fit?