alpinegroove

My 1999 Civic LX with 100k miles is losing oil.

It used to go from the high to low line on the dipstick in about 2000 miles.

The mechanic had been urging for a number of years to fix a leak in the oil pan gasket, which we finally did.

That was 900 miles / 1 month ago. In that period, the oil went from the high to low marks on the dipstick. It appears to be losing oil faster than it used to.

My 94 Civic LX rarely lost any oil, so I am concerned.

Shouldn't replacing the oil pan gasket have fixed the loss of oil?

Thank you.

mechanix619

2 issues

Was the oil pan gasket really the issue? And was it replaced properly?


Can you see oil on the ground? If not then you probably have an internal issue.

alpinegroove

I believe the oil pan gasket has been fixed properly. I don't think there is currently a leak.

That's the fix the mechanic suggested, so I went with it.

What else could be causing it?

Former User

Clean the external surfaces of engine of oil. Watch for locations of fresh oil, starting with top of the engine.

Common oil leak locations for D16Y7:

• Distributor (internal seal and O-ring)
• Oil pan
• Valve cover
• Oil filter

Less common:

• Oil pressure switch
• Front Cam and Crank seals
• Rear seal

mechanix619

Put a piece of cardboard under the car when you park it for the night. If there's oil on the board in the morning then you've got an external leak.

Not always the best option unless you trust the mechanic and/or know what he/she suggested is actually plausible.

If its an external leak it could be the oil pan gasket, rear main seal, oil filter (unlikely), PCV system.

Verify that you are seeing oil on the ground before moving on.

alpinegroove

Over the last few weeks, I have realized that I cannot trust this mechanic. This is just one of the issues. I was expecting the oil loss to be addressed by fixing the oil pan gasket...

I'll try to determine if there is another leak.

janz3n

if theres no leaks its obviously burning the oil, its a honda after all. why waste time trying to chase a leak that would be clearly obvious at the rate your losing oil when its clearly not leaking?

Former User

He'd be blowing blue smoke out the exhaust if all that oil was getting past the piston rings. He clearly had an oil leak and it's unclear that the oil gasket replacement fixed the leak.

alpinegroove

What would you do then?

mechanix619

The only way to solve this issue is by process of elimination. First, determine where the leak is originating. Second, if you don't know how it fix the issue then ask for help, or fix the issue.

Do some diagnostics then come back.

ROMOJDM

iTrader: (2)

change your pcv valve

ROMOJDM

iTrader: (2)

if this is not the case then you new piston rings.

jbpnoman

RonJ already told you what you should do. Clean your motor (some parts cleaner and a handful of rags are all you need). Make that motor shine. Drive it around the block, and see where the oil is coming from. It'll be easy to spot on a clean motor.

alpinegroove

Thanks, all. I'll clean the engine and observe.

EJ8mike

Probably cam/crank seal or rear main.....

Until u do some diagnosis & elimination, we r talkin in circles here.

janz3n

you dont always see smoke when burning oil, it can be faint enough that you dont notice. if this guy is losing as much oil as he thinks he is he would be seeing a stain under his car every time he parked it.

Former User

Oil leakage can occur primarily during driving and not be very apparent when parked.

Loss of the large amount of oil reported by the OP would almost surely produce some visible blue exhaust smoke if one looked for it...and the OP had and paid to have an external oil leak fixed, apparently unsuccessfully. Regardless, the OP currently should be carefully looking for both external oil leaks and blue exhaust smoke.

janz3n

k, well there would still be visible sign of a leak on the ground after parking if its leaking during driving.

like i said before oil burning does not always produce visible smoke, and when you arent looking for it its thats much harder to notice.

we're talking about .5 to 1 Liter of oil this guy is losing, this would make a mark under the car no mater what. also, the OP hasnt actually looked at his car to see if theres oil anywhere on the engine to confirm if the oil pan is still leaking or that there is a leak at all.

Former User

Again, not necessarily. The OP should clean and then inspect the surface of the engine for fresh oil. You are concluding that all of the oil loss is due to burning in the cylinders. Your conclusion is premature.

Hence the importance of doing a careful inspection of the engine surface.

janz3n

I can guarantee you if you're losing that much oil in that short of time from a leak you would see it on the ground.
I'm not saying its all from burning in the cylinders but either a combination of that and a leak or just from burning.
Of course the op should check for a leak, I'm not saying he shouldn't.

Former User

alpinegroove

The oil pan gasket is not leaking. I can confirm that. I am still working on inspecting the rest.

fragmare

I second the notion of some engine degreaser, some rags, and shining up the engine, top to bottom, then taking it around the block to pinpoint the leak.

If the OP is really curious about burning the oil, he could perform one of most useful engine diagnostic tests around... wait for it...

A LEAKDOWN TEST