blacktibby07

is it? im not sure but where oil pan meets up with block, quite a bit of residue and noticed today a couple of drops under where the the drain plug is located...

i did just do an oil change today and double checked plug tighteness and filter, (new plug with grommet)...

not sure if this is just the extra oil from filter when i took it off thats just still lingering off or not but if it is the gasket, how hard is it to drop pan and replace?

also my bro who i bought from said there is a small leak, says bout monthly he has to add quart oil....

he says he thinks distributor or o ring is leaking but i dont know if it would drip all the way to opposite side underneath???

Jimmy

iTrader: (5)

Typically i've seen the distributor o-ring leak to the front side of the block. It's a cheap seal from Honda and easy to fix.

Take some brake parts cleaner and clean up the pan and spilled oil from the oil change.. and check back in a couple days.

It might be time for a new oil pan gasket.. also are you using a crush washer on the drain plug?

blacktibby07

yes i am and ok

jmaze

maybe the oil pan gasket doesnt have hondabond on the corners of the oil pan.

NVturbo

Yeah...a new oil pan gasket may be your best bet. Just make sure to tighten the bolts in a criss-cross pattern to ensure the gasket is tightened evenly.

strategy400

A properly installed oil pan gasket should not leak. Are you sure it isn't the rear main seal or oil leaking down from the valve cover or distributor seal?

Installing a pan gasket with engine in the car is a difficult messy unpleasant job. I'd exhaust all other possibilities first and only do it as a last resort. You could end up worse off.

Jimmy

iTrader: (5)

I'm sorry, but i haft to disagree. Changing an oil pan gasket has got to be one of the easiest jobs i've ever done on a Honda.

Remove exhaust manifold -> Drain Oil -> Remove Pan.

How is that difficult, messy or unpleasant?

NVturbo

"REMOVE EXHAUST MANIFOLD"....that's not a 5 minute job.

AutoXer

Mine started to leak about 6 months ago. I've had a rear main leak for a couple of years, and have just lived with it. Then, doing and oil change, the whole pan was covered in crud. Cleaned it off, and same thing on the next change. Got everything spotless with brake cleaner and monitored it. The oil pan gasket is definitely leaking all around.

NVturbo

^^^ If it is leaking all around, it may have been how you tightened the bolts. Overtightening them can cause leakage as well. I always use the "ring and pinky finger" torque method on something that small of torque spec.

AutoXer

That would have been the factory not knowing how to tighten the bolts properly; but since they have a robotic fixture to do it and it took 190K miles to start leaking, I'm thinking that's not the case. The oil pan can develop leaks just as a rear main, valve cover, etc...

NVturbo

oil pan will leak under certain conditions:

- dented, damaged, warped
- overtightened bolts or wrong tightening method
- bad or dry-rotted old gasket

99blackcivicSi

the gasket isn't just rubber...some of the little metal rings stick around the studs and causes a leak even with a new gasket...so yes it can be difficult if not cared for properly. also it is quite messy and unpleasent since you get oil on your no matter lift or not on your back sucks ***.

Arthas

lol you need better tools. I could have my exhaust manifold off in 5 minutes.

f22vx

you dont even have to remove exhaust manifold just the B-pipe and thats only what like 6 bolts total but then you gotta replace those gaskets too. unless of course you have a 1 peice but still maybe a 7 min job

94eg!

iTrader: (2)

Mine has been leaking for a while. I noticed the pan was missing a bolt so I installed a new one and it made it worse. I have a ITR motor and I must drop my 4-1 header to get the 1-piece trans brace off. I'm sure you have to do this no matter what though. Having a B-pipe means you only need to buy the two o-ring seals instead of a whole header gasket.

Looking in the Helms manual, I can tell you right now it says this. Apply Hondabond (or Ultra Flange) to the 4 seams on the block. Two where the oil pump bolts on and two where the rear cover (hold the rear main seal) bolts onto the block. Then lay the gasket on the pan and install the 6 nuts till they are barely finger tight. Now install the 12 bolts till they are finger tight. Now starting from the center rear bolt, work your way around in a clockwise tightening each bolt in 3 steps (3 times around) to 8.7lb/ft torque.

uNDERGROUND sTREET gOD

My car had an annoying *** leak as well. replaced all the gaskets. oil pan, valve cover, checked the drain plug, o ring by dizzy. nothing! when we replaced my clutch we resealed the tranny and motor really well and low-behold, that was where the leak was coming from. But like the dude above states. Take some cleaner and clean super well everywhere and the leak should show itself bro. GL with it

NVturbo

I do have the right tools....it's the stubborn bolt/nuts that slow me down.

BryanM.

iTrader: (1)

Oil pan gaskets do commonly leak on motors with a zillion miles and that are decades old.

They also leak from people over tightening the bolts and not using RTV in the correct spots
or at all or from slathering the entire gasket with RTV thinking it's the way to go.

lol @ oil pan gasket being a tough job. D and B series engines are the easiest I've done. Ever
do a oil pan on a late model Ford diesel? Holy ****!


Also keep in mind, you're not doing yourself any favors by running the engine, even for a
couple seconds, before attempting this job. If you do, oil with be dripping for HOURS and
you will hate life. Let the thing sit over night before pulling the pan.

94EG8

That and let it sit overnight before you put oil in it and start it so the RTV can cure properly.

99blackcivicSi

there a lot of people on this forum that don't do that kind of stuff they are hobbiest, myself i am not i do this for a living, any job can be difficult if you 1 don't have the correct tools and 2 are careless and don't keep an eye out for things and end up doing the job twice which i was stating.

do an oil pan on a VK45DE AWD motor, thats right up there with the worst oil pan i have ever done....under warranty time per infiniti it paid 6 1/2 hours.

the fords you could most of the time get away with jacking the motor up till either the trans hit the tunnel or the motor hit the firewall whichever came first and then the pan would squeeze out from under there.

BryanM.

iTrader: (1)

My post wasn't directed towards you in particular, please excuse me if it
seemed that way.

A job like this all comes down to having the right tools, chemicals, parts
and directions. The rest isn't really all that tough. Some people on here say
they were able to do the job without removing the ex. manifold and A pipe.

So you have to "generally" judge job difficulty on a forum because everyone's
skill level is different, vastly different for people like you who do it
professionally versus those who are still learning.

In general, all things considered, I would still say that an oil pan gasket
change on a '92-'00 Civic is an easy job as cars go. Simply because someone
still learning cars has a hard time with a certain job doesn't always mean that that
particular job is difficult.
BTW I am not a professional mechanic.

I'm not trying to start an argument, I'm just continuing the conversation.