2 dr 1990 honda accord with 183K

seems like I'm putting about a quart of oil in it a month. I'll check it and it will be fine then it will slip my mind for two weeks and drop below the low hole. I'll put a quart in it and it's fine again.

Looking under the hood it appears to be leaking oil around the valve cover and when I changed the plugs there was oil in the recesses also. Also.. when a friend of mine and I changed my oil some oil dripped on his face before he undid the bolt.

Is this common? Should I replace the valve cover gasket and how can I tell if the oil pan is leaking. Would it be the gasket or the plug.. ?

What other things should I consider replacing to stop this oil leak. I don't want to not notice it drop real low and then blow my engine.

 

My brother has my old '90 accord (225K and still going strong). You might want to check the seals between the engine and transmission housings- we had some leaks around there last year. Also, when an accord gets that old/ high mileage they're bound to leak some oil. I'd say go ahead and check all of the gaskets while you're at it.

 

You probably need to replace the valve cover gasket and there are rubber rings that are inside the valve cover that keep oil from leaking into the spark plug holes those most likely need to be replaced also. It would be a good idea to replace the o-ring that goes on the oil plug also that may solve most of your problems and not to exspensive at that.

 

What you need to do is basically find where it is leaking. If the sparkplugs are wet from oil, this usually gives you an indication that indeed the valve cover gasket is leaking. But, to make sure, do these following tests before buying gaskets and spending time on fixing your car.

1. Try to clean your engine as best you can to remove old oil residue.

2. put a large piece of cardboard under your car and let it sit overnight. Next morning, without disturbing the cardboard, look at it and try to plumb where exactly the oil is leaking from.

3. Drive your car for a while and then look around the engine at the previously cleand spots to see.

Now it is possible that you may find that your engine is leaking from all over the place. A 15 year old engine will do that. It is part of life and may not warrant you to replace every gasket and seal throughout. A judgment call on your part.

fs

 

thanks for the help everyone.

even if I just slowed the rate it'd be better.