I've got a '93 civic si hatch with a b18c and a drag III turbo kit, all self-installed. Before I installed the turbo, the car didn't leak a drop of oil. When I was installing the turbo, I had to drop the oil pan to tap it for the oil-return line from the turbo. The hole I tapped does not leak at all.... but ever since I put the turbo on I haven't been able to get the leak to stop. I'm 99% sure it's the oil pan gasket. I tried to fix it 7 times myself. I would drop the pan, clean it off as well as where the pan meets the engine, and apply some hondabond to the gasket and bolt it back on. I followed the helms manual as far as bolting it on goes... skipping each bolt and going across the pan, tightening it in 2 steps to 9 ft/lbs. And it still leaks.... the whole pan will be soaked, and it's not coming from anything higher up on the engine.

I finally took it to a shop and had him try to fix it, and he said that I wasn't suposed to use any sealant, and that I was tightening the bolts too much. So I picked it up from him, and it STILL leaks. I took it back to him yesterday, and he was baffled. I was thinking that maybe the pressure wasn't being relieved from the valve-cover (I put on a valve cover-breather with the turbo), put I took off the breather and its clean and I can blow air through it fine. Anyone have any ideas? It's to the point where I'll leak 2 quarts of oil in a 100 mile car trip

Thanks in advance, hopefully one of you techies can help me out

 

This is a stupid question but you didn't mention taht you replaced the oil pan gasket....are you trying to use the stock one........

Get another oil pan and see if that works......???

 

Oh... sorry, left some info out. I changed the gasket all but the first 2 tries, and the last time, I got a new oil pan from the dealership (those things are expensive!) as well as tried the new gasket and some hondabond. I made sure to clean the engine and pan both very well before matching them together with the new gasket each time.

 

is it leaking from all over or just one spot?

are you sure it is the oil pan gasket?

hondabond is the stuff, but try letting it set for 15 minutes on both surfaces before mateing them together, then only tourque the bolts up about 3/4's and let it sit overnight - then tourque them fully the next day...works for me

hope this helps.

t..

 

first of all, are you sure it is the oil pan ? I have had the same problems before, and I'd redid the oil pan, nuts and bolts, and still leaks...

wanna know what happened ? the turbo, it wasn;t clock right, the oil return flange must be POINTED DOWN, otherwise you have a problem of oil filling the shaft and not being drained out properly...

try that, after I re-clocked the turbo, I haven;t had a single oil leaks, even my oil return lines are oil free....

the only reason whay you may think it's the oil pan, it's because the windage sprays the oil drop from the oil return flange to all over oil pan, downpie and piping and etc...

try that, see if it helps..
stan

 

if you did the oil pan gasket that many times and it still leaked, I don't think its y our oil pan leaking. Clean off all the oil off your engine and get under your car with it running and try and pinpoint were its coming from.

 

i have the same problem. it leaks at the corner where the oil pump meets the block. you have to use some honda bond on that corner.

the 9-10ft/lbs that honda tells you to use can be a little to tight........i used 40 inch pounds.

 

Did you inspect the bottom of the block prior to installing the new gasket? OEM gaskets have a tiny metal o-ring in the corners that have a tendency to adhere themselves to the studs for the oil pan.. you have to physically remove those tiny o-rings.. If you don't and re-install a new oil pan gasket it will the leak at the corners where the o-rings were located...

 

wow that was a lot of helpful responses... thanks guys. I figured out what it was... the guy in the shop did end up fixing the oil pan.. he told me it was being torqued down too tight... I guess you werer ight about the 9ft/lbs being too much. I think the combo of that and possibly too much honda-bond made the pan leak. The leak was due to 2 things: 1 was the oil pan (Which the guy at the shop fixed finally) and the second one was the oil feed line for the turbo.... something was screwy where it attached to the block. re-did that, and everyting is fine.

Thanks again all