I've got an oil leak that I figured was a loose oil filter since I recently changed the oil. After putting the car up on jacks and nosing around it was obviously not the oil filter or the drain plug.

Where the transmission and the motor bolt together there was what appeared to be a steel plate amongst all this aluminum. I thought it was steel simply because it had a rusted appearance. After pondering it some more and tapping on it and examining the edges with a pick it turned out to be plastic.

Well, it doesn't matter if it's plastic or not but the main point is this appears to be the source of the oil leak.

I'm guessing the plastic piece is just a cover to observe if there is a problem with the rear main seal. I can't imagine what else it would be since I'm positive it's motor oil that's leaking and not transmission fluid since it's not red.

Is my guess correct?

Thanks. I'm hoping it's not the rear main needing replacement!

 

Sounds correct....I have the same leak (rear main seal) on a Civic/automatic.

 

Doesn't sound familiar to me and I've done a tranny job. Lets start with the YEAR and MODEL

 

Yeah, what Schmitey said...and pictures too, where's the pics?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hondadude &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> Yeah, what Schmitey said...and pictures too, where's the pics?</TD></TR></TABLE>
97 EX
Can't take pics of mine but forum member Evs-One who works at a Honda Dealership looked at mine and gave me the diagnosis.

 

Thank you for all the replies and I apologize, I guess I did leave out some important information! Here it is:

2002 Accord EX V6
- 4 door
- automatic transmission
- 60,000 miles (fairly low mileage for a rear main to be failing)

I don't have any pics but I did remove the plate I mentioned in my original post and I expected to get a bunch of oil running down my arm when I removed it.

After removing the plate the flywheel was right there but I couldn't see up near the rear main seal. It was pretty dry around the area as well so no oil running down my arm. I actually would have been happier if I had oil running down my arm then I would have been fairly certain it was the rear main.

I did see a Honda TSB that mentioned a problem with engine porosity and I'm wondering it that's what the problem is. The motor is perfectly dry everywhere else, I checked around the valve covers real well too. I checked the CV joints and there is absolutely no leakage there. The only sign of leakage is on the very bottom of the motor and if it's not the rear main seal I don't know what it could be other than the TSB (I think the number is 01-009).

Apparently the solution to the problem mentioned in the TSB is to dismantle the engine and coat it with JB Weld! I haven't been able to obtain a copy of the TSB to see the full text.

Not the tranny since the excess oil on the bottom of the motor isn't red.


Modified by belkins at 7:54 AM 2/16/2005

 

Just to be picky, since you have an automatic, when you took off that cover you're looking at the torque converter drive-plate. Autos don't have a normal flywheel.

Since it's not leaking red tranny fluid, it seems pretty certain to be engine oil (duh). But check to see whether it's coming from the oil pan gasket. That's right there too, & it's easier to replace.

Can you get a little mirror in there to get a better look?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JimBlake &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Just to be picky, since you have an automatic, when you took off that cover you're looking at the torque converter drive-plate. Autos don't have a normal flywheel.</TD></TR></TABLE>

DOH!!! I was thinking to myself as I was writing that, "automatics don't have flywheels...."

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JimBlake &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Since it's not leaking red tranny fluid, it seems pretty certain to be engine oil (duh). But check to see whether it's coming from the oil pan gasket. That's right there too, & it's easier to replace.

Can you get a little mirror in there to get a better look?
</TD></TR></TABLE>

I took a look at the oil pan. If it were leaking around the oil pan gasket I would undoubtedly have oil all over the pan itself which I don't. All the oil seems to be dripping in the area of that cover plate and spreads mostly over the transmission, probably from driving.

With the mirror are you talking about trying to see up around the torque converter drive plate to take a look at the rear main seal? If so, I can look straight up between the drive plate and the motor but the space is so tight I can't see the rear main seal.

Thank you for the reply.

 

What you say makes sense about the pan gasket, oil would get on the pan itself. I just wanted to be sure you ruled that out.

I don't have a V-6, but maybe they're sorta the same? The rear seal is mounted in a big plate that's bolted to the block. So there's a seam running vertically upwards from each corner of the pan. Maybe leaking from that seam? Still, you might have to remove the tranny to get at that anyway.

Yeah... like where the #4 assembly is bolted to the block.

 

When I removed the cover plate I could see the two seams you mentioned from where the rear main seal carrier (as in #4 in the diagram) came down.

Couldn't really tell if it was leaking from there or not.

http://www.hondaautomotivepart...1.gif


The cover plate I was talking about is #1 in the above link.



Modified by belkins at 10:03 AM 2/16/2005

 

Clean the bottom of the engine really good and then you might be able to see the origin of the leak. Also you never stated how much oil you burn/lose. Does it burn more oil driving in town as opposed to long drives with a constant speed.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by matt_in_sd &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Clean the bottom of the engine really good and then you might be able to see the origin of the leak. Also you never stated how much oil you burn/lose. Does it burn more oil driving in town as opposed to long drives with a constant speed.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Tried cleaning the bottom really well and I still really can't tell much.

I'm defintely not burning oil. When I go to work in the morning there are about an additional 6 - 7 drops of oil on the garage floor. I'm not ready to pull the motor at this point but I still think it's pointing to a rear main seal.

Most of my driving is to work and back (about 30 miles each way).

 

Mine is a 4 cyl, so this may not apply, but the vtec solenoid is on the rear of the head. Check if thats leaking. Maybe even a valve cover gasket. It is uncommon for a rear main to leak so soon, and from what you described about pulling the plate off and not seeing oil I doubt its the rear main.