So, ive been searching for the past week or so trying to figure out what exactly is going on with my del Sol (S model, d15b7)

The car seems to drip a little fluid (looks like oil) coming from either the VC or from the head gasket area (cant quite tell) the idle is slightly erratic only when in park (AUTO) surging up and down (Idle adjustment did not solve this) and a small tuft of blueish-white smoke comes from the exhaust when gear drops to accelerate.

BUT...

I am not losing any coolant, and my engine temp is completely normal. Ideas?!

--Jake

ps...I have until Christmas break before I will see my car again, but this is all things i noticed while I was home for Thanksgiving...so give me things to try!

 

There are two ways a head gasket could blow, the first being that coolant gets into the engine where it shouldn't be, the other being oil can get into the engine. Sometimes both. I would say usually it's the coolant getting into the engine before the oil so that would lead me to believe that there may be bad piston rings allowing oil to get into the combustion chamber. I'd be first checking the valve cover gasket and if nothing there maybe a compression test to see if you're loosing anything from the rings. Just my .02 cents

 

Please excuse my ignorance, but will any local shop have the ability to do a compression test? Is this something that can be done in an average home garage? Im hoping it is just a leak in the VC gasket, but would this cause the smoke or the erratic idle?

--Jake

Thanks for chiming in, btw! I need all the help i can get!

 

Don't worry, I don't flame like 82 percent of everyone else does on here, plus I'm too new to have too much of an attitude I would think any decent shop around could do a compression/leak down test on your motor, but really, not wanting to be the bearer of bad news, I wouldn't THINK that a valve cover gasket would cause iradic idle and funky smoke. But I could be wrong, things surprise me everyday. I'm still on the side that there may be a bad piston ring letting the oil leak inside the combustion chamber.

 

Ya, I know there are a lot of factors here. I will for sure be reading up, researching and tearin down the motor over christmas break! So, checklist:

1. Check VC gasket for leaks...most likely replace
2. Learn how to check piston rings
3. Check piston rings
4. Solve or report

Thanks, bart, for your help so far! Anyone else with any opinions please chime in! I would like lots of things to check for so I have a higher chance of figuring this out!

--Jake

 

TTT

 

Is it possible that it's leaking oil from around your distributor? Thant's a common place for Hondas to leak. As for the idle, it could be completely unrelated...

 

There isnt some Dizzy gasket is there? Ive never heard of a gasket for the distributor...but ill search around and find out how to check for that...thanks for the tip!

--Jake

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by soccerwuedo5 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">There isnt some Dizzy gasket is there? Ive never heard of a gasket for the distributor...but ill search around and find out how to check for that...thanks for the tip!

--Jake</TD></TR></TABLE>

There is no distributor gasket but it has an O ring

 

Jus finished readin up on that! Messin with timing still has me a bit scared...gotta be honest...so ill put that on the bottom of my list to check...lol!

--Jake

 

another common place for Honda's to leak is the gasket around the VTEC solinoid. My car had an erratic idle when it was leaking oil really bad. Since then i have replaced the rear main engine seal (between engine and tranny), Valve cover gasket, and the VTEC solinoid gasket. After i replaced all of these seals my engine idles normally and does not start revving while the car is in neutral.

Im not 100% sure that the reason my engine is no longer idling erratically is because i replace all of the seals, it could just be coincidence.

 

D15B7's don't have vtec...

they DO however, have an updated head gasket in place of the crappy composite, old chevy 350 style head gaskets. I have seen way too many with less than 100k miles on them either: blown, leaking coolant externally, or leaking oil externally.

You need to replace it with the updated 3 layer steel gasket with new head bolts. Ask your Honda parts guy.

The gasket most likely is leaking, but may not be overheating or causing you to lose compression, or even show up on a leakdown test.

Look at the front corner of the engine above where the engine code is and see if the head gasket looks like a thick piece of gasket or a 3 layer steel version

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Evs-One &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">D15B7's don't have vtec...

they DO however, have an updated head gasket in place of the crappy composite, old chevy 350 style head gaskets. I have seen way too many with less than 100k miles on them either: blown, leaking coolant externally, or leaking oil externally.

You need to replace it with the updated 3 layer steel gasket with new head bolts. Ask your Honda parts guy.

The gasket most likely is leaking, but may not be overheating or causing you to lose compression, or even show up on a leakdown test.

Look at the front corner of the engine above where the engine code is and see if the head gasket looks like a thick piece of gasket or a 3 layer steel version </TD></TR></TABLE>

Good heads up! You are saying I should go all OEM then? Wont that be insanely expensive?

--Jake

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by soccerwuedo5 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Good heads up! You are saying I should go all OEM then? Wont that be insanely expensive?

--Jake</TD></TR></TABLE>

updated head gasket with the updated head bolts will be upwards of like 120. I've gotten away with using the old bolts though. Just the gasket you're looking maybe 40 bucks? I'm not sure, cause I get it at cost

Just make sure it's the updated one, only Honda has it. Any other company will give you the old style

 

So just call up my local dealer, and they should be able to get me the updated version? Any chance you can expand this "at cost" principle a lil my way

Lol!

--JAke

 

TTT

2 weeks til I see my Sol again...want lots of options to have it running well!

--Jake

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by soccerwuedo5 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">So just call up my local dealer, and they should be able to get me the updated version? Any chance you can expand this "at cost" principle a lil my way

Lol!

--JAke</TD></TR></TABLE>

get a job as a tech at a Honda dealer and you'll have Honda parts out your *** too!

service bulletin number is 97-047

 

Thanks! Oh, one more thing...this isnt like, some kinda recall issue is it? Like, by bringing up the service bulletin, would I have a decent claim that the upgrade in the materials should somehow constitute a decrease in price or something?

I mean, i dont mind paying the full amount...but everyone wants something for nothing right

--Jake

 

There are 2 places that oil can leak from the distributor. 1st is the oring that seals the distributor and the head from leaking oil where they go together. The 2nd place is the distributor oil seal. It is located inside the distributor. To check this one just remove the 3 screws that hold the distributor cap on. If you see oil on the inside of the cap you need to replace that seal. If you need it I did a little write up on how to change it.

 

I may just have to PM you for that...but a write up is useless now while im 1,000 miles away from the dizzy...or the whole car for that matter!

Thanks for your offer, tho, i will prob take you up on that!

--Jake