ive just noticed when i got back from lunch at work that my car has a pretty bad oil leak where would this be coming from what gaskets should i replace?? ive only drivin the car 4 time in the month ive own it and only notice small spot where it was parked seems like it leaks alot more after im done driving,it also lookin to be drip from under the oil pan/side of the transmisson

 

well, you need to open the hood or go under the car and get a good look. Try to pin point more of where the oil is coming from. Then we can give you some suggestions as to what gasket or seal it might be.

 

it looks a little wat around the camgear and on top where the tranny bolts to the motor, it doesnt look crazy wet just look like there been oil leaking and i cant get under the car til after the holiday but where is the rear mainseal could that be the culprit?

 

well, just to clarify first, the cam gear and tranny are on opposite sides of the engine.

How can you see the cam gear? Did you pull the side cover or is there not one installed?

If you are looking at the cam gear and their is oil around it then that would be the cam seal. Not expensive but a lot of work to replace it. You are pretty much doing a timing belt/water pump job to get to this seal.

Oil on top the tranny where it bolts to the block, sounds like it either the o-ring that seals the distributor shaft, or it could be an internal leak inside the distributor. Pull the distributor cap and look inside, is their oil in there? If not, the distributor is ok. Is there oil ONLY on the outside housing of the distributor then dripping onto the tranny? If so, then it's the o-ring. Cheap and easy fix.

The rear main seal is the seal thats on the crank/block where the flywheel is. So to access this you would need to drop the tranny and pull the clutch/flywheel. If this is leaking the inside of your bell housing (where the flywheel/clutch or flex plate/torque converter is at) would have oil in it. Which would probably begin to leak from between the block and bell housing since there is no gasket there. Again, not an expensive part, but a lot of work to replace.

 

yes i can see the cam gear as the top plastic cover is in the trunk, i will look at the distibutor i mean its leaking a pretty good amount im just fearing drivng to work and the motor seize up on me but i have been checking the oil every evening it like half a quat low after driving for the day and would the distibutor oring leak that much oil??? also how hard to replace that oring,valve cover and oilpan gaskets? just for safe measure when i do plugs/wires/oilchange

 

i just went out to my car and felt under the distibutor and it is wet but it doesnt look like it would be leaking that much oil from under that spot or am i wrong?

 

any gasket/seal can leak a lot if it's deteriorated enough.

the distributor o-ring and valve cover gasket is easy to replace.

to replace the distributor o-ring...
-pull the spark plug wires off noting where they go
-remove the three bolts holding the distributor to the head
-give the distributor a tug and it'll come out
-replace the o-ring on the end of the distributor shaft
-install in reverse order, read note below.

take note of the key orientation on the end of the distributor. It is off center and matches to the keyway on the cam inside the head. I never thought you could put that in wrong but my friends proved me wrong. The were replacing a coolant hose on a 95 EX and removed the distributor to get better access, when they finished and assembled everything the car wouldn't start. They called me up and asked me to come look at it. First thing I did when we got there was to remove the distributor and check it. Once the bolts were removed the distributor is usually easy to rotate but this time it wasn't, so I worked it out and double checked the key orientation. double and triple check it as it can be somewhat hard to see if you aren't used to it. Put the distributor back in and it fired right up.

To replace the valve cover gasket...
-remove the spark plug wires taking note as to where they go
-remove any hoses connected to the valve cover
-remove the nuts or bolts (depending on your year/trim)
-remove valve cover
-remove gasket from groove and replace in reverse order
-before putting the valve cover back on put some Hondabond into the corners of the cam caps where the gasket goes over them.
-when installing tightening the nuts/bolts on the valve cover, remember they snap easily and are to be torqued to 7lbs/ft

The oil pan gasket is a bit more work but it's not too bad...
-You'll need to remove the splash shield.
-Then unbolt the downpipe from the header, unbolt the brace holding the downpipe to the block, remove the exhaust hangers from near the PS rack, this will allow you do drop the downpipe out of the way to get a better view of what your doing. Plus it makes it nice when your putting the oil pan back up there.
-You'll also need to remove the center beam of the from subframe.
-There is a plate at the bottom/side of the tranny, you'll need to remove that to get to a couple of the nuts on the oil pan.
-Then you should be able to just unbolt the nuts/bolts and remove the oil pan.
-Make sure you clean both surfaces real good before installing the gasket.
-Use some Hondabond around the half circle on the oil pan.
-When reinstalling, put the 6 nuts finger tight first to hold the oil pan up, then install all the nuts and bolts starting from the middle of the oil pan going around in a clockwise rotation. Tighten the nuts and bolts in three steps, gradually working up to 10lb-ft. Do not over tighten as that can cause distortion of the gasket and cause leaking.

 

it's hard for me to say without seeing it in person. I don't know how big the leak looks like or how much oil is under the distributor.

But here is my suggestion...
replace the gaskets you know are leaking. Continue to monitor your oil level and see if it continues to go down. If so, locate the leak and fix that one. Also, after fixing the first gaskets, clean the engine bay as it'll help to pin point the location of any future oil leaks.

 

thanks very much ill prolly end up doing the gaskets in the following week i just need to find a good honda parts supplier got anyone who can hook me up with the parts needed?

 

yep, no problem

for small or single part orders I just go to the local dealership.

but for larger orders where I know I can save even after shipping/handling, I order from Majestic Honda.