I'm currently working on a 1995 honda accord Vtec (F22B1) for a buddy. Car was not running for 5-6 months. He said it needed a new water pump. So I towed it to my house/shop and replaced the water pump timing belt, valve cover gasket and thermostat. When I fired it up the car smoked for a few min until it cleared up. But I'm getting an oil leak up on the timing belt side, on the back side of the engine where the block and head meet. Any ideas where else oil can leak from in this area?

 

Sounds like a the head gasket might be gone. When the water pump went out did the car overheat? I havent really worked on a lot of these motors, so i cant say if there is another place for it to leak from. I would look and see if the valve cover gasket you installed isnt leaking down the side of the motor and collecting where the head and block meet.

 

Could be camshaft seal, oil pump seal or the balancer shaft seal.

 

I really cant see it having a blown head gasket because it doesn't smoke, doesn't over heat. coolant and oil are fine. before I installed the new valve cover gasket I checked the cam shaft seal and it appeared to be dry (no old leaks)

 

I drove my my ls swapped civic for 7 months with leaking head gasket. Didn't smoke or run bad at all, no water in the oil or vice versa just dumped a quart of oil every 2 weeks. It was sealed around the combustion chambers and water jackets, but leaked out the oil galley in the corner. Its doubtful that thats your problem, but i would completely cross it out as a possibility since thats where the oil is.

 

Does it look like an external leak?

Btw post a pic.

 

Yeah It does look like an external leak. Ill have to post a picture in the morning when I'm home. I'm at the office right now. Gold mid-shift government work.

 

Just compression test it.

 

Center, backside, where the head and block meet is the oil pressure sender. Common leak.

 

Its on the backside corner, camshaft side where the head and block meet. Ill post up a picture in a few.

 

Here are a few.

 

Wash the area clean and take it from there, best advice I can offer.

Good luck

 

LOL...That's just what I did this morning. Pressure washed the whole thing. I'm gonna do and oil change and pull and replace the oil pan gasket.

 

Yeah, thats tough spot really hard to see. Good luck with it.

 

Mine leaked at the same point. I didn't push the cam seal all the way in and the cam ate the seal.

 

Hmmm...good to know. If it still leaks ill have to re-check that seal.

 

Keep us updated

 

Roger that, I'm going to change the oil/filter/and oil pan gasket. I pressure washed the whole engine bay from top to bottom, so after I throw fresh oil in it and run it, it should be easy to find the leak if any.

 

Spent about 2 hrs cleaning cleaning. My customer is not going to believe how clean it looks now. When I got the car it looked like a junk yard engine bay!!!

 

****!

I need to this, I'm guessing you steam cleaned plus the pressure washer?

Are you checking the timing?

And did you find the location of your leak?

 

Not oil leak related, but it appears the ground strap is mission on the cam cover. Where that shiny threaded hole is on the front corner of the cover.



Part #29, and possibly #18(x2) and the strap itself #8

 

He did a timing belt on the car probably forgot to put it back on.

Good eye, btw

 

Yeah, your talking about that spot. I found it when I was pressure washing the engine bay. As far as the leak goes Today I removed the oil pan to replace the gasket and that sucker was as hard as a rock. I had to pretty much burn it off. I have never seen and oil pan gasket so old and brittle in my life. I'm also going to add a little bit of (Oil Stop Leak) when I pour in the fresh oil and filter.

 

That spot really looks like a cam seal leak......You can pull the upper tb cover and run the engine to see.

 

Yeah I'm gonna have to do that because after replacing the oil pan gasket filter and fresh oil + I used some help stop leak conditioner......It still leaks from that spot. Not as bad but it still does. Also looks like the front and rear crank seals are both leaking as well.
judging by how badly brittle the oil pan gasket was, I'm guessing every single oil seal is the same way.