I have an '88 Civic Sedan with a D15B2 and it seems that it is leaking oil where the two halfs of the block meet. What should I do? Also, it was idling terrible every time I stopped at a red light or stop sign and half the time it would just die. That was what made me start checking everything. I then saw that my oil was low and that there was what seemed to be fresh oil at the seam.

 

It's leaking where the two halves of the block meet?

I am going to go ahead and assume that you mean where the head meets the block. The majority of the time oil in this area is caused by a failing valve cover gasket, loose valve cover bolts, failing distributor o-ring seal, or failing camshaft seal. If I were you, I would take off the valve cover, clean every gasket that you see, and reinstall them with a bit of high temperature silicon sealant.

As for the idling and dying problem, you are going to have to give us a bit more information and be more specific. It could be lots of things going wrong.

 

It is very obvious that your car would die since most of the oil has been leaked. The engine is is getting overheated due to lack of oil and due to this reason the idling will be poor, causing the engine to die out suddenly. As said by the member, it is the gaskets that needs replacement. It would be better if you replace them soon and don't wait until all of the oil drains out, making the engine to seize.

 

Uh, no. There are many other reasons why his engine would be idling the way it is. Having low oil does not cause this, nor does it cause overheating. That is a separate issue.

 

Overheating isn't an issue for me.
And yes I do mean where the head meets the block. (My knowledge of car terminology isn't the greatest, sorry about that) As soon as weather permits I will check all of the gaskets and tend to them. I know that waiting isn't really that smart of an idea, but with all this rain I don't really have an option. Thanks for the help guys.

 

As long as you know that there is oil in the engine, driving it the way it is will only be annoying. It shouldn't cause any more long term problems.

 

Alright. When I get the time to work on it I'll keep you updated.

 

i think you problem is not this little leaking!!.....but i´m positive you need change you headgasket!!!

 

If you are talking about then engine idling to a stop, I am pushing that off as a result of the cold weather. Since the weather has warned up I haven't had that issue. I have also dealt with a blown had gasket on this car before and I can tell you with assurance that this is not a blown head gasket. The symptoms are different.

 

So I put new gaskets on the value cover yesterday. Hopefully that clears up the oil leaking. It should at least help, since the old one was falling apart. It was similar to pulling out string cheese in some areas. (It was at least 24-ish years old. I have no clue when the last time that was changed.) So as long as there are no more leaks else where, I should be good.