I need an opinion on a RMS seal issue that developed after an auto to manual conversion on a 2K Civic DX. This is the second swap I've done, first on my car, this is on a buddys:

No RMS leak prior to the conversion, and seal looked good from a visual standpoint when installing the flywheel. Decided to leave well enough alone. 3 days into driving, what appears to be a RMS (or possibly oil pan gasket) leak has developed. Ruled out distributor, cam seal and valve cover.

Car has 150K. My theory is the (aging) seal is now subjected to different forces from the clutch setup and has developed a minor leak (~3 drops on the floor after the car is parked, then no further oil until next drive).

Now here is the thing - as of this afternoon, the leak appears to have stopped. I pulled the flywheel cover, wiped down the bottom of the transmission case, and road tested again. No more oil detectable.

The reason I am asking for advice is we have to decide in the next few days to tackle this at my place as the car is driving back to GA next week, and the owner would be stuck with this (costly) repair if he has to take it to a shop.

I'm hesitant to mess this, unless I'm sure replacing the seal at this point is the right course of action. We're going to keep our eyes on the leak for the next day or so. That's said, I haven't ruled out the oil pan gasket either, and we may just do this as preventative measure as this is easier than dropping the transmission again.

Thoughts?

 

We'll also be replacing the PCV valve tomorrow.